How Do You Become A Weatherman/Meteorologist?

Question

I want to know how I can make researching and observing weather a profession.....

Answer 1

Yes you can. But it can be a tough profession to get into. So it is a good idea to see if you can make yourself shine brighter than the others who are also looking for the same career. My big advice is to get an internship in order to get experience and make contacts.

Having been a recruiter for over ten years and traveling across the country looking for good candidates at high school to university career and job fairs, I think the tips given so far from others has been excellent. But I like to add more from my experience and what I look for based on those that were hired.

Some things that I look for in a student at a career fair...

1 Somebody who will ask a lot of questions. They tend to be not afraid of asking for the opinions og others and they tend to not allow their ego from getting into their way.
2. Somebody who shows some creativity. I find that these students, when hired, are those that will likely challenge the models and are more willing to look at other possible solutions if they think the model solutions are wrong.
3. I rather see internships and experience rather than perfect grades. People with perfect grades tend to stick with the models almost all the time, even though they may have little confidence in them or have noticed that the first time step is already out to lunch.
4. Someone with some non-weather or school related volunteer work. These students I find are the ones that tend to volunteer to stay or come in on overtime to work severe weather or when somebody calls in sick. They tend to be more dependable.
5. Have interesting unique stories of how they got interested in this field of science. These people I find tend to work hard in improving their skills after being hired and are not afraid to learn from their mistakes.
6. Have more than one internship on their resume from different employers. These students are are less likely to give up and quit after the first two years on the job.
7. They keep eye contact when you talk to them. These tend to do well with media interviews and news conferences and are not usually afraid to talk to the public.
8. When I ask them a questions. They should not try to come up with an answer to all my questions. Since some of my questions may not have a true correct answer. It's okay to say "I don't know" instead of giving me a wild guess.
9. It is a good idea to ask the recruiter some questions too. At least I know you have thought about working for us and we are always ready to answer any questions.
10. A good resume is nice, but I use those more as references since they can be written by anybody. If you can not expand on something you put on your resume, then that resume will be useless to me.

Here are some important web links you should know.

http://www.ametsoc.org/atmoscareers/

http://www.ametsoc.org/pubs/careers.html

http://www.weather.gov/com/nwsfocus/fs20060508_job.htm

http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9noaa.asp

http://www.nwas.org/

http://www.weather.gov/eeo/studentresearchopportunities.htm

http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/B/GS1300/1340.htm

http://www.careers.noaa.gov/

http://ohrm.os.doc.gov/index.htm

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/im/more.htm

And some sites you may be interested in seeing some "behind the scene" comments from the professionals:


http://www.medialine.com/ubb/NonCGI/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=3

http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showforum=18

http://www.angelfire.com/ga/mrsweather/overheard.html

http://www.weathermatrix.com/

http://forums.wsj.com/viewtopic.php?t=18

http://theweatherservice.com/forums/index.php?showforum=3

Hope you will find these links and what I wrote useful.

Best wishes and maybe I will see you in a future job fair.

Answer 2

That depends on where you are. In Australia to become a meteorologist you will need a Bachelor of Science degree, preferably with Honours, majoring in maths and physics. If accepted, you will then do a Diploma in Meteorology through the Bureau of Meteorology in conjunction with Monash University and RMIT. To become a weather observer, you will need an Associate Diploma in computing and applied physics or the equivalent. You would then do a twelve month course with the Bureau of Meteorology.

Wherever you are, the two subjects you will need to study are maths and physics. Don't even think about meteorology as a career without them.

Answer 3

Excellent question. This is the process. Make sure you complete the full math and physics curriculum in high school. Apply to an undergraduate university which offers meteorology or Atmospheric Science as a major. These schools include the Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, Oklahoma State University, Florida State University, Washington University, and others. While there in school you should continue with mathematics to include vector and tensor analysis, differential equations, and of course Calculus unless you are satisfied that your high school Calculus was an excellent course. Your meteorology curriculum will include classes in meteorological analysis, dynamics of the atmosphere, radar meteorology, satellite meteorology, atmospheric radiation, jet stream meteorology, general circulation, numerical weather prediction, tropical meteorology, severe weather, climatology, and oceanography. At many schools you can train to become a TV meteorologist if that is the direction you wish to go. The military services (Air Force and Navy) offer careers in meteorology as officers, in which case you should also take ROTC in college and make arrangements for this kind of career. The government hires most meteorologists who work in Weather Forecast Offices around the country or as research meteorologists at the National Meteorological Center in Washington, D.C. or with the Satellite Service. NASA also hires meteorologists who work on meteorological satellite instruments and the data retreived from these instruments at locations such as Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt Maryland or at the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville Alabama. There is also the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California which hires meteorologists doing similar work with interplanetary missions. Finally, there is industry which supports both NASA and the military and the Government which hires meteorologists. I hope this helps you a little in your planning.

Answer 4

I just went through all of this:

1. In high school beef up on physics and math courses. You'll need it. Also, poke around at weather products online, watch the weather on TV, read it in the newspaper, and do some reading on your own, it will give you an advantage in college.

2. Next, look for a school that has meteorology/atmospheric science as a major. It is also possible to be a physics or math major, but you will need to be committed to going to grad school to make that work. Majoring in met straight out is best. My favorite schools include:
-Valparaiso University
-University of Oklahoma
-Penn State University
But there are so many more! Check out:
http://www.ametsoc.org/amsucar_curricula/index.cfm
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/faq/schools.html

3. Once you are in college, take a variety of elective met courses (FORTRAN, modeling, boundary layer, aviation, data analysis, tropical, radar, weathercasting, etc.) to figure out what nitch you want to fit in. Meteorology is such a diverse field, use your time in school to figure out what part of the weather makes you the most passionate. Also, it's a competitive field, so having these extra courses makes you stand out.

4. Join professional organizations like the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. Also, attend the met conferences and apply for internships. Work on an independent study project. This will help you network with professionals in the field and look great on a resume.

5. Work with your advisor to figure out which jobs you are interested in and if you'll need grad school for them.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

You will need to have at least a bachelor's degree (in meteorology, atmospheric science, or equivalent) to get most forecasting jobs. If you want to do research you'll probably need to obtain a Master's or PhD too.

Also, meteorology jobs are very competitive, so you need to "stick out" among other applicants. It's very important to have good grades, extracurricular activities, internship experience, and other qualities that put you above everyone else. It's a good idea to know GIS, at least one computer programming language (FORTRAN, C++, etc.), and even knowledge in website design/development. All of these things will get you noticed by employers and increase your likelihood of finding a job after you finish your degree.

Your college education will involve lots of advanced math and physics, so be prepared for that! It's a lot of work, but if you have passion for it don't let a few hard classes stop you. Best of luck to you!

Answer 6

Apply to a college/University for a major in Meteorology. It takes a lot of math and physics though. If you are serious about it, start reading all the weather books you can get your hands on now! And start following the storms as they occur. The sources listed below are a good place to start researching current weather, but I know it's always fun to just watch the weather channel :-)

Answer 7

It is very difficult to forecast whether you will really become an intelligent weatherman/meteorologist or not.

Answer 8

Go to college for that. Look on the internet for the best school to go to. Good Luck, hope it works out for you!!!

Answer 9

A degree in physics is considered to be a better start than one in Met here - UK

Answer 10

Stay in School ad Pay close attention in Math and Science class and somewhat attention in Geography.

(If you like, do like I do and expose yourself to weather sites like these http://www.wunderground.com/)