Also called: Flight Meteorologist, Flight Director
Flies into hurricanes on special planes to collect data that improves forecasts.
You strap into a plane that punches through the eyewall of a Category 4 storm, dropping sensors and guiding the pilots. Back home in Florida or Mississippi, you analyze the data.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in meteorology; NOAA or Air Force Reserve (53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron) pathways.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Meteorology, Atmospheric Science.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Growth is for atmospheric scientists overall.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Drones may take some storm flights later, but crewed recon planes still need flight meteorologists.
Classes: AP Physics, Earth science, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.