Questions schoolkids ask
We get a lot of questions from schoolchildren – especially when they are assigned to research a potential career by writing to people who work in that industry. Here is a list of typical questions about becoming a meteorologist, with my typical answers.
What does a meteorologist do?
Most meteorologists are involved in forecasting the weather. Broadcast meteorologists deliver forecasts on television. Government meteorologists (e.g. National Weather Service) prepare forecasts for the public and aviation sectors. Research meteorologists investigate the science behind the weather, contributing to better forecasts.
What does a person have to do to become a meteorologist?
An undergraduate college degree (B.A. or B.S.) is the bare minimum for any career in meteorology. Increasingly, employers are giving preference to job seekers with graduate degrees. Even in television, which used to require no degree at all, you will find some meteorologists with Master’s (M.A. or M.S.) degrees – and even a few Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees.
What made you decide to become a meteorologist?
Almost everyone in meteorology can trace their career path back to an interest in weather during childhood. Many can point to a specific storm they can recall in vivid detail that pointed them toward a career as a meteorologist. There are exceptions, of course. I myself started in television as a sportscaster, became a newscaster, and turned to weather after taking university classes as a non-traditional (meaning older) student.
What is your favorite weather to forecast?
My specialty is severe thunderstorms, but I enjoy the challenge of winter weather as well. Snowstorms are probably the most challenging to forecast, because the “bust” potential is so high. A degree or two difference in temperature can turn a snowy forecast to rain, and sometimes snowfall comes in narrow, heavy bands in which one place can get 6” while 30 miles away people get nothing.
Do you love your job? If so, why?
Yes. Meteorology is one profession which is never the same from one day to the next. As a forecaster, you get an immediate report card on your skill by simply looking out the window. If a public forecast is wrong, everyone knows it. But there is a silent satisfaction that many people fail to appreciate – most of the time the forecast is correct.
How much money do you make?
I think it is fair to say that a beginning meteorologist will make about the same salary as a school teacher. The very best broadcast meteorologists in America make salaries exceeding a few hundred thousand dollars per year. No jokes about getting paid even when you’re wrong, please.
