Forecasting now vs. 30 years ago

[EWR757]

I learned to forecast the weather in the 1980s and 1990s when I went to college for meteorology.  FOUS, MOS, gridded data, AVN and the ETA/NAM are some of the things I remember.  Ensembles were just starting.

 

How has forecasting changed since then?  The AFDs are certainly different now with less analysis and more synoptic descriptions.  

 

I see the models now (HRRR, NBM, ensembles, AI) are significantly more accurate than the previous generations.  If a forecaster has a different opinion than the model consensus, what tools do you use to formulate your opinion?  Can a NWS meteorologist go against model guidance?  Is there occasionally a need to go against model guidance?

 

I get the feeling in the past there was more personality and subjectivity in operational forecasting than there is today.  Is this true?