LocoAko

From Bamawx:

That video was fantastic - the views of the mesovortices was unreal.. I'm sure they will be studied for further research.

Unreal footage from University Mall in Tuscaloosa.

3:00 min in is where the action starts really cranking.

Holy moly! Wow.

I had a dream last night that this thread quietly went away. Then I woke to this NIGHTMARE!

Sorry, I actually had something to add to it that was relevant (God forbid, you know?). I thought about posting it in the OT version but thought it was more pertinent here.

CareerCast (and I've seen this repeated on multiple other outlets) ranked being a meteorologist as the 6th best job to have in 2011.

http://www.careercas...jobs-best-worst

Average salary: $85,210 (methodology explains this isn't exactly an 'average')

Explanation of their methodology: http://www.careercas...ted-methodology

regarding the find a job anywhere thing, you gotta remember some people are in committed relationships or have family responsibilities preventing them from wanting to do this. Hence my saying that unless meteorology is the most important thing in your life and your willing to do anything for it you should probably find a different field since you won't be able to pick where you live.

Or you could just demand that your significant other move.

I think he was more focusing on the people who fit that bill who do get through the program basically implying they are screwing everyone around them in the field and don't even really have much of an interest yet they are stealing alot of the jobs.

He may be bitter, but if they did well in their classes and got internships and competed and got jobs, he has no right to blame them for that. They got it fair and square. IT doesn't make sense to dislike them because you don't deem them interested enough compared to you.

The people that need to get out are the ones who are like "oh, meteorology sounds cool - i'd love to chase storms some day. After watching twister it looks like it'd be so fun". These are the people who are responsible for the soaring numbers of mets and a good deal of them would have probably choose another career if they new the realities of the field. This was the whole reason for my post.

This is true, and a few of them remain in my classes even going to into being a Spring semester Junior. However, most of those people don't love it enough to hack the math and drop out of the major in the first two years.

Besides, I know grades don't mean that much, but do the people who go into the major with that mindset normally get tons of internships and great grades? I doubt that is your main competition....

So in that case, does Kean's meteorology program meet the federal meteorological requirements, as well as the AMS defined requirements?

Good point. I guess I was just thinking more about how the atmosphere works as opposed to what it is composed of. Atmospheric chemistry...that sounds like an interesting field. Would a dual degree in Chemistry and Meteorology be requisite to get in to that sort of thing?

I don't know if it would be a prerequisite but I know isohume has posted that a minor in chemistry or even a double major would help you immensely in getting into the air pollution and permitting field... I just couldn't bare the thought...

That brings up a question that's been in the back of my mind that maybe a Met could answer...does Chemistry ever come in handy in this field? I have a hard time thinking of a time where it would.

Yes. A lot of atmospheric pollution stuff deals directly with chemistry. Fate and transport, the chemistry and makeup of the pollution, etc. Not to mention that to understand the atmosphere yu have to have an understanding of its constitutents. It may not be using the details from your Gen Chem class but you do deal with some chemistry stuff (though obviously moreso physics).

If you can handle the math in a meteorology program, just do engineering, preferably electrical or computer. Those folks are in high-demand right now.

Isn't there at least something to be said for at least being interested in your major? Electrical and computer engineering don't interest me in the slightest.

graduate courses are a joke compared to what you are put through in an undergraduate curriculum.

Really? I've always heard the opposite, that they are much harder.

Also, as you know, the calc courses offered by the math department is much different then the actual applied equations of an advanced level met course. Of course the theory is the same, but when it is actually applied to something that makes physical sense (as opposed to just solving problems), it is much easier.

FWIW, i sucked horribly in my undergraduate math classes, but was able to maintain decent grades in my met courses. Went on for my masters and my GPA went up by a full point.

Yeah, this is definitely true. Having a physical basis to apply these things to really makes a difference instead of sitting in a room full of engineering students solving actual problems.

LOL

What I meant by my statement was not that all mets did poorly in math courses but that the number of openings compared to the number of graduates was not in our favor as has been pointed out in this thread.

I will say this, however. I'm never worried what a potential employer will think of my transcripts. However, I do want to present the best transcript possible for my graduate school applications and I don't plan on having Ds in any core classes. I don't think many Mets should be thinking of a B.S. as a terminal degree, but thats just my opinion.

My comment wasn't directed at you, fwiw. I understood what you meant. And yes, I agree with your post. Best of luck to you and congrats for going back!

Ds get degrees, at least that was the case at my university, some of the bigger ones like PSU, OU, Wisconsin that is not the case, notice to all....if you are weak in math I'd strongly advise going to one of the smaller schools, they tend not to have the C or C- requirement for core courses and generally are more forcast based....nobody is going to ask for your transcript the majority of the time outside the NWS and even if they do they could give a rat's booty about your Ds in math if your Met class grades were good.

I've never heard of a school allowing you to get Ds in your core courses. I thought it was the same everywhere... I know here you need at LEAST a C for any prerequisite or course required by your major. And while they may not ask for your transcript I'd still wager it is better to have good grades.

Yeah I think its a given if you are a Met you do poorly in calc. I got a C in calc 1, a C- in calc 2 and Calc 3.

That's not necessarily true.

I feel compelled to comment on this debate. I have a BS in Atmospheric Science and a MS in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. For me, the greatest part about being in the physical sciences is that meteorology in and of itself is very much an interdisciplinary study. The course load you take will be heavy in mathematics/physics and computer science. Those disciplines combined make you a very attractive candidate for a variety of positions that could either be in the meteorology, mathematics, or the computer science field. Obviously, most people here want to become operational forecasters, but those jobs are of course not the easiest to land. However, meteorology provides you with such a diverse background that the opportunities to land a job in some sort of related field (e.g. oceanography) are endless. Meteorology, I would wager, is one of the few majors that really gives you an opportunity to broaden your horizons and take an entry-level job that you really never thought you would be interested in. I, personally, work as an oceanographer now after having a strong background in atmospheric science. Experience plays a great roll in helping you land your dream job, and I believe Meteorology is a great major to enter into that would make you an attractive candidate to a multitude of employers. The bottom line is, don't let job statistics deter you from entering into Meteorology. The positives that an interdisciplinary major provides you with strongly outweighs any negative job statistics.

I agree with this and was going to post something similar.

A lot of what was said in this thread is true if you're deadset on just becoming an operational forecaster. However, in terms of degrees, a meteorology degree is extremely useful. While the forecasting job market may not be the best, a meteorology degree can help you get into other related physical science fields (oceanography for example), environmental science jobs (which, from what I've been told, have a much better employment/graduation ratio and can also pay well in the environmental consulting fields), teaching (for physics, math, etc.), and a whole host of other opportunities. It is very multidisciplinary and is a good thing to have your side. Some people in this thread make a B.S. in meteorology sound like a bad choice - this may be true, but only if you're extremely limited in your worldview as to what you want or are able to do for a career.

Secondly, this thread does seem very heavily forecasting-biased, but I guess a lot of this board is. While I don't have too much experience in these things still being an undergrad, graduate school and the research side of meteorology seems to have a lot more opportunities that aren't discussed here much. I, like many others, it seems, went into undergrad fully expecting to be a forecaster and wanting to do that. The more I learn, though, the more I realize I am not that into forecasting and really get excited by research on a wide variety of topics. (Learning what you're really interested in / good at is the point of college, right? ). One of my academic advisors helped quell some of my concerns on this view topic by telling me that as of this past year every one of his grad students (he is the graduate school advisor) has found a job right out of school. While even that may not be typical (and isn't typical of our undergrad classes, which have been met with very mixed success), it perhaps is not as dismal as some here are portraying. That said, graduate school is definitely not for everyone... but it is something to consider.

I guess what I agree with most is that it is important to have a wide range of interests. I am minoring in Environmental Science (who knows where my career path will take me?) and doing internships to get a sense of if research is for me, etc. I think there are plenty of opportunities out there for meteorologists - they just might not all be at your local WFO or your local TV broadcast met office, that's all.