Career In Meteorology

What are some unusual careers in Meteorology?

I'm interested in finding out about careers you would not have thought of in the field of Meteorology.

Public Comments

1. Hurricane hunters. the guys who go up in C-130 storm chasers to get measurements on a tropical storm or hurricane.
2. Not to many people know about this, but you can be a contract precipitation and weather observer for special events. Basically, what you do as a contract certified weather observer is that you travel to large public and private outdoor events like state fairs, outdoor concerts, sporting events, parades, political speeches, outdoor large parties, air shows and any large event where the organizer has bought weather insurance for their event. This weather protection insurance policy will protect the organizer from losing money if the weather goes bad on the day of the event. Some of these events can lose a lot of money for each day the weather is bad. So it would make sense for them to buy weather insurance. In order for them to collect on this policy, the organizer must hire a certified human observer to be on duty at that event to document the weather conditions for those days the policy is in effect. So you will travel around the country attending these events and take hourly precipitation measurements and weather conditions and submit your report at the end of the day. If there is no weather going on, the job would be very simple. Its a unique job and fun if you like to travel and meet a lot of people. It pays very well too for a days work due to the fact that there are few currently certified weather observers that are available due to automation of many observation sites. (There are many past weather observers who are no longer certified because you must take a required number of official weather observations per month in order for you to maintain that certification.) And the bonus is that you can attend these outdoor events for free with meals usually covered or provided by the organizer. Travel and other expenses are sometimes covered by either the organizer or the insurance company. Due to the amount of traveling you must do, it may be difficult to make a career out of it. However, for somebody who is retired or are in between jobs or a student who is certified to take weather observations, this can be a fun and unique kind of a job to do for a period of time.