What types of jobs besides TV broadcasting for Met ....

[Wthrman13]

In my case, I'm more interested in the research aspect of meteorology, and not so much the operational forecasting, which tends to be what the general public things about when they think about jobs in meteorology. Meteorology is not just forecasting! However, most scientific research that goes on in meteorology is done with the goal of improving forecasts, for obvious reasons. Thus, there is plenty of overlap, and I do plenty of my own forecasting, particularly severe weather forecasting for chase days. For the research jobs, a Ph.D. or at least an M.S. is a must, and there are plenty of opportunities to find a niche in that area: anywhere from government labs such as NSSL to academia to private research firms. The above three areas generally collaborate a lot, so if you network with people, you'll find opportunities. I have no idea if the research side of meteorology interests you at all, but I thought I'd put in a good word for it anyway.

[WindRunner]

My question is about colleges moreso...

I'm only 14 but 4 years can fly by and I oughta start thinking about em now I suppose...
anybody??

I'm 14 too, but I've only got two years left to go till college, so I've been looking around. If you want a SE school, the top two seem to be FSU and NC state, but several other schools in NC and FL provide a good education. Being in VA, I'm probably going to UVA to stay in-state and close to home, but if you can get there, FSU is my top choice.

As for the APs, Calculus, Physics, Statistics (don't ask why), and computer science all seem to be recommended, if not required, at some point in you meteorology/atmospheric sciences major. Almost all schools will take 4s or 5s for credit, though. However, the 5s (like what I just got for AB and BC Calculus) guarantee you the most credit, usually the first two courses off your req'd #. Most require either two or three calc classes. As for physics, take it just to get an intro. You'll get credit for it, but you will most likely have to take a couple different, specialized physics for the meteo. But the best way to see the stuff is just find the "sample curriculum" or whatever on each college's website under the atmospheric/meteorology major.

Good luck as a freshman

[Ivanhater]

i got into fsu and was all set to go their, however, usa is more hands on and i decided to go their, however ill be going to fsu for my masters

[Derek Ortt]

The University of Miami provides opportunities for internships at HRD and possible the NHC. It does require you either to have a second major in applied mathematics, or a minor in math, plus a minor in a second science (most likely physics as the requirements for the met degree only put you 7 credits below the requirement for a physics minor)

[clfenwi]

The University of Miami provides opportunities for internships at HRD and possible the NHC. It does require you either to have a second major in applied mathematics, or a minor in math, plus a minor in a second science (most likely physics as the requirements for the met degree only put you 7 credits below the requirement for a physics minor)

I went to a UM information session in Norfolk when I was a senior. One too many 0's in the annual tuition.

In the meteorology programs that I am/was familiar with, the prerequisites for the meteorology degree set you up with at least a minor in math and sometimes a minor in physics as well (or very close to one). Depends on what the purpose of the program is and whether there are multiple academic tracks offered.

[accuweather]

Sorry I didn't catch this earlier; I've been on vacation. Yes, they let us have vacations here

accuwx is good if you want 16K per year

Hopefully everybody here knows that nobody really knows what any company is really paying and most people probably lie about their salaries. Starting meteorologist salaries are low no matter where you go. I had a t-shirt in college which said "Become a meteorologist: Earn the education of a nuclear physicist and the salary of a 7-11 employee."

One thing the NWS has going for it is job security. It's hard to get fired from a government job. But many may not find the work challenging enough. Private companies can be more challenging, work-wise, but may not offer the job security. Pay can vary a great deal among private companies.

This is a fair characterization. In the private sector, your salary is based on how well you do. In the government, you're guaranteed a standard raise each year whether you do well or not (which kind of always bothered me). If you are a creative person, you're better off in the private sector.

I've never heard too many good things about working at AccuWeather. You have to sign an agreement saying you won't work anywhere else as a met for a given number of years after quitting AccuWeather or they come after you, legally.

This not true, and by the way non-comp agreements are not unusual in the weather sector or outside of it. Any technology job may have a non-comp to avoid people hopping around giving away trade secrets.

We certainly have had people leave here and go to other weather companies, and others have quit them and come to us.

I've worked for the gov., private, and edu. sectors, and over the years I've heard many stories from many other mets. I've heard bad stories from all those places. Truth is, most of them stem from poor management which, unfortunately, is not tied to one company or even the scientific sector.

I will say that, if you don't go in the government, you will probably have to move away from Alabama. You can count the locations of major weather companies on one hand, and minor weather companies on two

My other two cents is that, if you ever want to work for NHC or SPC, you will have to start out in the gov. because almost all of their hires (when I was in school anyway) were intergovernmental.

Sigh I can't get my signature to show up, so I have edited this message. In light of that, I apologize for not introducing myself, I am Jesse, the Community Director at AccuWeather.com.

[jax]

Hey JB ! Welcome!

is it true you make 250k plus?

[ALhurricane]

One thing I strongly suggest, regardless of where you want to work, is to try to volunteer somewhere. If there is a NWS office nearby, that is a great place to volunteer and learn about the field of meteorology. It doesn't mean that you ultimately want to work for the NWS, but it will give you some valuable hours of learning experience. If you're more interested in TV, some stations offer volunteer work as well.

I speak highly of volunteering because that is what helped me. While attending the Univ. of South Alabama, I volunteered at NWS Mobile. During my senior year, I was fortunate enough to be offered the one paid student position they have. With that, my feet were in the door and I was able to continue working for the NWS after graduation.

There are many avenues of meteorology to discover. The NWS is right for some, but for others it may not be. It really is a personal decision. Just focus on getting those good grades in high school and college first.

[Seele]

Just a word of warning about AP courses from personal experience. These classes your getting credit for are also there to allow you to ease your way into college. It's a far different experience from high school and skipping these intro courses will throw you in the fire immediately.

I'm not sure how hard the late sophmore and junior met courses are, but in my chemical engineering major they were brutal. I got 31 hrs of credit from my AP courses going into college. I could still take some easy classes like English and History of Technology my first year, but by the first semester of my second year I was in: Differential Equations, Quantum Physics, Organic Chemistry, and Statics. After taking all 30 credits for my intro classes and some electives, I was forced to get thrown into this hellish schedule.

I had never really had to study much in high school and with the electives during my first year kept my studying to a minimum. Add that to enjoying..well..some of the fun parts of college life, and I really wasn't ready for that schedule, lost my scholarship, and didn't graduate.

If your SURE you can stay focused and put in many many hours a day studying go for it, but if I had to do it all over again I'd keep most of those AP credits in my back pocket.

[accuweather]

One thing I strongly suggest, regardless of where you want to work, is to try to volunteer somewhere. If there is a NWS office nearby, that is a great place to volunteer and learn about the field of meteorology.

I second that. I was in CO-OP at NCDC and also volunteered in the NWS-AVL when I was in college. We have an intern program here at AccuWeather as well, though typically it is Penn State students since we are in the same town. We also participate in the PSU Weather Camp which is for Grades 7-11. http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/PennStateWeatherCamp/

P.S. Since I couldn't get my sig to show up above, I am not in fact J.B., but rather Jesse, Community Director & Meteorologist here at AccuWeather.

[clfenwi]

Definitely concur with the advice of volunteering at a NWS office (thought I had mentioned that, but apparently not)

I did so (at NWS Wakefield) and learned a heck of a lot. As I've mentioned before, my timing was fortunate as the Science Operations Officer (SOO) there at the time was a guy named Hugh Cobb. He had been at NHC/TPC before coming to Wakefield (and has since returned there as a lead forecaster in the Tropical Analysis and Forecasting Branch). Really great guy, eager to pass on his knowledge to the next generation.

It was about a two hour drive from where I lived at the time, but it was well worth it.