When the Bureau are looking to recruit people as observers they're really interested in people with genuine interests in weather and related activities, i.e.. surfing, skiing, sailing, etc, and I think the fact that I studied Surf Science at ECU would have been of great interest to them when I applied for this job. The course itself was a lot of fun, and being able to study oceanography, meteorology, and materials science all in one course was already a huge bonus for me. Once I graduated it was good to know that there are employers out there looking for people with these skills.
The main role of the observer is to collect meteorological data using various instrumentation, including the use of radars for tracking weather balloons, to be used for climate, forecasting, and aviation purposes. For me this means about half of my time is spent outside performing weather observations or maintenance on equipment, while the rest is spent inside analysing data to be sent to RFC's (Regional Forecasting Centres) in each capital city. In regional areas I am also involved in showing the public through the offices and reading weather forecasts for local ABC radio stations.
The Bureau are interested in people who like to travel, because as an observer you get some of the best possible opportunities to travel Australia. I'm based in Perth but am currently working on Willis Island in the Coral Sea for 6 months, and hope to be accepted for a posting to Antarctica in the next 12-18 months. It gives the job a lot of variation and although I miss out on surfing for a few months of the year I get to see a lot of the country in the mean time.
When I first started studying with ECU I had little experience in preparing for job interviews and got a lot of support from ECU staff in this area which no doubt helped me to get where I am today. Being at a regional campus meant that staff were a lot more contactable than I had found at bigger campuses in the past, and always available for advice.
By offering a broad range of subjects I found that the Surf Science course gave me a wider background knowledge of science based subjects than I would have otherwise. The supporting maths and physics units, as well as oceanography offered by ECU, made life a lot easier whilst training with the Bureau. Although Meteorology plays a large part in working for the Bureau, these extra subjects gave me more confidence in my ability to complete the work required.
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