Career In Meteorology

what is the process of becoming a meteorologist and i have some questions relating to meteorology?

i know that you have to have a bachelor's degree, but i've also heard that a masters or even a doctorate. is it very hard to become a meteorologist and are jobs readily available? as for being a broadcast meteorologist, consulting, or research meteorologist, or whatever other types there are, is there a big difference in pay? i'm not exactly sure what i want to do, but this seems very interesting. when i was little i always wanted to be one, and i'm kind of re-exploring the possibility. if you have any other information you think i might find useful besides what i asked, that would be great. thanks all.

Public Comments

1. Hi, I study meteorology in Argentina and I can tell you how it is in here. We have a degree in university,that lasts 5 years, and after that you can do your PhD. I´m almost finishing it and it is an amazing career to study, and I think in USA you should take advantage of it because there are many places like Washington or Oklahoma, that are the best in the world, and as this is kind of a new career, you can study with most of scientist that had given a lot to what we have. There is a lot of work and a lot of need in this area of the science because this is something renews every day. Hope I have help you on something, just tell me if I can help you. Have a nice day!
2. I'm from the U.S., so if you're in another country go ahead and ignore the parts of this that don't apply. You're right, the minimum is a bachelors. Beyond that, it depends on what work you want to do. -A masters is becoming necessary for work in the National Weather Service, but it is not required. However, it's a good idea if you want to be competitive. A masters is minimum for research jobs, and you'd probably want to get your doctorate for research, though you don't have to get it right away. If you're interested in teaching at the college level, you'll also need a doctorate. If you want to go into broadcast, stick with the bachelors or else you'll over-qualify yourself and no one will hire you. For the private sector, you can either stick with a bachelors or go with your masters depending on the type of work. -It is hard work because a lot of math and physics is involved. The atmosphere is very complicated and that means tough equations. If you enjoy math and physics, go for it. If you don't it will be more difficult, but people who love the weather as much as we do can plow right through despite the difficulties. -There are a ton of jobs and opportunities available. There is research, forecasting, government, private sector, consulting, teaching, military, broadcasting, etc. Usually private companies pay the most. The government gives good job security and retirement security. Most salaries I've seen vary from about $30,000-$100,000 a year depending on your experience, job, and whether you are in management or not. If you get into broadcasting in a large market (New York, LA, Chicago) you can make up to a million a year, but that's only a few people. Personally, as long as you are making a living wage I'd say job satisfaction is more important in meteorology than the pay. No meteorologist wants to be stuck crunching numbers or get away from the science by being too high in management. Some info about meteorology from the AMS: http://www.ametsoc.org/careercenter/index.html Here are some schools that offer met degrees: http://www.ametsoc.org/amsucar_curricula/index.cfm http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/faq/schools.html Some personal advice: Valparaiso Univeristy is an up and coming program with a lot of state of the art equipment and an unparalleled teaching staff. Having the school after my name helped get me a good grad school offer. I also recommend looking at Penn State, U of Oklahoma, and Wisconsin-Madison for your undergrad. Also, get involved with met organizations on campus and join professional organizations like the AMS and NWA. And take advantage of any conferences and internships. I'm not sure on your age, but if this is a second-career thing all this advice still stands. I was friends with some adult-scholars at school and they were just as involved as all the other students and it definately helped them in their careers. Hope this helps and wasn't too long winded. Good luck!