The Relevance of Being a Certified Consulting Meteorologist

Christopher Medjber

Department of Geosciences

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 94132

One of the many tasks for anyone starting a new endeavor for the purpose of certification be it within their personal, professional, or scholastic life, is to ask themselves what relevance does this potential path have for me. Why am I pursuing this course of action at this moment in my life? Why is this important to me? These questions are not only asked by the person, but also by the AMS of someone who wishes to acquire certification as a consulting meteorologist. The most obvious answers to these questions pertaining not only to a meteorologist, but to any professional, would be that of money; validation; recognition; or that of utilitarian purposes, that is to say to the practicality of achieving this goal as it pertains to our professional community.

To elaborate, generally speaking within any profession when someone considers taking on a career or perhaps just adding on side work from their main line of work the first thing that must be considered is that of the amount of money to be earned compared to the amount of work put in. That is to say the relevance of the CCM is that of the potential for increased income. The validation answer draws upon the idea that unlike other professions meteorologists don’t have an unbiased forum to demonstrate their knowledge within the field. The CCM provides, for those who choose to take on the rigorous certification process, a chance to prove or validate the length of their education within the science of meteorology. As for recognition, the CCM also allows for those who do achieve certification the ability for the public, their peers, and colleagues to acquaint themselves to the breadth of work one has accomplished. Finally, for the utilitarian aspect, most professionals already established in a particular area of meteorology could look upon the CCM as a means of producing meteorologists qualified to enhance existing public and private working bodies. Basically, the CCM is used as a sort of bi-product to serve outside influences.

These answers, though somewhat cynical are more than valid for anyone looking to find the relevance of certification in a given discipline. But, as it pertains to the vastness of experiences, qualifications, and positions that thousands of meteorologists have, including my own, the relevance of the CCM should be looked upon as an opportunity for meteorologists to explore different facets of the business of meteorology so as to extend their knowledge of the science. They should first look upon the CCM as a chance to add knowledge through valuable experience in other areas of the science that would not be available to them otherwise; and second at the CCM’s applicability in adding increased income or enhancing their performance at work. Within meteorology, or in any occupation, it is easy to find ourselves pigeon-holed into a certain line of work be it forecasting, teaching, or research. That is, working in the science usually requires of you to be focused in a small area of expertise. By approaching the AMS and reading the requisites for acquiring and maintaining a CCM one sees that there is an immense range of general meteorological knowledge one must become acquainted with to become a CCM. Through certification a forecaster may be asked to find climatological data for a court case or give expert testimony on a significant meteorological event. Through certification a professor may be asked to gather a report on rainfall data for a proposed construction site. Through certification a researcher in ozone depletion may be asked to calculate rainfall return periods for a cities drainage system. The point here is that through certification the CCM offers the potential for opening many doors of knowledge to the meteorologist no matter what their background of expertise. Resulting in a meteorologist who is better skilled and educated in a field they have devoted their professional work to; that can be drawn upon to support those other motivations of earning money, acquiring professional validation and recognition, and benefiting their man line of work.