The AMS (American Meteorological Society) is kicking things off in the New Year by hosting their annual conference in New Orleans this month.

**Pay Attention all Meteorology Students**:  Today is actually the last day to sign up for the AMS “Student” conference.   The registration fee for the student conference is only $25 for students members of the AMS!   Keep in mind there is  no on-site registration for the “student” conference, so make sure you do it online today.  I would personally advise all students (especially seniors) to sign up for this student conference and attend the career fair.  You can read more about the Student conference, here.

The student conference  includes a career fair where you can meet professionals in the private sector along with graduate institutions.  When I was a meteorology student at UC Davis, I also attended the annual AMS conference in Long Beach, CA and met face to face with private employers at the AMS career fair.   To read all the details about the AMS career fair, go here.

After initially submitting my resume, I was given the opportunity to sit down face-to-face with the hiring manager for a private company.  The interview was for a junior operational forecaster in a 24 x 7 shift work position. (Read how employers can help alleviate shift work).    She conducted a formal in-person interview with me and asked me questions about my coursework, internship experience, and future goals and interests.  It was awesome!

The interview went well…and she actually followed up to see if I was interested in their position.  I had politely declined since I had decided to go forward with another company.  Overall, it was an amazing experience.

In case you miss this student conference deadline today, you can always register as a student for the “annual” conference and then attend the career fair on a different date.   Or you can always try to email or call the AMS and see if they’ll let you into the student conference after the deadline.   It’s super important that you build relationships in person with hiring managers and recruiters at various companies that hire meteorologists.

Bottom line, if you are a meteorology student or recent graduate looking for an entry level meteorology job, you should figure out a way to get to the AMS career fair on Saturday Jan 21st.   If you have to drive there, drive.  If you can afford the airfare, make it happen…I think it’s worth every penny.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to holler!

Good luck!