This course will deal with the subject of optical engineering and it will illustrate many of the subjects that will be encountered while working in that field. Calling on the instructor's many years of working in this field, first as an optical engineer, then a lens designer and optical engineering manager, and now an independent consultant, this course will allow the attendee to better understand the many phases and aspects of optical engineering. General topics such as the history of optical engineering and the presence of optical phenomenon in our everyday lives, will be presented, along with more specific discussions dealing with the basic characteristics and the design of optical components and systems. All information will be presented in a conversational format, with no requirement for dealing with the complex theories and mathematics that are often encountered. The course will provide a bridge of understanding, one that will carry the student from a basic starting point to that next level of learning that is typically presented in such classic text books as Warren Smith's <i>Modern Optical Engineering</i>.