How To Become A Meteorologist (With Responsibilities)

Updated 13 October 2022

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Meteorology professionals play an important role in the weather departments of several public-sector and private-sector companies. They study atmospheric data and process large amounts of data to make interpretations and weather predictions for people. If you are interested in becoming a meteorologist, learning about what steps to take to become one can help you make good decisions throughout your career. In this article, we discuss what a meteorologist does, explain how to become a meteorologist, understand the skills you require and examine how to improve these skills.

How To Become A Meteorologist?

To learn how to become a meteorologist, examine the steps below:

1. Pursue science during higher secondary education

The first step towards becoming a meteorologist is to obtain the qualifications you require. First, it is necessary to attend the 10th class board examination at a school recognised by leading authorities and clear it with a minimum score of 55%. The next step is to pursue science during higher secondary studies and pass the examination from a distinguished institution with a minimum mark of 60% in 10+2 board exams.

2. Complete a meteorology certification

Once you have completed your junior college education, the next step is to complete a bachelor's degree in meteorology, physics, maths, statistics and atmospheric science. For this, you can enroll in Bachelor's in Technology (BTech) courses in leading colleges that offer meteorology certifications. The duration of these courses is usually three to four years, and qualifying for them may require that you appear for a national entrance examination, such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

3. Apply for internships

Upon completion of your education, you can gain work experience before entering a full-time job. This can help you apply help you understand how to apply the theoretical concepts that you learnt in college. When you start applying for jobs in the future, mentioning your internships on your resume can show a recruiter that you are a dedicated candidate. You can look for internships for meteorology freshers through job boards and social media job listings. During your internship, it is important to observe your seniors at work, ask many questions and try to solve problems independently.

4. Apply for jobs

As you near the end of your internship, you can start applying for meteorology jobs. Depending on your specialisation, look for jobs that interest you and offer the working conditions that you desire. You can apply for jobs through online job portals, social media job postings, websites and company career pages. If you are applying for multiple job openings simultaneously, customising your resume and cover letter can help recruiters note your profile. Reading the job description carefully before applying for jobs can be a helpful step in this process.

5. Pursue a master's degree

Once you have gained some experience as a meteorologist, you can pursue a master's degree to gain further knowledge in the field. This can help you to become an expert in your specialisation and pursue better job opportunities. You can also seek a master's degree in meteorology if you want to explore an area of research and contribute to future developments in meteorology. Pursuing a master's degree after gaining experience can help you better understand more concepts and their applications.

What Does A Meteorologist Do?

A meteorologist works in the field of meteorology and can be involved in researching or forecasting changes in the earth's atmosphere. They study historical atmospheric data, current atmospheric conditions, weather and climatic conditions to produce forecasts or understand different atmospheric conditions. Some meteorologists may look at weather data from millions of years ago to make predictions for the future, while others present daily weather reports. Here are the general roles and responsibilities of meteorologists to help you understand the profession better:

Collecting weather-related data from weather stations across the world
Analysing short-term and long-term weather data using mathematical models to identify trends or make weather forecasts
Preparing weather reports for different channels, such as military units, aviation companies and news corporations
Creating weather reports and document them for the future
Contributing to the research of climate change
Learning about the latest scientific developments related to meteorology
Helping to improve existing weather prediction models
Writing research papers, reports and summaries for publications

What Are A Meteorologist's Skills?

A meteorologist's skills are abilities that can help them perform well in their role, performing their day-to-day tasks at work and responding to challenges in the workplace easily. These skills are a combination of hard and soft skills, including analytical abilities, a team spirit, interpersonal skills, communication skills and computer literacy. While candidates who are interested in pursuing a career as a meteorologist can develop these skills through their college courses, they can improve some of these skills through experience and regular practice.

Types Of Meteorologist Skills

Meteorologists may require different skills, depending on the specialisation they pursue. Here are some skills that meteorologists often find beneficial to succeed in their job:

Problem-solving

Meteorologists may experience challenges while predicting future weather conditions. Sometimes, readings may be inaccurate or the machines capturing atmospheric data may malfunction. At such times, you may observe imprecise weather predictions that suggest unexpected weather conditions, such as storms or low-pressure environments. During such situations, it is important for meteorologists to stay calm, evaluate all possible solutions, analyse results quickly and identify resolutions. To prepare for this, it is crucial for meteorologists to develop problem-solving skills and practice being calm during emergencies.

Communication

Meteorologists may work with a team of meteorology professionals, researchers or other supporting staff. They often explain atmospheric conditions to their team or others who ought to hear about them. While working in teams, communication skills can help them to convey their messages with ease and ensure they are able to complete tasks together.

You can develop your communication skills by enrolling in communication courses for working professionals. While oral communication is important, good written communication skills are also useful, as meteorology professionals often write reports about their analyses. Along with learning how to communicate, it is also helpful to practice regularly so that you can speak fluently with your colleagues.

Numeric abilities

Meteorologists predict weather conditions or acquire correlations by using mathematical equations. Organisations may require them to study large datasets of collected information and perform complex calculations. This means that meteorologists ought to have good numeric abilities to process large amounts of data. Along with maths, it is important that they understand geometry, statistics, algebra and calculus. While you can develop some of your mathematical skills during your professional training, you can also improve how well you can solve numeric problems, work out numeric puzzles and perform calculations through regular practice.

Computer literacy

All the data that weather satellites, radars and other instruments collect produce computer statements. Meteorologists usually study this data, run computation models and prepare reports for presentations. This requires meteorologists to have computer literacy skills and an awareness of different types of related technology.

It is also valuable to be able to use the different software that meteorologists typically use to read the weather and climatic conditions. To develop this skill, you can join computer skills courses for meteorology professionals. During the process of learning, you can also search the Internet for clarifications about any questions that you may have.

Teamwork

As a meteorologist, you may work with a team of weather professionals. Sometimes, you might work with other meteorologists while working on difficult predictions to ensure that readings are accurate. Thus, it is important to be able to work in teams.

Having good communication skills and interpersonal skills can also make it easier to work in diverse teams and interact with professionals across a hierarchy. You can develop your team working skills when you start working in teams and executing projects together. This can help you understand how to resolve conflicts, accept the opinions of team members and develop your leadership abilities.