Meteorology and National STEM Day

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To all of the future meteorologists, happy 
National STEM Day. 
A piece of (very good) advice: While math, chemistry and atmospheric science courses are vital, use your limited electives to take courses in 1) communications and 2) business -- in that order. 

The fact is that, more and more, meteorology/atmospheric science jobs will be in the private sector. Did you know a private sector meteorology company is installing its own national network of gap-filler radars? And, in the private sector, accurately communicating to clients will be critical. 

Here are a couple of examples:
You'd be genuinely surprised the variety of ways that clients want their warnings communicated. We had one auto manufacturer that wanted their tornado and thunderstorm wind warnings conveyed in numbers and not words. Communication ability is vital. I recently learned about a student taking a course in acting to improve communication skills and the ability to think on their feet. 

So, STEM is vital but your education needs to be broader than that if you want to go into applied atmospheric science. 

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