END NOTE
How I succeeded in not becoming a meteorologist
Jordan Gremli '08 at Sirius XM Satellite Radio in Manhattan, where he now works as a music programmer. See larger image
On Graduation Day 2008, earth and atmospheric sciences graduates chose recipients for "superlative" awards. Class genius Alli Wing got "Most Likely to Succeed." Current University of Miami graduate student Pat Meyers won "Most Likely to End Up in a Hurricane-Hunting Plane." My buddy Nick Bannin, today a TV weatherman, was, simply, "Funniest."
I was voted "Most Likely to Succeed … in Something Other Than Meteorology."
At first, I was kind of insulted. But eventually, I became more proud of that award than any other I received during my time at Cornell. Since that day, I've come to realize that throwing your major out the window at the last minute may not be easy, but sometimes it ends up being the best course of action.
I came to Cornell as an earth and atmospheric sciences major knowing I'd get a great education. My goal was simple: I wanted to be a weatherman who actually understood the weather. But more important, I also knew Cornell would give me "real world" connections I could use to gain experience as an undergraduate and lay the groundwork for life after graduation.
Jordan Gremli '08 on the air during an internship as a meteorologist for WBGH/WIVT-TV 34 in Binghamton, N.Y. See larger image
So during my time as an undergrad, I relentlessly e-mailed weathercasters around the Northeast and asked them if they had any work I could help them out with. Most didn't respond. Some were happy to give career advice. One of them, Jeff Berardelli '97, offered me an internship at CBS-2 in New York City. That internship, along with on-air work at a TV station in Binghamton, showed me that I was on to something important: I liked broadcasting and could see myself working in the field for a long time.
But while all that off-campus experience allowed me to realize that broadcasting was my field, what turned out to be the most meaningful practice for post-college life happened on campus.
Cornell's radio station, WVBR-FM, is different from most other college radio stations because it's commercial and independent from the university yet run completely by college students. So as program director for the station, I was responsible for creating a music format that our salespeople could package and sell to local businesses. I had to train and evaluate DJs, including evaluating two professionals who had been on the air in Ithaca for a combined 40 years. It gave me the experience of running a real station, but with the social benefits of being in a college organization.
Now, usually the "job search" part of this story starts out with, "In these tough times ..." But come on. I chose to work in media. All times are tough in a field where people are routinely fired because of their hair color. So my senior year, when it came time to apply for a job, I applied to everything. Morning weatherman in Walla Walla, Washington. I hear they have great wine there! Weekend night producer in Greenville, North Carolina. Isn't that kind of near a beach? Sure!
Jordan Gremli '08 during his time as program director for WVBR-FM in Ithaca. See larger image
The important thing, I learned, was to be flexible. Maybe my first job wasn't going to be in a perfect location, or bring me tremendous wealth, or set me off on a tracked career path that I'd still be following 40 years from now. Because I'd had so much experience during my time as an undergrad, I knew that my field just didn't work that way. But I also knew that working at a tiny radio station in Ithaca was just as much fun as working at a huge TV station in New York City. And arming myself with knowledge from all corners of my field allowed me to search for a job without worrying whether or not it was exactly what I set out to do when I first arrived at Cornell.
It was in that mindset that I was introduced to Steve Blatter, senior vice president and general manager for music programming at Sirius XM Satellite Radio and a former WVBR program director. He knew firsthand how the experience of running WVBR prepares you for a career in media. So when he offered me a job as a music programmer at Sirius XM on my last day of classes at Cornell, he knew I was ready for the job. And because of my work at WVBR, I was prepared to take a job that was completely different from what I had studied as an undergrad. Now, I schedule the music for two music channels and have a three-hour weekly on-air show, and I use what I learned at WVBR every single day.
So far my classmates have been dead on. I'm succeeding – in something other than meteorology.