Interested in a career puts you in beautiful oceanic surroundings, allows you to keep constant watch on the weather and lets you use your intelligence to inform military personnel of imminent danger? If this sounds like your idea of the perfect job, you may want to consider a career as a US Navy Oceanography/Meteorology Officer. Oceanography/Meteorology officers work closely with Navy Commanders to coordinate the courses that ships should take in order to stay away from unfavorable weather and ocean conditions.
Training to Ride the Waves as a US Navy Oceanographer
Officers choosing to train in the Meteorology field, receive specialized training regarding weather conditions, such as how to identify specific weather patterns, as well as learning the many methods of accurately forecasting the weather. Officers who choose to specialize in Oceanography will first have to attend Navy BOAT training before they ever accept their first assignment. BOAT is the acronym for Basic Oceanography Accession Training.
To learn how to direct traffic on the ocean, click here.
Tracking the Weather after a US Navy Career
A career as an Oceanography/Meteorology Officer can open up several doors in the civilian sector, after military retirement. After leaving the military, individuals can seek employment with such entities as the US Weather service or work for a major airline as a meteorologist. The training received in the Navy Oceanography/Meteorology field will create extremely marketable professional skills that individuals can use to grow their civilian careers.
Ready to start your career in Meteorology? Click here to let the Navy show you how.
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Nice to highlight a fun and exciting career path, but there’s way more there – Safety of flight and navigation is a large part of what naval oceanographers do, but they also serve at sea on aircraft and helicopter carries, deploy forward supporting naval special warfare (SEALS) and serve on afloat Battle Group Commander staffs and numbered Fleet staffs. Navy oceanographers today operate unmanned vehicles in and above the water – for special operations forces, conducting beach and sea floor mapping, mine hunting and search and salvage operations.
Navy oceanographers attend graduate school as a required part of their career path – earning Masters degrees in Physical Oceanography and Meteorology. Up to two officers per year enter studies to earn a PhD in either Physical Oceanography or Meteorology and there are opportunities to attend the top oceanographic institutions in the country.
Post Navy career options can include work as an oceanographic researcher, Federal service opportunities within Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in ocean exploration, ocean and weather modeling as well as the National Weather Service, the National Science Foundation and a number of private companies.