Our reward for three years (or more) of hard work: a trip to Mississippi State University last week. I and about 50 others in the school's Broadcast Meteorology Program descended on the campus for several days of classes, lectures, southern food and a chance to geek out with other weather dorks. And finally, exhale after juggling work and classes since 2006.

Mississippi State has a popular and well-regarded online broadcast meteorology program for on-air weathercasters who found their calling post-college. I am at least the seventh person from NWCN/KING who has taken this route in the last several years. So it's a well-worn path for weather people to get meteorological credentials and an industry seal of approval. More than 200 MSU certificate-holders work in TV around the country.

It was also a chance to attach faces to the names of the other people in my program. But even among those used to getting "facetime," there were some more accustomed to it than others. One guy, Howie Gordon, is a former contestant on the reality show "Big Brother," although now he's got his sights set a bit lower. But as he mentioned more than once, "A guy with my looks and physique needs to be on TV."

At its core, the Mississippi State program serves people who love weather and want to explain it better to their viewers. Long hours spent watching DVD lectures about thermodynamics and studying statistical climatology culminated in a satisfying trip to an unlikely place. In the end, I am better for it and viewers will be too.