Limited work experience! Looking for suggestions on usage of my Meteorology Degree?

I graduated around a year ago, with a degree in Meteorology.

I have been looking for jobs on a daily basis over this time period and I have struggled to make any headway. The Meteorology industry is a very tough industry to get into.

I have applied to approximately 400 jobs and had around 15 interviews and 2 Assessment Days.

5 of those interviews were for jobs in the Meteorology industry.

To be blunt, it seems to be hard to impress meteorologists. I do have a passion in monitoring the weather, I have my own person weather station (Davis brand) and continually monitor weather models. I understand that many in the industry have this too, but it puts across my interest outside the job. This does not seem to impress interviewers. In fact, when I tell them about my weather station, they say nothing, it is as if they think that everyone has a weather station! (Not true)

I do not have any work experience in the industry whatsoever and can’t find any. I have searched for months for Internship opportunities and they are ALL for students.

Here are my problems and why I remain unemployed:

- My region has very few jobs, so hundreds apply to a basic job I.e Tesco. So they get to pick the “cream of the crop”, so to speak.
- There are very few Meteorology companies in the U.K. They all want work experience but don’t offer any work experience opportunities for graduates. All of the placements are for students.
- Entry level jobs won’t hire me because I have a degree.
- Many entry level jobs where I live are given through word of mouth.

So I am stuck in this cycle where I have no experience and can’t be hired because of it.

I have a massive passion in Meteorology but I am struggling with getting into the industry. The industry feels very exclusive, as only a select few seem to get hired.

I do not have any industry contacts, so I do not know what to do get myself out of this rut or what I could do to improve my employment prospects.

As it is now a year since graduation I am worrying about what to do. I am concerned that I will be in the same position next year, so I do not want to waste another year applying for jobs.

What can I do with my degree where I can actually get into the work force? Is there a conversion course I could study? Or should I study a completely different Masters I.e Computer Science?

I am starting to come round to the idea that entry into the Meteorology industry is based on luck and contacts, that the chance of getting a job is very low. I am feeling very gullible and childish thinking that Meteorology was a lucrative career.

I am deflated with my efforts and can’t see myself getting into the industry anytime soon. The companies in the industry do not make it easy for a new entrant to successfully enter the Job market. For this reason I regret studying Meteorology and would not recommend it to anyone as a career path, only a hobby.

I would like to get a job in the next few months. I’m not sure what I should be doing to make that a reality. I am going to be 25 in December, so now well behind equivalent peers. I am starting wonder if employment will ever happen for me?

The question is, is my continued unemployment due to the degree and lack of jobs or something that I am doing wrong?

(edited 3 years ago)

Original post by Frostyjoe

I graduated around a year ago, with a degree in Meteorology.

I have been looking for jobs on a daily basis over this time period and I have struggled to make any headway. The Meteorology industry is a very tough industry to get into.

I have applied to approximately 400 jobs and had around 15 interviews and 2 Assessment Days.

5 of those interviews were for jobs in the Meteorology industry.

To be blunt, it seems to be hard to impress meteorologists. I do have a passion in monitoring the weather, I have my own person weather station (Davis brand) and continually monitor weather models. I understand that many in the industry have this too, but it puts across my interest outside the job. This does not seem to impress interviewers. In fact, when I tell them about my weather station, they say nothing, it is as if they think that everyone has a weather station! (Not true)

I do not have any work experience in the industry whatsoever and can’t find any. I have searched for months for Internship opportunities and they are ALL for students.

Here are my problems and why I remain unemployed:

- My region has very few jobs, so hundreds apply to a basic job I.e Tesco. So they get to pick the “cream of the crop”, so to speak.
- There are very few Meteorology companies in the U.K. They all want work experience but don’t offer any work experience opportunities for graduates. All of the placements are for students.
- Entry level jobs won’t hire me because I have a degree.
- Many entry level jobs where I live are given through word of mouth.

So I am stuck in this cycle where I have no experience and can’t be hired because of it.

I have a massive passion in Meteorology but I am struggling with getting into the industry. The industry feels very exclusive, as only a select few seem to get hired.

I do not have any industry contacts, so I do not know what to do get myself out of this rut or what I could do to improve my employment prospects.

As it is now a year since graduation I am worrying about what to do. I am concerned that I will be in the same position next year, so I do not want to waste another year applying for jobs.

What can I do with my degree where I can actually get into the work force? Is there a conversion course I could study? Or should I study a completely different Masters I.e Computer Science?

I am starting to come round to the idea that entry into the Meteorology industry is based on luck and contacts, that the chance of getting a job is very low. I am feeling very gullible and childish thinking that Meteorology was a lucrative career.

I am deflated with my efforts and can’t see myself getting into the industry anytime soon. The companies in the industry do not make it easy for a new entrant to successfully enter the Job market. For this reason I regret studying Meteorology and would not recommend it to anyone as a career path, only a hobby.

I would like to get a job in the next few months. I’m not sure what I should be doing to make that a reality. I am going to be 25 in December, so now well behind equivalent peers. I am starting wonder if employment will ever happen for me?

The question is, is my continued unemployment due to the degree and lack of jobs or something that I am doing wrong?

What you are doing wrong is setting up a whole load of hard boundaries, and effectively boxing yourself into a corner. You have to re-look at those things you list and problems and work out how to overcome them.

So for example, you say

Here are my problems and why I remain unemployed:

- My region has very few jobs, so hundreds apply to a basic job I.e Tesco. So they get to pick the “cream of the crop”, so to speak.
- There are very few Meteorology companies in the U.K. They all want work experience but don’t offer any work experience opportunities for graduates. All of the placements are for students.
- Entry level jobs won’t hire me because I have a degree.
- Many entry level jobs where I live are given through word of mouth.

You need to stop these being barriers and work out how to bypass them.

Hundreds apply to basic jobs all over the country. Every single employer picks the best person for the job - that's the point of a recruiting process, not just picking a random person out of the the phone book. There is no 'cream of the crop' for entry level jobs in retail etc 95% of people can do those jobs. If you are in the 5% that can't, don't apply for them. But there are plenty of entry level jobs that aren't customer facing, look at any large organisation like a university or the NHSand they will have junior finance or database roles where you rarely have to converse with anyone outsid eyour team.

If that's true about meteorology, then why didn't you do placements as a student? How are you now going to make it happen? Who uses meteorologists? Airfields? The RAF? The RN? Large outdoor sporting events? Get writing letters explaining your interest and trying to negotiate work experience, or even just a chat over coffee about career planning and options.

Entry levels won't hire you because you think having a degree is important. I'm quite happily doing a min wage, zero hours job at the moment to get experience in a new sector, with 5 degrees. They aren't relevant, they weren't even on the CV I used for the application.

If you really think it's true that most entry level jobs are given by word of mouth (and they aren't, because most companies don't operate that way), then get networking and make 'word of mouth' work for you.

If you are bright enough to see where potential boundaries are, then you have to be bright enough to work out how to get past them.

Meteorology is usually a highly numerate, data driven degree, you should be able to expand into a number of data handling, maths, stats type roles, and doing 3 years in a role like that, where you are perhaps handling large data sets, won't harm later opportunities to move back into Met.

Reply 2

999tigger

19

Original post by Frostyjoe

I graduated around a year ago, with a degree in Meteorology.

I have been looking for jobs on a daily basis over this time period and I have struggled to make any headway. The Meteorology industry is a very tough industry to get into.

I have applied to approximately 400 jobs and had around 15 interviews and 2 Assessment Days.

5 of those interviews were for jobs in the Meteorology industry.

To be blunt, it seems to be hard to impress meteorologists. I do have a passion in monitoring the weather, I have my own person weather station (Davis brand) and continually monitor weather models. I understand that many in the industry have this too, but it puts across my interest outside the job. This does not seem to impress interviewers. In fact, when I tell them about my weather station, they say nothing, it is as if they think that everyone has a weather station! (Not true)

I do not have any work experience in the industry whatsoever and can’t find any. I have searched for months for Internship opportunities and they are ALL for students.

Here are my problems and why I remain unemployed:

- My region has very few jobs, so hundreds apply to a basic job I.e Tesco. So they get to pick the “cream of the crop”, so to speak.
- There are very few Meteorology companies in the U.K. They all want work experience but don’t offer any work experience opportunities for graduates. All of the placements are for students.
- Entry level jobs won’t hire me because I have a degree.
- Many entry level jobs where I live are given through word of mouth.

So I am stuck in this cycle where I have no experience and can’t be hired because of it.

I have a massive passion in Meteorology but I am struggling with getting into the industry. The industry feels very exclusive, as only a select few seem to get hired.

I do not have any industry contacts, so I do not know what to do get myself out of this rut or what I could do to improve my employment prospects.

As it is now a year since graduation I am worrying about what to do. I am concerned that I will be in the same position next year, so I do not want to waste another year applying for jobs.

What can I do with my degree where I can actually get into the work force? Is there a conversion course I could study? Or should I study a completely different Masters I.e Computer Science?

I am starting to come round to the idea that entry into the Meteorology industry is based on luck and contacts, that the chance of getting a job is very low. I am feeling very gullible and childish thinking that Meteorology was a lucrative career.

I am deflated with my efforts and can’t see myself getting into the industry anytime soon. The companies in the industry do not make it easy for a new entrant to successfully enter the Job market. For this reason I regret studying Meteorology and would not recommend it to anyone as a career path, only a hobby.

I would like to get a job in the next few months. I’m not sure what I should be doing to make that a reality. I am going to be 25 in December, so now well behind equivalent peers. I am starting wonder if employment will ever happen for me?

The question is, is my continued unemployment due to the degree and lack of jobs or something that I am doing wrong?

As threepoint has given you a full answer I will give you a skimmed one with some tips:

Work on the following:

1. Keeping your mind and body together, exercise, read books, socialise and avoid getting depressed. You arent your job.
2. Id temp jobs that you can do which pay money. Volunteer if you have to. Earn money and create a job hunting fighting fund.
3.Work on your applications, but most importantly you are not doing well enough at assessment centres. When you get an invite, that means its about the interview as they already think you have potential.
4. Improve your meteorology potential, join societies, make contacts, find a mentor, get vol experience, add to your portfolio. Think creatively about people that might need your skills.
5. Practice interviews and assessment centres.
6. Id weaknesses and make them strengths.
7. Target applications more.
8. Dont beat yourself up, just treat it like a job, then chill for the rest of the day.
9. Keep multiple applications in the mail, but its quality and not just quantity.
10. Look at different areas that use meteorology.
11. keep up to date with developments.
12. try reading Richard Nelson Bolles- What color is my parachute- ten speed press. Any edition in the last 20 years. Its Americanised, but will give you some insight into the process of hunting and interviews.
13.Practice interviews.
14. Dont give up. or give in.

As for your issues then change your mindset and be the solution not the problem.

- My region has very few jobs, so hundreds apply to a basic job I.e Tesco. So they get to pick the “cream of the crop”, so to speak. [ think nationally and stop limiting yourself. Your fighting fund can have enough to cope with interviews as well as moving across the country if needed]

- There are very few Meteorology companies in the U.K. They all want work experience but don’t offer any work experience opportunities for graduates. All of the placements are for students. [ find other places who can offer similar or just get a low level job at such companies, even if its in the mail room, dont overlook apprenticeships]

- Entry level jobs won’t hire me because I have a degree. [ If you know that to be true then remove the degree from your CV or contact beforehand, explain how keen you are and ask if it will count against you as you are serious about the job]

- Many entry level jobs where I live are given through word of mouth. [Then network and learn who those contacts are so you can be part of the word of mouth circle. Presumably you have kept up your membership of the Royal Meteorological Society? ]

It can be frustrating but you have to decide if you can take the heat or not. GL

Ps 400 is too many and that makes me feel quality over quantity.
PPs that many interviews without converting indicates you need a lot of work in interviews.

(edited 3 years ago)

Limited work experience! Looking for suggestions on usage of my Meteorology Degree?

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