Meteorologist Salary
In the recent years, meteorologist profession has become extremely rewarding. The salary of a meteorologist, that is a major aspect of this profession, is also very decent. Information about the same has been covered below.
Meteorologist Average Salary
It is a fact that duties and activities entailed in meteorologist job description have become more challenging in the recent years. The skills and educational qualifications required for being a meteorologist demand years of investment in educating oneself. Only then, one is able to start earning decent salaries. Since the meteorology field requires continuous learning, those with deep knowledge and work experience are always preferred by employers. In the year 2008, as per the BLS, median annual wages of meteorologists were $81,000 approximately. Aspirants must remember that this is just the median value and more than 50% of the middle people in the statistical data earned nearly $55,000. For the year 2009, as per the BLS, average salary of meteorologists for Federal government employees was $91,000 approximately. It has to be understood that not every fresher or candidate without any experience can command high salary initially. It is a data of the top 10% earners.
Numerous salary ranges for jobs are decided based on some common parameters. Chief factors that play a dominant role in increasing salary of an employee are educational qualifications, work experience and place of employment. Just like any profession, starting salaries for meteorologists is low. Meteorologist starting salary, for instance, as per latest data, can fall anywhere between $27,000 to $50,000. It is a great start nevertheless, considering the economic conditions that have been prevalent in the last 2 to 3 years.
Career growth is steady in this field and after decent experience of 4 to 5 years, a meteorologist can earn salaries as high as $65,000. Further more, those who work for more than a decade in meteorological science, are generally promoted to administrative and official posts, thereby increasing their potential of earning. It is the salary of these people (with whopping 20 or more years of work experience) that crosses the much wanted six figure marks. Meteorologists who have nearly two decades of work experience earn anywhere between $60,000 to $115,000. Amongst all factors that play a major role in salary negotiation, two most important ones are work experience and educational qualifications of meteorologists.
Employers look for candidates who have higher educational degree and work experience, as that makes them more adept to their work. Going by employer type, as we have stated earlier, federal and government agencies give the highest salary. While in a private company, a meteorologist can make anywhere between $30,000 to $65,000, a federal government agency can pay meteorologists as high as $100,000. As we can observe, the salary is quite decent, both for freshers as well as experienced employees. Since meteorology is a field that has become extremely competitive (especially the federal government jobs), being aware of the education requirements in this field is important for aspirants to gain a competitive edge. Getting doctoral degrees in advanced branches of meteorology can boost an aspirant's career path significantly. Some other parameters like cost of living in a city also play a crucial role in deciding earning potential of a meteorologist. A city with a higher cost of living pays more than a city with a lower living cost.
The above information on the income of a meteorologist must have given you information about the growth in this field. Candidates must not get lured by the salary of this profession instead, consider your interests as the most important criteria. After all, you must love what you do!
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