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Top Ten
Mon Aug 18, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
When you watch your local TV meteorologist deliver the five-day forecast on the evening news,
you might be tempted to think, "What a great job they've got!" And what forecaster, whether
working for the government or private sector, hasn't heard the line, "I'd love to have your
job! You get paid even when you're wrong!" Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton, and you're listening to The
Weather Notebook.
Easy or not, meteorologists across the country now have reason to take further pride in their
profession. According to the 2002 edition of the Jobs Rated Almanac, which compared 250
different professions, meteorologist ranks as the seventh best career in the United States.
That's right; weather is a top ten job. The criteria used for compiling the list include
factors such as income, job security, physical demands, employment outlook, workplace
environment, and stress. These are based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor and other
government sources.
The Almanac lists a strong employment outlook, limited physical exertion (although our summit
observers may take exception to that), and very low unemployment as some of the plus sides of
the career. The potential for working irregular hours and the stress of "being in the public
spotlight" for those who work as broadcast meteorologists, were listed as some of the
downsides.
The only jobs that scored higher overall than meteorologist are: biologist, actuary, financial
planner, computer systems analyst, accountant, and software engineer. As rewarding as these
jobs may be, I doubt that many meteorologists are ready to trade in their micropluviometers,
anemometers, and Chroma-Walls just yet.
Meteorologist Sean Potter gloatingly sent us today's story. The Weather Notebook is produced
at the Mount Washington Observatory, with support from Subaru of America, and The National
Science Foundation.
Today's Links
Occupational Outlook Handbook listing for Atmospheric Scientists
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos051.htm
A Career Guide for the Atmospheric Sciences
http://www.ametsoc.org/AtmosCareers/index.html
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