Reading the future. Sounds pretty cool, right? Also sounds like something a wizard would do! Well, did you know that there is an actual viable career in which you do that?

A few days ago was Take Your Kids To Work Day, so I went to Environment And Climate Change Canada where my dad works as a meteorologist. In the Environment Canada building, there were two sections that we toured: the Environmental Protection Agency and the Weather Office where my dad works. While I was with him in the weather office that day, I learned that by using a combination of real time data like satellites and weather models, meteorologists are able to predict the weather in places around British Columbia.

The day started off with a panel discussion, where people who work at Environment Canada told us how they ended up in their job. I found it interesting, because most of them weren’t sure about what they wanted to do with their lives and then discovered the work they do now.

When I used to think about the Weather Office, I imagined a busy environment with phones ringing, people doing interviews, and meteorologists furiously typing into computers and yelling at the weather. But, while I was actually there, it was quiet and seemed pretty chill. There were only five people in the office, and everyone was working on the forecast, and everything was organized and orderly.

In the Environmental Protection Agency, we learned about how people try to smuggle pelts, ivory, and other animal products through the mail. They put together a box full of clothes that we had to look through to find the animal products hidden in between. We found many things, including a rhinoceros horn worth $30,000! It was a really fun activity and I appreciate the time and effort they took to put the box together.

I got the opportunity to make a video about the day. To create this video, I had to interview someone at the office. I chose one of my dad’s colleagues, Chris, and asked him some questions. I was a bit nervous about asking questions to someone I just met, but Chris was nice and I learned a lot from the interview.

Overall, it was an exciting day of meeting new people and learning how meteorologists are able to predict the weather.