These days, most people check weather forecasts before making any outdoor plans. We have meteorologists for these accurate and consistent forecasts. But meteorologists do more than study the weather. They also study atmospheric phenomena to understand how they affect life.
Meteorologists can work in various settings, including TV and Radio stations, consultancies, the military, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There are different kinds of meteorologists, and they work in various settings.
Broadcast meteorologists are most widely known, and these professionals study and report the weather. Climatologists predict long-term climate trends by studying current conditions and past climate data. Research meteorologists are involved in a more dangerous activity. They are storm chasers who seek out wild weather phenomena like hurricanes for scientific inquiry.
To become a meteorologist, all you need is a bachelor's degree in metrology or atmospheric sciences. Non-entry level positions require advanced degrees like a masters' or Ph.D.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a meteorologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.03 an hour? That's $52,071 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 800 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many meteorologists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and computer skills.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a meteorologist, we found that a lot of resumes listed 12.4% of meteorologists included emergency, while 11.3% of resumes included doppler, and 9.6% of resumes included on-air. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the meteorologist job title. But what industry to start with? Most meteorologists actually find jobs in the media and technology industries.
If you're interested in becoming a meteorologist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 71.2% of meteorologists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.9% of meteorologists have master's degrees. Even though most meteorologists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a meteorologist. When we researched the most common majors for a meteorologist, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on meteorologist resumes include associate degree degrees or high school diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a meteorologist. In fact, many meteorologist jobs require experience in a role such as internship. Meanwhile, many meteorologists also have previous career experience in roles such as chief meteorologist or research assistant.
