Rotational Officer

My tour in Copenhagen was designed as a "rotational" assignment, with one year in the Consular section and one in Political. I've enjoyed the responsibility, the mental stimulation, and even the necessity of navigating a super-complex bureaucracy that went along with being Non-Immigrant Visa Chief, but now the time has come to move on to Episode Two.

The first couple weeks of being a Political Officer have been very exciting. This, after all, is the section of the Embassy that I selected as my "career track" or "cone" back when I first signed up for the FSOT. And though of course it's early days, I'm thinking I made the right choice.

Compared to Consular work, Political is a lot more like college. They give you assignments, then leave you to do the research and writing and turn in the paper by the deadline. "They" include not only my immediate boss and our section head, but also the vast and mysterious beast known as Washington. Meanwhile, it's also part of my job to go out and meet important people. As the Human Rights Officer here, my portfolio includes maintaining good contacts in local NGOs, academia, offices of the Danish government, and other groups. The people I've met so far have been fascinating, and I'm learning a lot. Getting paid to do meaningful, important work that you enjoy is a great recipe for happiness.