10 Ways You Know You Are A Meteorologist

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  1. You have a degree in meteorology. Probably the easiest way that you know you’re a weatherperson is the fact that you have a piece of paper that signifies your hard work in 4 semesters of calculus/diff. eq,, physics, chemistry, various meteorology classes, and that health class you took but disregard in your daily diet. You always remember your educators and…
  2. …You start quoting your college professors and making corny jokes. In school, you would always wonder why your professors would make corny jokes about the weather. It isn’t until you get into the professional field where you realize that you end up using their quotes or making your own bad jokes. It acts as a way to remember a certain weather fact or just a way to keep you sane (even if others think your insane).
  3. Your interest in weather grew from a love of local news/The Weather Channel, a significant weather event that impacted your childhood, or just an overall love of weather/outdoors. Most meteorologists I have met tend to fall in love with weather at a young age. It is similar to the “I want to be a fireman/police officer” dream that many kids have. I’d say the same amount of people follow through with that “dream” too. 
  4. Your hours/eating habits are or have been unconventional. Some meteorologists are lucky and get the typical 9-5 job (or even 8-4 or 7-3 for that matter), but plenty of mets start out with hours that do not agree with the sleep schedule of the first 22 years of their lives. You’ve worked 10pm-7am, 3am-12pm, and 1pm-10pm. You’ve essentially lived the life of a vampire and a zombie before. With unconventional work hours comes unconventional eating, where your breakfast occurs at 2 in the morning or 7 at night. You have eaten pickles and pasta in the same meal. You have eaten pizza rolls and Zebra cakes at 4am. It doesn’t matter, just stuff your face with any kind of food and you’ll be satisfied. Along with weird schedules…
  5. …Your starting pay is/was similar to that of a teacher. Teachers do not get paid enough, and neither do meteorologists. You work odd hours year-round, some weekends, and usually have to work a few (if not most) holidays. A lot of folks tend to think you ride in limos to work and make 6 figures. Most meteorologists do not. This may be on your list because…
  6. …You have developed a list of pet peeves. Whether it is certain meteorologists or “weather enthusiasts” you have a beef with, misuse of terms like “derecho” or “polar vortex,” or the wonderful model total snowfall maps posted online (usually of the NAM), some things/people will just always bother you. This sometimes reveals that…
  7. …You have a love/hate relationship with other meteorologists. Mostly love, but there have been some ill feelings towards other mets. Whether it is because they do not agree with your forecast/thoughts on global warming or someone has posted total snowfall model runs 7 days out there will usually be some tension between mets. You have all been riding similar boats through meteorology and tend to usually forgive and forget.
  8. You forget that everyone does not care about the weather as much as you. Yes, most folks care about the weather to some extent, but, in terms of in depth details, most people could care less. All of the mets you follow on Twitter tend to make you forget that not everyone cares about the vort max at 500mb.
  9. You’ve seen the same reaction multiple times when people find out what you do for a living. “It’s the only job you can be wrong (insert %) of the time and still stay employed.” Others include: “Are you on TV” or “What are your thoughts on global warming.” My favorite is my grandfather’s, whose only reaction involves licking his finger and sticking it in the air. Love it.
  10. You enjoy helping people. Probably the most important reason why I went into the field of meteorology. The reason we have a job essentially. Not all of us help society directly, but what we do matters. Whether it is forecasting severe weather for a NASCAR race or forecasting cold temperatures to influence natural gas prices, we are helping someone. If anyone tells you that your job in meteorology is insignificant, shame on them.

Others could be added to this list I am sure, but these are the top 10 reasons in my book.