So this is what a forecaster does. 

 Okay. Rain or shine, this is one job that likes it either way. Meteorologist Robert Miata is going to shine some light on this career. 

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 This is the National Weather Service Miami forecast office. Here is where all the local forecasts and warnings for south Florida are produced. 

 Robert Miata works as a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. Just describe to me what a meteorologist does. 

 Meteorologists forecast the weather. That's the job of meteorologists is to analyze the atmosphere, the state of the atmosphere with regards to weather features or weather patterns, weather systems. 

 But being a meteorologist is much more than that. 

 We have several different programs, forecast programs that we do here. We have of course our public forecast, which is the general forecast that you hear on TV and radio. We do marine forecast which effects boaters. We do aviation forecasts also. 

 A lot of information that meteorologists gather come from weather balloons. 

 Those little instruments that measure temperature, humidity, wind -- 

 Okay, and they're sending it all back to you. 

 Yes. 

 Information is being collected constantly. And unfortunately, the weather doesn't take vacations. 

 We have to work around the clock. So that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We work rotating shifts. We work weekends, holidays. 

 So how do you become a meteorologist? Robert suggests a well-rounded science background. 

 Any type science would be beneficial, physics, especially physics. Physics is really one of the, you know, like the main or probably the primary science that's involved with meteorology, but not just limited to that. Chemistry, biology, I think having a well-rounded science background is very helpful. 

 A bachelor's degree is just the beginning. 

 A lot of people decide to continue on and get their master's degrees or even Ph.D.s. Of course that's -- that's beneficial. It can give you an advantage. It's also beneficial or advantageous if you go into the research side. 

 Now it's time to find a job. Robert says there are plenty of options out there. Are there other places that meteorologists can work in, other venues? 

 Sure. We talked about TV earlier. Also a lot of private companies hire meteorologists, a lot of airlines, for example. 

 What's the forecast ahead for the future of meteorologists, they are in high demand because there are more positions available than graduates. Once you land a job you can expect to make roughly $40,000 a year, and there's a silver lining. 

 You can go up to as high as 80, $90,000, maybe even higher than that. Depending on what level you eventually reach. 

 What type of person makes a good meteorologist. Robert suggests someone with an analytical mind. 

 You have to be able to know how to analyze patterns in the atmosphere, weather patterns. So you analyze it, you interpret it, and that helps you prepare a forecast. And here's a puzzling pattern. Men are four times more likely to be struck by lightening than women. But don't worry, men, the number of fatalities has decreased over the past 35 years. If this is a career you're ready to storm into, I foresee blue skies ahead. I'm Shana for Youniversity TV, time to get out of here. 

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