Also called: Upper-Air Observer, Surface Weather Observer
Records the weather by hand and launches weather balloons twice a day.
Twice a day, at the same moment as observers all over the world, you release a balloon carrying sensors that rise about 20 miles up. At airports, observers report visibility and clouds.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; trained on the job, often at airports or NWS contract sites.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Military. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Meteorology.
Shrinking. BLS does not project this specialty separately; rating estimated from related occupations.
High risk for 10 years. Automated stations and auto-launching balloons now do this job; few human observer jobs remain.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to weather observation contractors at small airports; they train you for the FAA test First: FAA weather observer certification (short training and a test)
Classes: Earth science, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4099.
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.