chris87

Wow, I was uncomfortable reading the couple of posts before this one, but this takes it to a whole different level... First, most people haven't met too many operational forecasters of Asian descent because you've never left the United States. I imagine you could take a walk through the JMA/CMA and if you're lucky, you'd be able to find countless operational forecasters of Asian descent. Second, "just that generally the rule is good in math and theory, terrible forecaster....good forecaster, terrible with the math and theory", this may be true on some accounts, although it is likely the result that someone has no interest in forecasting, then it is that they are "terrible at it". I hold a BS in meteorology, a MS in atmospheric science and a PhD in atmospheric science. This does not preclude me from being a more able operational forecaster than you, if I ever chose to take a job as an operational forecaster, I am more than confident I could provide a service which met or exceeded the expectations of my employer...whomever it would be. Fortunately, operational forecasters have people that you have so elegantly described as "conceptually and socially inept", because we are the ones who spend the countless hours developing the tools (i.e. numerical weather prediction models, advanced data assimilation systems, designing and developing algorithms for remote sensing platforms) that make your job as an operational forecaster easier. Next time you sit down at your station I promise you 99% of the tools you use to make your forecast were developed by someone with an advanced degree.