by Aaron Morgan

Created on: December 03, 2008   Last Updated: February 08, 2012

Weather is constantly changing, extremely intriguing and very interesting.

Have you ever watched the morning, noon, six o'clock, or ten o'clock news and paid attention to the weather forecast. I'm pretty sure we all have from time to time. It's nice to know whether the sun will be shining or if it will be raining or snowing as we plan for our next day or week of working, shopping, school, vacationing, etc. We want to know the best day to head to the beach or to the ballgame. We depend on meteorologists more than we usually realize.

Meteorology is the in-depth study of the weather. Meteorologists study and analyze the earth and the atmosphere to determine characteristics and changes to predict the weather. They study trends in the weather to determine climate patterns to better determine what the weather is going to be like at different times of the year in different places all over the world.

So, you've sorted through millions nad millions of career options by yourself, with your parents, with your friends, or with a career counselor and the one that interests you most is becoming a meteorologist, so now you ask yourself, how do I become a meteorologist?

Well, it's not as easy as checking out the newspaper classifieds for a weather man job for a TV station in your area or an area where you want to relocate to, sending in your application, and scheduling an interview like you would for a job at a fast food restaurant or most stores in the mall. There is a great deal more to the process than that.

First, it is very, very important that you realize how much science and math the job involves and honestly ask yourself if you can dedicate yourself to studying both fields intensely for several years. After high school graduation, you will need to pursue a four year college or university degree in atmospheric science or a closely related field of study. During these undergraduate years, it is also helpful to participate in extra-curricular activities and also get some work experience either as a volunteer or for pay, whichever happens to work out for you.

After this, you might get real lucky and find a job, but that does not happen very often. Most of the time, you will have to go to advance your studies at a graduate school to earn a masters or Ph.D. degree. This will make it more likely that you will have a better pick of a job on the competitive job market.

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