STORM2K

I have a question, well...a couple. I am highly enthralled in meteorology, and I am thinking about pursuing a career in it when I'm older. I'm only 15 now. And I was just wondering the type of Salary, on a yearly basis, a meteorologist could make. I know it depends on which company or organization, which is why I have provided a list below:(These are also the type of jobs in meteorology I'm looking at.)

1.) Local meteorologist
2.) Air Force meteorologist
3.) Meteorology Professor

You don't have to be able to tell me the salary ranges for all of them, just the one(s) you may know.



Thanks in advance^_^

TV Mets (Local Mets) starting... usually 20,000-30,000 year... you start out in small one-man band (photographer is the on-camera person) markets....
AF Mets.... all the military services have Mets... it depends on your time in service, time in grade and your rank.... The gov't comes out with the pay scale around the start of the Gov't Fiscal Year (1 Oct-31 Sept). Starting out maybe 16,000 year (that doesn't include bonuses (if you get one!))
Met professor... depends on what university you are at.... and any possible research projects you get your hands on.

AF you are trained per AF schools... Met professors usually have to go through your Ph.D FIRST then you can try for professorship....TV mets (bonafide METs...ones WITH a MET B.S.) otherwise many TV mets have a Certificate in MET from Mississippi State... these ARE NOT bonafide METs.

*** IF you are planning on going into a MET degree.... study up on your Physics, Math (yes Calculus) and get started at looking at ATMO dynamics... trust me it will help you greatly.

Hopefully that helps.

Shannon

Thank you so much, that helps a lot!!.......but wow, those are pretty low...Are there any that pay you at least $100,000 a year?

Rare occasions...

Usually Director Status that's about it....(i.e. Max Mayfield before he retired.. if he didn't make 6 figures, he was close)

We have several Pro-Mets that work for private organizations. I'm sure they make more than those in the public realm. I have heard of very few that make anything in the 6 figure range, in private jobs or public. Maybe some of the private organization mets can chime in here?

Meteorologists deserve so much more than what you've told me. That's like a teacher's salary, and even they deserve so much more as well. This is just surprising me....

Those are starting slaries and you also have to realize that while nobody gets rich working for the Government there are a lot of benefits for doing so. The FEHBP (Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan) is considered a model plan for providing Health Insurance while FEGLI (Federal Employees Group Life Insurance) provides that type of Insurance both for decently low premiums and can include the Family. The Federal Employees Retirement System while not as generous from Sam as the one I retired under provides a means by which you can augment the Federal contribution by using the Thrift Savings Plan which is in essence a 401k plan run by the Government which allows a mix of investment strategies. The worst starting positions are found in the private services (often referred to as Whorehouses in the Profession) where starting Mets earn low pay and work ridiculous hours with few or no beneifits. One other thing I forgot to mention with Civil Service is that you also earn paid leave (30 days/year) as well as Sick Leave (starts at 4 hours per pay period and goes up with Time in Service to 8 hours/pay period)-the latter if saved can be cashed in at retirement. Usually a Met will start out as a GS-5 which pays about 25+k/yr and is a year or two will be up to a GS-7 which starts at about 37k/yr. If one is willing to move around then promotions can come regularly and actually a Director like Max Mayfield will make far more than 100k/yr as that's now usually the salary for a GS-14 MIC.

Steve

Aslkahuna wrote:Those are starting slaries and you also have to realize that while nobody gets rich working for the Government there are a lot of benefits for doing so. The FEHBP (Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan) is considered a model plan for providing Health Insurance while FEGLI (Federal Employees Group Life Insurance) provides that type of Insurance both for decently low premiums and can include the Family. The Federal Employees Retirement System while not as generous from Sam as the one I retired under provides a means by which you can augment the Federal contribution by using the Thrift Savings Plan which is in essence a 401k plan run by the Government which allows a mix of investment strategies. The worst starting positions are found in the private services (often referred to as Whorehouses in the Profession) where starting Mets earn low pay and work ridiculous hours with few or no beneifits. One other thing I forgot to mention with Civil Service is that you also earn paid leave (30 days/year) as well as Sick Leave (starts at 4 hours per pay period and goes up with Time in Service to 8 hours/pay period)-the latter if saved can be cashed in at retirement. Usually a Met will start out as a GS-5 which pays about 25+k/yr and is a year or two will be up to a GS-7 which starts at about 37k/yr. If one is willing to move around then promotions can come regularly and actually a Director like Max Mayfield will make far more than 100k/yr as that's now usually the salary for a GS-14 MIC.

Steve

Government job is secure, which is another plus.

A Meteorologist is in it for the love of weather. Quite obviously it's not for the money. That has got to be some the lowest starting pay for a four year degree I've seen.

OuterBanker wrote:A Meteorologist is in it for the love of weather. Quite obviously it's not for the money. That has got to be some the lowest starting pay for a four year degree I've seen.

Yep, and that is one of the things most mets will tell you. Do not expect to get rich quick or anything of that sort.

That's strange, in Canada is the pay is much better. Some of the highest positions in meteorology like research is well over the 6 figure mark but you need to get a PhD and a master’s degree in atmospheric science. Other positions are between the $26,000 - $80,000 Canadian dollar mark.

I was told that it was best to just become a met professor at a good college, they make a really good salary.

http://www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/html/RUS.asp

The above concerns Local NWS offices:

General forecasters top out at GS 12 on the attached scale

Supervisory forecasters GS-13

Management GS-13/14

Office Met in charge GS-14/15

Pay slightly higher in larger cities this doesn't obviously include benefits which are very competetive or better than the private sector based on years of service...vacation time, pension...etc.

GL

forgot to add extra 10 percent over salary for working any hours from 6 pm to 6 am

extra 25 percent for working Sundays.

Federal holidays worked are double. Usually adds up to about 15 percent over your annual base salary for a shift worker.

Some of the TV guys can make good money. I have talked to a few and some do make 6-figures or more. I have even heard that WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling in Chicago makes a 7-figure salary! It really all depends on not only your science skills though, but also your on-air personality (it is kind of an acting and weather job all in one), so basically if you cannot present well then you might not do so good in the TV business. However, if it is the money you are looking for, then TV is the way to go I would say (though you can still make good money at the highest positions of the NWS and as a college professor).

However, it's important to note that Holiday, weekend and overtime pay is capped for those making more than a certain amount. For example, I was a Supervisory Met as the FHU Team Chief and my OT was capped. While my Techs would make time and a half for overtime, I barely made over regular hourly pay for OT. By far the best benefit for Federal service is the Health Plan-I have Blue Cross for which my premium share is $124/month-the good part is that this can be carried into retirement as can a reduced amount of Life Insurance, The Retirement plan is not as good as the old I am under but is still better than on the outside. However, getting a job in NWS is EXTREMELY difficult since they have the pick of the litters so unless you have a Masters degree you are out of luck these days for NWS positions unless you have a few years of forecasting at a whorehouse (as the private services are often called in the Met Community). Military forecasters have an edge when they separate because of the 5 point Veteren's preference.

Steve

Ok, maybe I can shed some light on the PhD situation. Salaries depend on your location and the school, generally. There can be a wide variation in the amount of pay.


These are the national average salaries for professorships according to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP):

Full Professor: $91,500
Associate Professor: $65,100
Assistant Professor: $54,500
Instructors (MA/MS and typically not tenured): $39,800

Keep in mind that these are only national averages, they vary widely according to your discipline of study, region, and school. At my local university, these are the average salaries:

Full Professor: $85,100
Associate Professor: $63,600
Assistant Professor: $53,200
Instructor: $44,500

Believe me, getting the PhD is no easy task. Be prepared to totally commit yourself to your education. Totally.

SunBoy2121 wrote:Thank you so much, that helps a lot!!.......but wow, those are pretty low...Are there any that pay you at least $100,000 a year?

I've been working for a private consulting firm for 26+ years and haven't made 6 figures yet. Maybe in the next 5 years, though, if business is good. We're hiring people out of college in the $30,000 range now (Houston). Living is relatively cheap here - one factor you need to consider. Can get a 1-bedroom apartment for $500-$700. Someone with an advanced degree or with experience might start out between $40,000-$60,000. For the Houston area, we're probably paying more than anyone else around. Like someone else posted, you don't get into meteorology for the money. A government job may pay more, and such a job is hard to lose, but you don't have the flexibility and/or diversity of working in the private sector.

Don't let potential salary ranges make your career choice. Do what you love to do and you won't regret it, regardless of the pay.

NHC senior hurricane specialists are GS-14, which pay over 100K, as do advanced GS 13.

All NWS administrators (MICs, etc, make well over 100K and Mayfield was around 150K)

What about N.A.S.A meteorologists?