Hurricane Tim Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Hi all- I hope this is the right section to post in, as this is my first post here. I see a lot of experienced people on this forum and thought this would be a good place to get some of my questions answered about becoming a meteorologist. I am a senior in high school and have recently been accepted into my top choice college for next year, where I plan to major in meteorology. I have been wanting to go into the meteorology field since I was very young. When most of my friends were watching cartoons when I was in elementary school, I instead spent hours watching the Weather Channel and watching local mets on the evening news. Although this is a lifelong dream of mine, I have a few concerns about perusing it. To begin, I do know that meteorology involves a great deal of math, specifically calculus. Math was not particularly my forte when I was younger, but I have since improved my skills. However, due to my poor performance in math earlier in my life, I was placed into a lower math track at my high school. I only will have experience up to pre-calc when I start college next year, though I have been doing quite well in math over the past two years. Is math, specifically not being experienced in calculus, a major barrier for someone wanting to study meteorology? If so, should I seek additional help or take an outside class to prepare for it? Secondly, I am concerned about the competitiveness of the job market in the meteorological field. From what I have heard, it seems like it is very difficult to get a job after receiving your bachelor's degree. Is is usually difficult for young meteo majors to find jobs out of college? Is it now recommended that you pursue a master's degree before entering the workforce? Also, since my future school has a relatively small program (about 50-60 undergrad students total), will it be harder for me to find a job than someone from a more widely known program such as PSU or U Oklahoma? Finally, I was wondering about some of the career options I have with a meteorology degree. Outside of broadcast and government work, is there a large sector of meteorologists with various other jobs? I was considering minoring in computer science and possibly working on the technical side of things, but I do not know if there is a big job market for that. I thank you all greatly in advance for any answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disc Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Here's a thread I started expressing similar concerns as you. A lot of great answers from some of the fellow red-taggers on the board. Hope it helps. http://www.americanw...ogy-as-a-major/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catoctin wx Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Disc provided a good thread for you to read through. To put your mind at ease a little, I followed a very similar math track as you. In high school I fell behind in math and only completed through pre-calc. When I got to college I tested into pre-calc, as did most of my fellow meteorology classmates. I wasn't behind at all because of this. In fact, many of my classmates who tested into Calc I ended up failing that semester and I ended up in line with them anyway. Starting in pre-calc is a nice easy transition into college math, which can be brutal at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Tim Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 Disc provided a good thread for you to read through. To put your mind at ease a little, I followed a very similar math track as you. In high school I fell behind in math and only completed through pre-calc. When I got to college I tested into pre-calc, as did most of my fellow meteorology classmates. I wasn't behind at all because of this. In fact, many of my classmates who tested into Calc I ended up failing that semester and I ended up in line with them anyway. Starting in pre-calc is a nice easy transition into college math, which can be brutal at times. Thanks for the reply, that's very assuring to know! Just to clarify, I'm in precalc now as a senior in HS, and plan on taking Calc I next year. However, it's good to know that being in a lower math class won't hold me back too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocoAko Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Thanks for the reply, that's very assuring to know! Just to clarify, I'm in precalc now as a senior in HS, and plan on taking Calc I next year. However, it's good to know that being in a lower math class won't hold me back too much. Coming in and taking Calc I your first semester is considered 'standard'. Starting in II or III is just putting you ahead of the game, but you most certainly won't be behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weatherMA Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Yeah I started in calc 1 but more people actually started in precalc this year...either way you're fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Tim Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Yeah I started in calc 1 but more people actually started in precalc this year...either way your fine. That's reassuring to know! Thank you! I guess I'm on the right track. Now, only to finish high school so I can finally start taking met classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSchwake28 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I wish I had asked this question before I went on to pursue my meteorology degree. So I try to tell prospective meteorology students some things that I wish I had known before beginning college. First.. about the math. As mentioned, having taken calc in high school will only put you ahead of the curve. That being said, there is still a TON of math involved throughout your classes. I was warned of this before starting college but I was fortunate enough to excel in math throughout high school and was never too concerned about that. If you really apply yourself I'm a firm believer that you will be able to get by this hurddle. Second, and I think much more importantly, is the career options. I, too, was sitting in front of the TV watching TWC as a kid and was always fascinated by the weather. Everyone always told me that if you go on to do something you love that you'd never work a day in your life so I thought going on to pursue a meteorology degree was ideal. I strongly question that decision now however, and this is something I urge anyone thinking about meteorology to strongly consider. And here's why.. I graduated from a distinguished program with very good grades, was involved in extra-curriculars, and did an internship. So towards the end of my college career I thought I had done everything I needed to begin a sucessfull career. I even recieved a job in the private sector within a week of graduation. Everything seems great right, well here's the part I really wish I had understood 4 years earlier.. I had to move halfway across the country to a not-so-ideal location. The pay is virtually equal to my part-time summer job in which I cleaned sewers so I get to live paycheck to paycheck. I very seldomly get to see all my friends and family back home. I work shift work, which includes weekends and holidays like the majority of other meteorologists, which really can take a toll on sleep and any sort of social life. I understood this when taking the job but thought getting some experience would open up a number of other doors. However, that doesnt seem to be the case. Finding a job in gov't is becoming about as likely as hitting the lottery. And other private sector jobs which are much easier(but still no sure bet) to obtain will all pay you just barely enough to get by and typically don't have a lot of promotional room. Don't get me wrong I really do enjoy the work I do but I ask myself everyday is it really worth everything else that comes along with it? This question has made me strongly consider making meteorology a hobby and pursuing a different field. I am by no means trying to discourage you from pursuing what you love, but I just want to tell you how it really is after college, something that I wish I had known. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillB Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Secondly, I am concerned about the competitiveness of the job market in the meteorological field. From what I have heard, it seems like it is very difficult to get a job after receiving your bachelor's degree. Is is usually difficult for young meteo majors to find jobs out of college? Is it now recommended that you pursue a master's degree before entering the workforce? Also, since my future school has a relatively small program (about 50-60 undergrad students total), will it be harder for me to find a job than someone from a more widely known program such as PSU or U Oklahoma? Finally, I was wondering about some of the career options I have with a meteorology degree. Outside of broadcast and government work, is there a large sector of meteorologists with various other jobs? I was considering minoring in computer science and possibly working on the technical side of things, but I do not know if there is a big job market for that. I thank you all greatly in advance for any answers. Don't be worried about the size of the program. I attended a similar size program and was able to find employment. Of course, it was in a different era. Hiring at that time was more limited than it would be ten years later, but perhaps not as tight as it is today. If you excel at a small program and show an ability to go beyond the basic course material (research, internships, etc.) then you will be competative with folks from the larger programs. In fact, showing you can do as much or more than they do and with fewer resources can be a plus. That brings us to career options. Even as the door to greater hiring was swinging open (years ago), it still took several attempts to get a job with the NWS. Hiring in government is now much much less, with no expectation that this will change for a long time. There are openings in the private sector, but also a lot of good people chasing after them....partly driven by the low government hiring. Just as in the other thread, I would strongly urge you to broaden your options. Take a double major, or at least have a minor. Computer science is a good idea, business/management science is another. Get comfortable with languages such as Java and Python. Learn GIS. When you bid for a job years from now, you want the company to see opportunities (by hiring you) that it won't have with any other bidders. Broadening your options also gives you a Plan B or Plan C that can be used for employment in case a job in Meteorology just isn't going to happen. Good luck with your college studies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Tim Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 Thank you both for sharing your experiences! Jshawake, thanks for reminding me of some of the possible sacrifices I might have to make to pursue this career. Don't worry about discouraging me, though, as I am definitely willing to make them. BillB, it is encouraging to know that I can still excel at a small program. In response to your other advice I'm actually learning JAVA programing at the moment, so hopefully this will be a start to broadening my possible options in the field. I'm definitely leaning towards either double majoring in meteo/computer science or just minoring in computer science. Thank you all for the great advice and for sharing your experiences! It really means a lot to someone who hasn't figured much of this out yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSchwake28 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Thank you both for sharing your experiences! Jshawake, thanks for reminding me of some of the possible sacrifices I might have to make to pursue this career. Don't worry about discouraging me, though, as I am definitely willing to make them. BillB, it is encouraging to know that I can still excel at a small program. In response to your other advice I'm actually learning JAVA programing at the moment, so hopefully this will be a start to broadening my possible options in the field. I'm definitely leaning towards either double majoring in meteo/computer science or just minoring in computer science. Thank you all for the great advice and for sharing your experiences! It really means a lot to someone who hasn't figured much of this out yet. That's something I forgot to mention. Having a solid background in programming will do wonders for finding employment. Great decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weatherMA Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 What school are you going to if you don't mind me asking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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