careernav.

If you are considering a career in meteorology, here are five pieces of career advice, our weather experts provide;

1. Decide weather you think your main interest would be as a weather forecaster or as a research meteorologist. Both require a good understanding of atmospheric physics but the nature of the work is quite different. Weather forecasters are service providers - they work to tight deadlines and sometimes under significant pressure when there is severe weather around, undertake a significant amount of interaction with users (especially the media), and must be resilient when the occasional forecast goes wrong. Research meteorologists enjoy physics and maths, are able to deeply explore scientific problems, and have good communication skills so that they can discuss and write-up their results.
2. Physics and maths are the cornerstone subjects to do at uni. Useful supplementary subjects would be physical chemistry and environmental science. Meteorology subjects are relevant and useful, but not essential. 
3. Be prepared for a life-time of learning. People ask why we can put a man on the moon, yet we can't always get tomorrow's forecast correct. This is because it is (much) easier to put a man on the moon. The atmosphere is a harsh teacher - it is great fun solving its riddles and predicting what it will do, but be prepared to get it wrong occasionally. 
4. Be observant. Get in the habit of watching the sky and learning the signs. Relate what you see to what the forecast says. Observe cloud types, notice what the wind is doing, Sit by the beach or on top of a mountain and watch. 
5. Keep abreast of technology. Meteorology is highly technology-dependent, relying as it does on supercomputers, satellite and radars. Data visualisation workstations, advanced communications technologies and so on.
    
   Good luck and hope this helps.