After ConGen, which ended on a Tuesday, I had three more "gap days" to close out the week. On the Wednesday, I was proactive and found a one-day course called "Managing Change" up for which I was able to sign. We all received a copy of the book "Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change" by William Bridges, which is all about dealing with major changes that happen on the personal, team or organizational level. A lot of the course dealt with leadership strategies; how to help your subordinates or your team get through a difficult change, how to communicate upcoming changes to them, etc. Communication seemed to be the main message of the entire day - change is inevitable, but in order to maintain your credibility as a leader, it is key to keep people informed and to be honest about what you know, what you don't know, and what they can expect.
By the way, a lot of the course reinforced what I've learned from the book my Uncle Joe is writing about resilience. His start-up company, Arctos Associates (http://www.get-resilient.com/), identifies seven traits that lead to resilience: Perseverence, Compassion, Humor, Confidence and Flexibility, all supported by a foundation of Honesty, and giving rise to a sense of Balance or perspective. Humor was one trait that several people brought up in my "Change" course as being important to help them adapt to change, as well as Honesty.
In addition to learning about how humans physically deal with change and stress, we also talked a bit about positive changes. The main focus of the course obviously was on how to overcome difficult changes, but in my case, for example, when we did exercises about a change we are dealing with now I could only think of a very positive one (getting a wonderful new job and moving to Denmark). But one point that the instructor made repeatedly was that "all change involves loss", and as I looked more deeply into my analysis I could find some elements of joining the Foreign Service that I might find difficult (mostly, having significantly less control over my own life: I'll be living in assigned housing, for example, and not engaging in political activities). Obviously, these drawbacks are minor compared to the huge advantages, but it does make sense, I think, to look at them directly and think about how to make them even less of an issue. It probably wouldn't be particularly damaging to say "yeah, that part's annoying, but overall it's great" - I could definitely get by on that attitude. But it would be even better if I am able to address the annoying parts right away, move through the stages of grief, and instead of being, say, up seventy percent and down five, something like up seventy and down one. Does that make sense?
Anyway, it makes enough sense to me that I'm glad I spent a day in the course. If I ever have a chance I will definitely sign up for an Arctos course as well, and not just because of the family connection! ^^
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
ConGen Rosslyn
All entry-level Foreign Service Officers, regardless of their "cone" or career track, are required, during either their first or second tour, to spend at least one year working in a Consular section at a post abroad. This is the section where people come in to apply for a visa to enter the United States, and also the section that provides services for American citizens abroad in the post's "consular district". I am very excited about my assignment in Copenhagen, which is a rotational assignment giving me first one year in a Consular position and then one year as a Political officer (my cone is Political).
The consular requirement makes great sense for a lot of reasons. First, it is one of the largest segments of the Foreign Service, because there is so much work to be done. It's also some of the most important work that we do abroad; American Citizen Services (ACS) is one of the main reasons for having an official U.S. government presence in other countries in the first place, and vitally important to protect the interests of Americans throughout the world, especially as more and more people do travel internationally. Visa adjudication, meanwhile, is of course a vital step in protecting our national security, as well as ensuring that foreigners who are legally eligible to enter the U.S. can do so as easily as is practicable. So it's important to have enough people filling these positions and doing this vital work.
Another good reason for the consular requirement is that it's great experience. After a year of visa interviews, I expect to be much better at figuring out what people are really thinking when they spin me a yarn, in addition to improving my communication and customer-service skills. It's also a great opportunity because, apparently, "consular officers have the best stories" (an oft-repeated phrase).
The most popular training at FSI, then, is the Basic Consular Course, a six-week seminar that teaches the fundamentals of all the skills needed to do all three types of consular work (ACS, Non-Immigrant Visas, and Immigrant Visas Overseas). It's also known as "ConGen Rosslyn", because the course takes place at an actual Consulate-General of the United States in the fictional city of Rosslyn in the Republic of Z. There is an actual visa interview room in one of the buildings at FSI, as well as an actual jail (a small one with just one cell, but with real bars and real plastic rats). Doing role-plays at the visa interview windows was a lot of fun, although it is not easy to keep track of everything - the piles of paperwork, what the applicants are saying, the various things on the computer screen, and the myriad complexities of immigration law that underlie the whole thing and that must be kept in mind at all times.
At the beginning of the course, they gave us each a copy (to keep) of the 9/11 Commission Report. On the last day, which happened to be my birthday, we had a nice little "graduation" in an FSI hallway. I feel like I still won't be fully prepared until I've been in Copenhagen for a while and have gotten a chance to see the real thing in action, but I'm definitely a lot more confident about starting my consular rotation now that I've got this course under my belt.
The consular requirement makes great sense for a lot of reasons. First, it is one of the largest segments of the Foreign Service, because there is so much work to be done. It's also some of the most important work that we do abroad; American Citizen Services (ACS) is one of the main reasons for having an official U.S. government presence in other countries in the first place, and vitally important to protect the interests of Americans throughout the world, especially as more and more people do travel internationally. Visa adjudication, meanwhile, is of course a vital step in protecting our national security, as well as ensuring that foreigners who are legally eligible to enter the U.S. can do so as easily as is practicable. So it's important to have enough people filling these positions and doing this vital work.
Another good reason for the consular requirement is that it's great experience. After a year of visa interviews, I expect to be much better at figuring out what people are really thinking when they spin me a yarn, in addition to improving my communication and customer-service skills. It's also a great opportunity because, apparently, "consular officers have the best stories" (an oft-repeated phrase).
The most popular training at FSI, then, is the Basic Consular Course, a six-week seminar that teaches the fundamentals of all the skills needed to do all three types of consular work (ACS, Non-Immigrant Visas, and Immigrant Visas Overseas). It's also known as "ConGen Rosslyn", because the course takes place at an actual Consulate-General of the United States in the fictional city of Rosslyn in the Republic of Z. There is an actual visa interview room in one of the buildings at FSI, as well as an actual jail (a small one with just one cell, but with real bars and real plastic rats). Doing role-plays at the visa interview windows was a lot of fun, although it is not easy to keep track of everything - the piles of paperwork, what the applicants are saying, the various things on the computer screen, and the myriad complexities of immigration law that underlie the whole thing and that must be kept in mind at all times.
At the beginning of the course, they gave us each a copy (to keep) of the 9/11 Commission Report. On the last day, which happened to be my birthday, we had a nice little "graduation" in an FSI hallway. I feel like I still won't be fully prepared until I've been in Copenhagen for a while and have gotten a chance to see the real thing in action, but I'm definitely a lot more confident about starting my consular rotation now that I've got this course under my belt.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
SOS, Medical Emergencies, and Gap Days
This week I had my mandatory two-day "Security Overseas Seminar", thanks to my own ingenuity. I had noticed on my training schedule that I had only one class scheduled this week (the equally mandatory "Medical Emergencies at Post" on Wednesday). Meanwhile, in July I had a couple of weeks free before the SOS course. So I figured out with the online course catalog that SOS was also being offered this week, on days when I happened to have a gap in my training, and I reasoned that if I could move the course up then I could leave for post a whole two weeks earlier.
So I e-mailed my CDO to ask about doing that, and it is a very good thing I did, too, as it eventually led to the discovery that I am NOT actually expected to arrive in Copenhagen as soon as my training is over; instead, they are still expecting me in October as originally listed on our bid list. The July arrival date on my training documentation was just there because whoever put that schedule together was not used to having any time in the pre-departure schedule not filled with training (apparently something that is only recently becoming fairly common). So how does one fill that time? The answer is a thing called a "bridge assignment", where I get to do actual work at the State Department in DC! My excitement at this prospect immediately dispelled any annoyance at having my expectations changed. Plus, I'm actually happy that we have more time in the States to get things done like obtaining my diplomatic passport and working on Bongsu's naturalization.
The end result was that I did indeed move the SOS course up to this week, not so we could leave earlier, but so I could start the bridge assignment earlier. SOS itself was alright; a lot of it had already been covered in A-100 but it is quite important stuff, even for a peaceful place like Denmark, so it was good to go over it again. Same deal with the Medical Emergencies training.
After getting those out of the way early in the week, I still had two more gap days. I had more than enough non-scheduled work to fill Thursday and Friday quite productively. I re-took the speaking part of my German test, which I had asked to be re-graded. I ended up a full level higher than the original score, so I was right in thinking that the first go-around had been mis-graded. I continued to research Denmark and Embassy Copenhagen. I finished a variety of small administrative tasks, including the continuing saga of putting together Bongsu's immigration application. I got a chance to go to the EUR/NB (European Bureau, Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs) at Main State to meet with the Denmark/Iceland desk officer and (very briefly) the office director. And I spent considerable time continuing to work on setting up those bridge assignments.
Okay, the bridge assignments. When my CDO and I first figured out that I would need to do them, he suggested that I give some idea of where I'd like to work to the person in charge of setting them up. I did that, and she responded that she would get to me as soon as she finished some other cases who would be starting their bridges sooner than I. That sounded good, but I also went ahead and contacted some people I knew in the bureaus where I was most interested in working (the desk officer at EUR/NB and a colleague of our class mentor Amb. Polt in "H", the Bureau of Legislative Affairs). When they responded positively, I forwarded those responses to the person setting up the bridges. I think she may have been a bit defensive, possibly seeing me as overly helpful. It definitely makes sense that their office should be in charge of these things, but it seems an important part of FS culture is "lobbying" for positions that one wants, and I did not especially want to end up in a bridge assignment unrelated to my current or future job goals just because I was being lazy. In the end, I think I struck about the right balance between being proactive and deferring to those whose job it is to put these things together. If I erred on one side, it was probably to take charge of the process too much, but I did work hard always to be polite, to keep all relevant parties informed at every stage, and to recognize their authority -- and in the end, I have ended up with the exact assignments I'm most interested in, so take from that whatever lesson you will.
So I e-mailed my CDO to ask about doing that, and it is a very good thing I did, too, as it eventually led to the discovery that I am NOT actually expected to arrive in Copenhagen as soon as my training is over; instead, they are still expecting me in October as originally listed on our bid list. The July arrival date on my training documentation was just there because whoever put that schedule together was not used to having any time in the pre-departure schedule not filled with training (apparently something that is only recently becoming fairly common). So how does one fill that time? The answer is a thing called a "bridge assignment", where I get to do actual work at the State Department in DC! My excitement at this prospect immediately dispelled any annoyance at having my expectations changed. Plus, I'm actually happy that we have more time in the States to get things done like obtaining my diplomatic passport and working on Bongsu's naturalization.
The end result was that I did indeed move the SOS course up to this week, not so we could leave earlier, but so I could start the bridge assignment earlier. SOS itself was alright; a lot of it had already been covered in A-100 but it is quite important stuff, even for a peaceful place like Denmark, so it was good to go over it again. Same deal with the Medical Emergencies training.
After getting those out of the way early in the week, I still had two more gap days. I had more than enough non-scheduled work to fill Thursday and Friday quite productively. I re-took the speaking part of my German test, which I had asked to be re-graded. I ended up a full level higher than the original score, so I was right in thinking that the first go-around had been mis-graded. I continued to research Denmark and Embassy Copenhagen. I finished a variety of small administrative tasks, including the continuing saga of putting together Bongsu's immigration application. I got a chance to go to the EUR/NB (European Bureau, Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs) at Main State to meet with the Denmark/Iceland desk officer and (very briefly) the office director. And I spent considerable time continuing to work on setting up those bridge assignments.
Okay, the bridge assignments. When my CDO and I first figured out that I would need to do them, he suggested that I give some idea of where I'd like to work to the person in charge of setting them up. I did that, and she responded that she would get to me as soon as she finished some other cases who would be starting their bridges sooner than I. That sounded good, but I also went ahead and contacted some people I knew in the bureaus where I was most interested in working (the desk officer at EUR/NB and a colleague of our class mentor Amb. Polt in "H", the Bureau of Legislative Affairs). When they responded positively, I forwarded those responses to the person setting up the bridges. I think she may have been a bit defensive, possibly seeing me as overly helpful. It definitely makes sense that their office should be in charge of these things, but it seems an important part of FS culture is "lobbying" for positions that one wants, and I did not especially want to end up in a bridge assignment unrelated to my current or future job goals just because I was being lazy. In the end, I think I struck about the right balance between being proactive and deferring to those whose job it is to put these things together. If I erred on one side, it was probably to take charge of the process too much, but I did work hard always to be polite, to keep all relevant parties informed at every stage, and to recognize their authority -- and in the end, I have ended up with the exact assignments I'm most interested in, so take from that whatever lesson you will.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Europe Intensive Area Studies
With generalist orientation over, we in the 144th plunged right in to our "functional training" (training for the actual posts we're going to). On April 20 I started with Europe Intensive Area Studies, a very cool 2-week course that covers the whole continent of Europe. Two other members of my A-100 class were also in the class. Although I've heard around FSI that some of these two-week intensive area studies courses can be hard to sit through, with lots of information that's hard to relate to the specific place you're going to, in our case we were lucky to have instructors who did a great job of tying things together. For example, we had two whole days just on the Balkans, and I don't think any of us in the course are actually heading to a Balkan country, but the context and application to our own countries (for example, as a flashpoint of EU foreign policy) was very well done. Another highlight of the course was our visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum, where we learned about a hugely significant event in twentieth-century European history and met with a young Austrian man who is working there as an alternative to mandatory military service. It wasn't all history, though; we learned about topics from the institutional structure of the European Union to the working of the welfare state in countries with a strong social safety net to the political future of countries like Turkey and Ukraine.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Seventh Week of A-100
Another thing about Flag Day at the end of week six was that, in addition to the flags, we each also got a folder with our training schedule for the remainder of our time at FSI, with things like language training and learning about the specific type of work we'll be doing at post. Although the bid list had listed our Copenhagen job as starting in October and requiring proficiency in Danish, my folder said I'd be leaving in July and didn't include any Danish training. (You should be able to guess that I do not already speak Danish.) In the seventh and final week of the orientation class, I felt like there was not enough time to research the post and answer the burning questions I had, such as the meaning of these apparent changes. I admit I was rather impatient with some of the sessions early in the week. In the end, though, I did get the answers I needed; apparently the language requirement had been waived in order to get me there as early as possible. As a local hire not receiving per diem while in DC, I am pretty much in favor of that decision!
This week had a number of exciting sessions, including meeting with Amb. William Burns, Under-Secretary for Political Affairs. The best, of course, was Friday, when we were formally sworn in by former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. Seating was alphabetical, which put me pretty much front and center, able to overhear Larry muttering "Oh cut it out" while being praised at length during his introduction. As the only career FSO ever to serve as Secretary, Eagleburger is a hero among professional diplomats. The swearing-in also included the orientation class of Foreign Service Specialists, who work alongside us in the embassies and consulates. It was a big day, with Bongsu and both of my parents in attendance.
After the ceremony Bongsu and I went to pay a short visit to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, where I worked until A-100 started. It was great seeing former colleagues in the Continuing Education office. It was a great working environment, and I think I'm justified in sometims missing ASHA a little bit. I learned that my replacement had been hired (actually, promoted from within another department at ASHA), so things will be back to normal for them soon. I was glad that living in the DC area made it possible for me to continue working there right up until the last week before starting at State, so that the transition time was only a month and a half.
The next day, Saturday, we planned to go shopping with my parents. My dad came to pick us up and then stop back at the hotel to get my mom, but when we went up to their hotel room, it turned out to be a surprise party for us. A bunch of Wessel relatives (some from as far away as Vermont!), more college friends than I had seen at one time in years, and even a couple of A-100 classmates were there. It was a wonderful day. I hope many of those same people will be able to visit us in Copenhagen!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Sixth Week of A-100
This was probably the most difficult week of our Foreign Service Generalist Orientation Course. Not because of language testing (although I did have a tough German exam on Thursday) or trying to keep track of the plethora of information in our classes (although we did have some important meetings this week, including one at the Pentagon and one with the Deputy Secretary of State), but mostly because of the anticipation for Friday, which was "Flag Day"!
I really like the Flag Day tradition. The A-100 class gathers in the gym at FSI, along with many of their spouses, parents, children, friends and others, plus other FSI students who have the free time to attend. All our class coordinators and CDOs are also there, and they get a round of applause. For every post on our final bid list, Amb. Joe Mussomeli, Director of Career Development and Assignments, held up the flag of the country and said a word or two about the particular posting, then called out the name of the person being assigned to that post. There was applause as the winner walked to the front of the room to receive the flag from our class mentor, Amb. Michael Polt (PDAS in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs).
Bongsu and I had prepared a paper showing the flags of all the posts ranked High, Medium-high and Medium on our list. At the beginning of the ceremony, it was announced that no one from our class had received a Low bid, so that meant that Bongsu and my dad (who were in attendance) could be confident that one of the flags on that paper would end up in my hands. It was quite an emotional experience for about the first half of the ceremony, as every now and then one of the flags from the "High" column would come up and go to another classmate.
Eventually they reached the Dannebrog, the flag of the Kingdom of Denmark, for one Consular-Political rotation (meaning that the incumbent works a year in each of those two sections) in Copenhagen. This was one of our top top choices, and one we had talked about at length in the interview with the CDO. When Amb. Mussomeli called my name, Bongsu leapt out of her chair and I had a huge smile as I walked up to receive my flag. Bongsu tried to send a text message to my mom (who was traveling for work and couldn't be there) which ended up as a text saying "Denm" and a second saying "Denmark" (the response was "www").
All in all, a good day!
All in all, a good day!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Fourth & Fifth Weeks of A-100
We keep learning about all kinds of topics. The ones about how foreign policy is made in the interagency process were interesting. Our class continues to ask lots of questions. There are a number of us who ask something at almost every session; I'm afraid I myself end up asking a question at least once or twice a day, although I try not to if I don't think it will be of interest to most other people in th room. The speakers are just so interesting, it's great that we have the opportunity to hear from them!
We also broke out into three sub-classes for some sessions, including a "Composure Under Fire" workshop in which we learned how to field tough questions about U.S. policy, and a "Public Speaking" one in which they recorded us giving a speech on DVD so we can watch ourselves at home and critique what we did well and what we should try to improve. Although those tasks are difficult, I kind of hope that my job will include them, because they can also be an exciting challenge and also, frankly, a lot of fun.
Over the course of A-100 there were four sessions scheduled of "Diplomatic History", but I only attended the third one because I had my Korean, Spanish and German tests scheduled during the others. From what other classmates tell me, the schedulers did a good job of choosing which parts of A-100 I wouldn't mind missing. In any case, my language test scores in all three of those were not high enough to get me off "language probation" (in order to move to the mid-level of the Foreign Service, you need to demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language), but my score in each was more than half-way to the required score for that language, meaning even if I get a full course in one language I can still also have a "top-off" course in any of the languages I tested in, even before moving to the mid-level. Without qualifying for a top-off, entry-level officers can only have one language course.
We also broke out into three sub-classes for some sessions, including a "Composure Under Fire" workshop in which we learned how to field tough questions about U.S. policy, and a "Public Speaking" one in which they recorded us giving a speech on DVD so we can watch ourselves at home and critique what we did well and what we should try to improve. Although those tasks are difficult, I kind of hope that my job will include them, because they can also be an exciting challenge and also, frankly, a lot of fun.
Over the course of A-100 there were four sessions scheduled of "Diplomatic History", but I only attended the third one because I had my Korean, Spanish and German tests scheduled during the others. From what other classmates tell me, the schedulers did a good job of choosing which parts of A-100 I wouldn't mind missing. In any case, my language test scores in all three of those were not high enough to get me off "language probation" (in order to move to the mid-level of the Foreign Service, you need to demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language), but my score in each was more than half-way to the required score for that language, meaning even if I get a full course in one language I can still also have a "top-off" course in any of the languages I tested in, even before moving to the mid-level. Without qualifying for a top-off, entry-level officers can only have one language course.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Third Week of A-100
This week's highlight was the three-day offsite retreat at "The Woods" in West Virginia. We were loaded on two buses and driven a couple hours into the mountains for two days of teambuilding exercises and creative problem-solving. The trip also involved meals with our CDOs and class mentor, which involved lots of interesting stories and a little nervousness as we all knew that the CDOs were also using those days to sit down together and make decisions about which of the posts on our bid list each of us would be assigned. On the second evening there was a performance by our musically and dramatically talented members, called the A-100 Follies, which was amazingly good - especially considering they only had a few days to put it all together. The band was especially outstanding. That was followed by a big drinking party. On Friday we all piled back on the buses and came home.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Second Week of A-100
The second week was about as much of a whirlwind as the first. There is so much to learn and most of it is entirely too fascinating; there are still people waiting to ask questions as every session comes to an end. A big focus of Week Two focused on the bid lists that we received at the end of Week One. Today Bongsu and I met my Career Development Officer to discuss our goals and get a bit of a reality check. Actually, it turns out our expectations were perhaps not all that far from reality to begin with, although with a class of 92 people there will be a lot of competition for the top choices on our list. In any case, we know that whatever the assignment ends up being, we'll have a great experience.
The only question I have left is how I can survive waiting over a month to find out what that first post will be! I'm hoping that the continuing flood of new information will help keep me distracted! ^^
The only question I have left is how I can survive waiting over a month to find out what that first post will be! I'm hoping that the continuing flood of new information will help keep me distracted! ^^
Sunday, March 08, 2009
First Week of A-100
Aside from getting to meet a good number of my new colleagues, the exciting thing about Week One was seeing the Bid List. This is a list of posts where the people in our class might go on our first tour. Each post includes a location (an embassy or consulate abroad), job function (mostly Consular [visa interviews and American Citizen Services]), approximate start date, and required language skills.
Because our class is big, our bid list is long, which is great because it really covers the whole world - there's a lot of diversity and so, I am sure, something for everyone! By Wednesday we have to turn in the list with each post ranked High, Medium-high, Medium or Low.
Because our class is big, our bid list is long, which is great because it really covers the whole world - there's a lot of diversity and so, I am sure, something for everyone! By Wednesday we have to turn in the list with each post ranked High, Medium-high, Medium or Low.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
An Auspicious Start
Well, here we are.
I and my 91 colleagues in the 144th Junior Officer Orientation Class have spent the last two days at the Harry Truman Building (aka "Main Sate") in DC, doing in-processing. Mostly it's been lectures on security and classified information, as well as some on retirement plans, health insurance, and other issues that you would expect to hear about when starting any new job. Also today we had our ID badges made, so we'll be able to get into buildings.
It's been fun to meet everyone and to soak up the atmosphere of the Department. There are displays of photographs and historic artifacts of diplomacy all over.
My only suggestion for improvement, so far, would be that they might have given us a list of each of our classmates' name, career track, hometown and photo. That would have helped with the daunting task of trying to meet 88 other people all at once, plus answering some questions that it seems kind of strange we still don't know the answers to (like our class's ratio of men to women, number of local hires, that kind of thing). I'm undecided as to whether age should also be on that list - I would definitely say yes, but I expect some people would rather not disclose their age.
From what I've been able to glean so far, we seem a diverse and very interesting group. I am greatly looking forward to getting to know everyone better!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
"Bifurcation Points"
It's amazing how a little thing can change the course of a life.
When I was a freshman at UNC, I was hanging out with some Di-Phi classmates and Betsy John mentioned she was going to a presentation about study-abroad opportunities and asked if anyone else was interested in going. I had a couple hours between classes at the time of the meeting, so I decided to tag along. I was interested in the description of one of the programs, a summer term in Vienna studying multilateral diplomacy and international organizations. This ended up being the same program for which Betsy was applying, so even though it was intended for sophomores and juniors, I turned in my application as well. We both ended up in Vienna that summer, and in addition to learning a lot I gained 9 credit hours toward an International Studies major, which I ended up completing for just that reason. So it all came down to a casual remark in a gathering of friends in the lounge in Old East dormitory.
Another example: when Bongsu and I were living in Duck and looking for jobs, my mom's brother Joe "the Bear" Williams suggested that I get in touch with his wife's cousin, an FSO who was then preparing for her next post as the DCM in Embassy Bujumbura, Burundi. The phone call I eventually had with her was the first time I ever learned about how the Foreign Service application process works, and really the first time I started realizing that it might be within my reach as a career. (Of course, it took Bongsu a couple days to convince me fully that I was qualified enough to make it worth registering for the test.)
You never know what's going to happen. It's exciting!
When I was a freshman at UNC, I was hanging out with some Di-Phi classmates and Betsy John mentioned she was going to a presentation about study-abroad opportunities and asked if anyone else was interested in going. I had a couple hours between classes at the time of the meeting, so I decided to tag along. I was interested in the description of one of the programs, a summer term in Vienna studying multilateral diplomacy and international organizations. This ended up being the same program for which Betsy was applying, so even though it was intended for sophomores and juniors, I turned in my application as well. We both ended up in Vienna that summer, and in addition to learning a lot I gained 9 credit hours toward an International Studies major, which I ended up completing for just that reason. So it all came down to a casual remark in a gathering of friends in the lounge in Old East dormitory.
Another example: when Bongsu and I were living in Duck and looking for jobs, my mom's brother Joe "the Bear" Williams suggested that I get in touch with his wife's cousin, an FSO who was then preparing for her next post as the DCM in Embassy Bujumbura, Burundi. The phone call I eventually had with her was the first time I ever learned about how the Foreign Service application process works, and really the first time I started realizing that it might be within my reach as a career. (Of course, it took Bongsu a couple days to convince me fully that I was qualified enough to make it worth registering for the test.)
You never know what's going to happen. It's exciting!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
A New Job
At 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28, I was at my desk at work adding up the minutes on the agenda for a continuing education program for speech-language pathologists in order to ensure that it was being registered for the correct amount of credit. My iPhone started ringing from its place in the belt-clip on my left hip. It was my wife.
Me: Yoboseyo? [Hello?]
Bongsu: You know how we decided to sign another one-year lease on our apartment?
Me: Mm-hmm.
Bongsu: But we still didn't sign the contract, right? So we can still change? Maybe we have to change to a three-month lease.
Me: Okay. Why?
Bongsu: Did you check your e-mail? Check your e-mail NOW.
I checked my e-mail.
There it was. In my inbox. The message commonly referred to as "the Call."
I read it three times to make sure, but there was no doubt: it was an offer to join the March 2, 2009 incoming class of Foreign Service Officers in the US Department of State.
WE MADE IT!!!
I really like my current job; I will be sad to leave. But I am more excited than I can say about this new career! I can hardly believe I am just a month away from starting my dream job.
A huge THANK YOU to all the people without whom I would never have been able to earn this offer. I couldn't list all of them, but they include:
* my wife Bongsu and her family
* my parents and family
* my mom's brother's wife's cousin, a current FSO who, back in October 2007, explained the selection process to me on the phone and convinced me to apply
* a number of excellent and inspirational professors at UNC
* the investigators and witnesses who participated in my security clearance background check, including my supervisor Anne and my colleague Joan, and friends Mac, Brad, Max, Eric, Ryan, and Bill (and maybe others - they didn't tell me who all was contacted)
* the people who were in Vienna with me in 2000, when I first realized how exciting diplomacy is
* the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies
* the BEX examiners and the other candidates who were at State Annex 1 in DC on April 15, 2008 for the Foreign Service Oral Assessment
All these people and many more I haven't listed... this is their success as much as mine. I hope to make them all proud.
Me: Yoboseyo? [Hello?]
Bongsu: You know how we decided to sign another one-year lease on our apartment?
Me: Mm-hmm.
Bongsu: But we still didn't sign the contract, right? So we can still change? Maybe we have to change to a three-month lease.
Me: Okay. Why?
Bongsu: Did you check your e-mail? Check your e-mail NOW.
I checked my e-mail.
There it was. In my inbox. The message commonly referred to as "the Call."
I read it three times to make sure, but there was no doubt: it was an offer to join the March 2, 2009 incoming class of Foreign Service Officers in the US Department of State.
WE MADE IT!!!
I really like my current job; I will be sad to leave. But I am more excited than I can say about this new career! I can hardly believe I am just a month away from starting my dream job.
A huge THANK YOU to all the people without whom I would never have been able to earn this offer. I couldn't list all of them, but they include:
* my wife Bongsu and her family
* my parents and family
* my mom's brother's wife's cousin, a current FSO who, back in October 2007, explained the selection process to me on the phone and convinced me to apply
* a number of excellent and inspirational professors at UNC
* the investigators and witnesses who participated in my security clearance background check, including my supervisor Anne and my colleague Joan, and friends Mac, Brad, Max, Eric, Ryan, and Bill (and maybe others - they didn't tell me who all was contacted)
* the people who were in Vienna with me in 2000, when I first realized how exciting diplomacy is
* the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies
* the BEX examiners and the other candidates who were at State Annex 1 in DC on April 15, 2008 for the Foreign Service Oral Assessment
All these people and many more I haven't listed... this is their success as much as mine. I hope to make them all proud.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Correction on Security Clearance
Since my last post on the security clearance, I found out that apparently I have not been granted an actual clearance, but rather am now in a kind of nebulous state where the investigation required to grant a clearance is finished, but in order to get the actual formal clearance I have to have the job and be sworn in and so on. Just to set the record straight.
The main difference is that if you have a clearance, it remains active for five years before you need to go through an investigation again; whereas this potential clearance thing only lasts for two years - if, for example, I were not to get an offer by then and then take the test over to get back on the register, I would have to go through a new security investigation. That doesn't sound like much fun, so ideally I'll get the call sooner rather than later. :D
The main difference is that if you have a clearance, it remains active for five years before you need to go through an investigation again; whereas this potential clearance thing only lasts for two years - if, for example, I were not to get an offer by then and then take the test over to get back on the register, I would have to go through a new security investigation. That doesn't sound like much fun, so ideally I'll get the call sooner rather than later. :D
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Political Registry
I made it on the list! Now everything that needs to be done, in order for me to become a Foreign Service Officer, has been done: it now depends entirely on how many new FSOs the government needs - and on how many are on the list with higher scores than mine (there is one more thing I can do to affect that, viz raise my own score by passing the German exam, which I will attempt for a second time on December 18).
I am now in the 35th position on the registry of 95 Political career track candidates. Here's hoping the rush of Obama administration appointees takes up Diplomatic Security's clearance-granting resources and prevents too many people with higher scores from popping up ahead of me. ;)
I had a scary couple of moments when I called to enquire about being on the registry. Today marks one month since I was granted the security clearance, so I phoned to see if any progress had been made on getting the Final Suitability Review. At first the answer was the best: "You were just put on the registry on December 2" - but then it quickly became the worst: "You're number 92 on the list." Fortunately, I stuck up for myself, questioning that number several times until we realized that they thought my score was a 5.3 (the minimum passing score)! I assured her that I was pretty sure I had a 5.5, and when she checked (man, THAT was a nervous minute or two), she found I was right and fixed the typo, jumping me up to my rightful place.
The clock has now started; I can stay on the registry until I (hopefully!) get an offer, or until 6/2/2010 (a total of 18 months) before dropping off and being back at the very beginning.
I am now in the 35th position on the registry of 95 Political career track candidates. Here's hoping the rush of Obama administration appointees takes up Diplomatic Security's clearance-granting resources and prevents too many people with higher scores from popping up ahead of me. ;)
I had a scary couple of moments when I called to enquire about being on the registry. Today marks one month since I was granted the security clearance, so I phoned to see if any progress had been made on getting the Final Suitability Review. At first the answer was the best: "You were just put on the registry on December 2" - but then it quickly became the worst: "You're number 92 on the list." Fortunately, I stuck up for myself, questioning that number several times until we realized that they thought my score was a 5.3 (the minimum passing score)! I assured her that I was pretty sure I had a 5.5, and when she checked (man, THAT was a nervous minute or two), she found I was right and fixed the typo, jumping me up to my rightful place.
The clock has now started; I can stay on the registry until I (hopefully!) get an offer, or until 6/2/2010 (a total of 18 months) before dropping off and being back at the very beginning.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Security Clearance Update
As promised:
After returning on Monday from a two-week trip to Korea for my brother-in-law's wedding, I called Diplomatic Security again today and was told that, on Thursday Nov. 6, the U.S. government had granted me a Top Secret security clearance. Apparently, this is the highest level of security clearance the government has, but that does not mean I have the same access to information as a CIA director or somebody, since all secret and top secret information is available to anyone only on a need-to-know basis. So the thing is, if the government decides that my job needs me to know something classified, it is now legal for somebody to tell me about it, probably with certain restrictions on the manner of the communication and so forth. Since I don't even have the job yet, I'm not being entrusted with the launch codes just at present.
I found one Web site that says something on the order of 3 million individuals have a security clearance at any given moment. That would be about 1% of the national population. Most of those are military or people working for defense contractors. Top Secret clearance remains active for five years, at which point it has to be renewed with another investigation.
You know, it does feels a bit ironic that my immediate reaction to this news is to run over and throw it up on the Internet. Like maybe I should start practicing being secretive by not telling you that I got my clearance. But I was not told that the clearance itself is a secret, so I guess I can talk about it.
Here's a quick overview of the various steps or hurdles to get past:
Completed:
1. Register for the Foreign Service Officer Test: done, Oct. 2007
2. Take the FSOT: done, Dec. 6 2007
(3. Pass a "Qualifications Evaluation Panel" who review test results and background information and select a predetermined percentage to go on to the next step: passed, March 2008)
4. Take the Foreign Service Oral Assessment: passed, Apr. 15 2008 (you get your results at the end of the day)
5. Obtain medical clearance to travel worldwide: done, Jun. 13 2008
(6. Obtain top secret security clearance: done, November 6, 2008)
Pending:
(7. Pass a "Final Suitability Review" which looks at the test, interview, background, security and medical information and makes a final judgment that the candidate is an appropriate fit for the Department) - at this point one is added to the "register"
8. OPTIONAL: Pass a foreign language exam (via phone) to jump to a higher position on the register
(9. Receive offer to join an incoming class of new Foreign Service Officers)
So as you see, in my case the process has been going on so far for exactly a year, a month, a week and a day, and six of the nine discrete hurdles are behind us!
After returning on Monday from a two-week trip to Korea for my brother-in-law's wedding, I called Diplomatic Security again today and was told that, on Thursday Nov. 6, the U.S. government had granted me a Top Secret security clearance. Apparently, this is the highest level of security clearance the government has, but that does not mean I have the same access to information as a CIA director or somebody, since all secret and top secret information is available to anyone only on a need-to-know basis. So the thing is, if the government decides that my job needs me to know something classified, it is now legal for somebody to tell me about it, probably with certain restrictions on the manner of the communication and so forth. Since I don't even have the job yet, I'm not being entrusted with the launch codes just at present.
I found one Web site that says something on the order of 3 million individuals have a security clearance at any given moment. That would be about 1% of the national population. Most of those are military or people working for defense contractors. Top Secret clearance remains active for five years, at which point it has to be renewed with another investigation.
You know, it does feels a bit ironic that my immediate reaction to this news is to run over and throw it up on the Internet. Like maybe I should start practicing being secretive by not telling you that I got my clearance. But I was not told that the clearance itself is a secret, so I guess I can talk about it.
Here's a quick overview of the various steps or hurdles to get past:
Completed:
1. Register for the Foreign Service Officer Test: done, Oct. 2007
2. Take the FSOT: done, Dec. 6 2007
(3. Pass a "Qualifications Evaluation Panel" who review test results and background information and select a predetermined percentage to go on to the next step: passed, March 2008)
4. Take the Foreign Service Oral Assessment: passed, Apr. 15 2008 (you get your results at the end of the day)
5. Obtain medical clearance to travel worldwide: done, Jun. 13 2008
(6. Obtain top secret security clearance: done, November 6, 2008)
Pending:
(7. Pass a "Final Suitability Review" which looks at the test, interview, background, security and medical information and makes a final judgment that the candidate is an appropriate fit for the Department) - at this point one is added to the "register"
8. OPTIONAL: Pass a foreign language exam (via phone) to jump to a higher position on the register
(9. Receive offer to join an incoming class of new Foreign Service Officers)
So as you see, in my case the process has been going on so far for exactly a year, a month, a week and a day, and six of the nine discrete hurdles are behind us!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Medical & Security Clearances
It's just over four months since I passed the Foreign Service Oral Assessment. The next steps: once I get a Top Secret security clearance and a medical clearance for worldwide availability, my name will be listed on a rank-ordered registry of candidates who might get job offers with the State Department.
The medical clearance has involved a fair amount of work. Mine went through normally enough; there was a checkup at the DOS Clinic in DC, followed by an X-ray at an outside clinic, and after a couple months I had my clearance. Bongsu, however, had a bit more work to do because her hemoglobin count was low. Fortunately, just by taking over-the-counter iron supplements she seems to have brought it back up to well within the normal range, so we expect to get her clearance soon as well.
The security check has not involved so much work on my part; there was a long form to turn in on the day of the FSOA, including information about all the places I've ever lived and worked and the names of people who can verify them. The hardest part was letting my current boss and colleagues know that a federal investigator would be visiting the office to interview people about me. I had been a bit worried about how they would react to my pursuing a new career when I just started working here last December, but it turns out I needn't have been: my boss was very excited for me and totally supportive. She's even been involved in the security clearance investigations of other friends, so she knew something about the process. The investigator duly came back in June and talked with me for a while, then with my boss and another colleague for about ten minutes. Of course, I also had to inform everyone else who's ever known me that they might get a similar call; so far I have heard that investigators met with my parents, neighbors in Duck, various friends, Bongsu's family, and of course Bongsu herself in our brand new apartment. I also got a call at one point from the guy in New Hampshire who was trying to confirm my employment at the Highlander Inn (where I worked part-time, about ten hours a week, for just over a month right out of college). Apparently they had no record of me there, although I know I received a W-2 from them. I didn't hear back from that investigator again, so I assume he found someone who remembered me and checked off on that part of my background.
With luck, the next post on this page will be the news about the adjudication of my clearance. When both medical and security clearances are complete, the next step is something called a Final Suitability Review, which apparently is usually fairly quick, before being added to the registry.
The medical clearance has involved a fair amount of work. Mine went through normally enough; there was a checkup at the DOS Clinic in DC, followed by an X-ray at an outside clinic, and after a couple months I had my clearance. Bongsu, however, had a bit more work to do because her hemoglobin count was low. Fortunately, just by taking over-the-counter iron supplements she seems to have brought it back up to well within the normal range, so we expect to get her clearance soon as well.
The security check has not involved so much work on my part; there was a long form to turn in on the day of the FSOA, including information about all the places I've ever lived and worked and the names of people who can verify them. The hardest part was letting my current boss and colleagues know that a federal investigator would be visiting the office to interview people about me. I had been a bit worried about how they would react to my pursuing a new career when I just started working here last December, but it turns out I needn't have been: my boss was very excited for me and totally supportive. She's even been involved in the security clearance investigations of other friends, so she knew something about the process. The investigator duly came back in June and talked with me for a while, then with my boss and another colleague for about ten minutes. Of course, I also had to inform everyone else who's ever known me that they might get a similar call; so far I have heard that investigators met with my parents, neighbors in Duck, various friends, Bongsu's family, and of course Bongsu herself in our brand new apartment. I also got a call at one point from the guy in New Hampshire who was trying to confirm my employment at the Highlander Inn (where I worked part-time, about ten hours a week, for just over a month right out of college). Apparently they had no record of me there, although I know I received a W-2 from them. I didn't hear back from that investigator again, so I assume he found someone who remembered me and checked off on that part of my background.
With luck, the next post on this page will be the news about the adjudication of my clearance. When both medical and security clearances are complete, the next step is something called a Final Suitability Review, which apparently is usually fairly quick, before being added to the registry.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
My Background: Part 5, Onward!
What happens next? I passed the Foreign Service Officer Test in December of last year, and the Foreign Service Oral Assessment in April with a score of 5.5 out of 7 (the passing mark is 5.25). But I haven't quite gotten my dream job yet.
In order to be hired as a diplomat, you need to be medically cleared for worldwide availability (that is, you must be free of any medical conditions that require access to first-world health care facilities). You also need to obtain Top Secret security clearance from the federal government. Candidates who complete both clearances are then reviewed by a panel of State Department officials for "Final Suitability"; this panel looks at the clearance investigations, resume and any other pertinent information, and has the final say on who is suitable to become a U.S. diplomat.
Once I pass the Final Suitability Review, I will be put on a register of candidates who selected the Political career track (the other tracks are Public Diplomacy, Economic, Consular, and Management).
They recruit FSOs in classes of between 50 and 100 people (around 10-20 from each of the five registers). There are typically four classes in a year. The registers are sorted first by score and then by the date of joining the registry. So I'll be recruited ahead of anyone already on the list with a 5.3 or 5.4, while anyone who reaches the list after me with a higher score than mine would be offered a place before me. If you haven't been recruited after 18 months on the register, or if you turn down two offers, you drop off and have to start all over again.
My plan is to start all over again anyway as soon as I'm eligible (one year after the first FSOT), trying to get a higher score in a different career track (Public Diplomacy). You are allowed to be on two registers at once, which makes it more likely that the recruiters will get down to your name on one of them. I also plan to try to improve my score by passing a foreign-language test, which would bump my current score up to a 5.67, which would be in a pretty good position on the Political list.
So that's how it came to pass that I'm hopeful for a new job, as much as I love where I am now. I'll be sorry to leave ASHA if I get onto the register and receive an offer, but the skills I've learned here in terms of managing bureaucratic processes and working toward a larger goal, not to mention what I've brought with me from my previous career in teaching English, will serve me well in the future, whatever that future may bring.
In order to be hired as a diplomat, you need to be medically cleared for worldwide availability (that is, you must be free of any medical conditions that require access to first-world health care facilities). You also need to obtain Top Secret security clearance from the federal government. Candidates who complete both clearances are then reviewed by a panel of State Department officials for "Final Suitability"; this panel looks at the clearance investigations, resume and any other pertinent information, and has the final say on who is suitable to become a U.S. diplomat.
Once I pass the Final Suitability Review, I will be put on a register of candidates who selected the Political career track (the other tracks are Public Diplomacy, Economic, Consular, and Management).
They recruit FSOs in classes of between 50 and 100 people (around 10-20 from each of the five registers). There are typically four classes in a year. The registers are sorted first by score and then by the date of joining the registry. So I'll be recruited ahead of anyone already on the list with a 5.3 or 5.4, while anyone who reaches the list after me with a higher score than mine would be offered a place before me. If you haven't been recruited after 18 months on the register, or if you turn down two offers, you drop off and have to start all over again.
My plan is to start all over again anyway as soon as I'm eligible (one year after the first FSOT), trying to get a higher score in a different career track (Public Diplomacy). You are allowed to be on two registers at once, which makes it more likely that the recruiters will get down to your name on one of them. I also plan to try to improve my score by passing a foreign-language test, which would bump my current score up to a 5.67, which would be in a pretty good position on the Political list.
So that's how it came to pass that I'm hopeful for a new job, as much as I love where I am now. I'll be sorry to leave ASHA if I get onto the register and receive an offer, but the skills I've learned here in terms of managing bureaucratic processes and working toward a larger goal, not to mention what I've brought with me from my previous career in teaching English, will serve me well in the future, whatever that future may bring.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
My Background: Part 4, Applying for the Foreign Service
I was signed up to take the FSOT in Raleigh on December 6. In the months before the exam, I studied compulsively, reading books and articles on management theory, American history, economics, public relations, current events and geography. At the same time, I did not neglect my job search, the result of which was that my first day at ASHA was scheduled for December 17. As much as I expected to like working there, I was not about to give up on the Foreign Service, so after Bongsu and I found an apartment in Rockville, we drove to Chapel Hill for the exam (I'd chosen the Raleigh location with the idea that there might be regional quotas, and that North Carolina might be less competitive than DC).
So I gave the test my best shot, again not really thinking that I would get to the next step, let alone all the way to a job as a diplomat. Most successful applicants end up having to go through the process multiple times before getting an offer. Right after the exam, I was full of beans - all that nervous tension let out (because even as I expected nothing, I couldn't deny to myself that I knew there was at least a chance, after all...), the memory of several questions that I thought were probably considered "hard" but that I was sure I'd gotten right, the memory of others that I didn't know the difficulty of but did know I had answered with a total shot in the dark, the feeling that I'd nailed the essay section....
As I started getting into the rhythm of being a bureaucrat in a professional association, furnishing our nice new apartment in Rockville, and living a normal life, I again let that enthusiasm fade away. I was still conscious of a slight chance that I'd passed and would be going on to the next step, but I didn't invest much time in thinking or planning for that. The fact is, I've never been happier in my work than I am right now at ASHA. Every day since I started, I have actually wanted to go to the office - the projects I work on keep my interest, and I feel like my work makes a valuable contribution to the association's mission of making effective communication accessible to everyone.
So for three months, I scarcely worried about the State Department until one day in March when, out of the relatively blue, I got a letter saying that I had passed the FSOT and the Qualifications Examination Panel (which reviews your test scores and resume, a step in the process over which the candidate has no control), and that I should now schedule my FS Oral Assessment, a full day of role plays, interviews, writing practice and other activities to gauge the candidates' aptitude for a diplomatic career.
I threw myself into preparation for the assessment, which I signed up for on the second-earliest possible day (Tuesday, April 15) - the less time to wait, the less nervous I would be able to get before I got there. In the intervening month, I read State Department Web sites during down time at work, attended practice sessions with other local candidates, started exercising for 30 minutes every morning to work off some excess adrenaline, read everything I could on various online forums related to the FSOA, attended an information session with a mid-level FSO, and made Bongsu read me more interview questions than she had for all my actual job interviews put together. I took both Monday and Tuesday off work, so I would have a three-day weekend to prepare.
One of the best things about the FSOA is that you learn the results before you leave the assessment center. At the end of the day, I was able to call Bongsu with the wonderful news that I had passed the assessment.
To be concluded!
So I gave the test my best shot, again not really thinking that I would get to the next step, let alone all the way to a job as a diplomat. Most successful applicants end up having to go through the process multiple times before getting an offer. Right after the exam, I was full of beans - all that nervous tension let out (because even as I expected nothing, I couldn't deny to myself that I knew there was at least a chance, after all...), the memory of several questions that I thought were probably considered "hard" but that I was sure I'd gotten right, the memory of others that I didn't know the difficulty of but did know I had answered with a total shot in the dark, the feeling that I'd nailed the essay section....
As I started getting into the rhythm of being a bureaucrat in a professional association, furnishing our nice new apartment in Rockville, and living a normal life, I again let that enthusiasm fade away. I was still conscious of a slight chance that I'd passed and would be going on to the next step, but I didn't invest much time in thinking or planning for that. The fact is, I've never been happier in my work than I am right now at ASHA. Every day since I started, I have actually wanted to go to the office - the projects I work on keep my interest, and I feel like my work makes a valuable contribution to the association's mission of making effective communication accessible to everyone.
So for three months, I scarcely worried about the State Department until one day in March when, out of the relatively blue, I got a letter saying that I had passed the FSOT and the Qualifications Examination Panel (which reviews your test scores and resume, a step in the process over which the candidate has no control), and that I should now schedule my FS Oral Assessment, a full day of role plays, interviews, writing practice and other activities to gauge the candidates' aptitude for a diplomatic career.
I threw myself into preparation for the assessment, which I signed up for on the second-earliest possible day (Tuesday, April 15) - the less time to wait, the less nervous I would be able to get before I got there. In the intervening month, I read State Department Web sites during down time at work, attended practice sessions with other local candidates, started exercising for 30 minutes every morning to work off some excess adrenaline, read everything I could on various online forums related to the FSOA, attended an information session with a mid-level FSO, and made Bongsu read me more interview questions than she had for all my actual job interviews put together. I took both Monday and Tuesday off work, so I would have a three-day weekend to prepare.
One of the best things about the FSOA is that you learn the results before you leave the assessment center. At the end of the day, I was able to call Bongsu with the wonderful news that I had passed the assessment.
To be concluded!
Friday, May 23, 2008
My Background: Part 3, Return to America
Well, almost as soon as I arrived in Japan, everything did change. I met Bongsu at the guest house for foreigners where I stayed while looking for an apartment in Tokyo. We connected by talking about her native Korea, and I quickly decided on a second year in Japan to stay around her. During that second year, we got engaged and decided to come back to America together, where I might find some career prospects that would provide more fulfillment, more long-term prospects and more opportunities for advancement beyond a tiny fixed annual salary increase. That decision was not easy, since it meant she would be leaving the doctoral program in Visual Communication Design that she'd started at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, but we figured we'd give America one chance to prove to us whether she really was the Land of Opportunity.
So began a long six months of staying with my parents again (now in Duck, North Carolina) and looking for any job that had anything to do with teaching, international experience, training programs or the like. A lot of the jobs I applied to were extreme long shots - things I knew I didn't meet the written qualifications for, but that I thought I would be able to do well if they randomly decided to interview me anyway, and that looked like a lot of fun. The other half, on which I spent much more time customizing my resume and polishing the cover letters, I regarded as serious possibilities.
It was during this time, on September 8, 2007, that Bongsu and I were married in Duck.
In trying to see what my connections could do for me, I spoke on the phone with a distant relative whose career as a diplomat has been very successful. That conversation, along with intense discussions with my wife, convinced me that I might have a chance at my dream job after all, and so the longest of the long-shot application was when I submitted the online registration for the Foreign Service Officer Test. At the time, despite Bongsu's overwhelming confidence in me, I didn't really expect anything to come of it; I was actually surprised they even let me register for the written test (considering how my "slacker" phase had affected my college GPA).
When the time came to take that exam, I had just reached the crest of my job-hunting - I'd been to several interviews in the past few weeks, one of which looked like they would be making me an offer soon, and another of which had even already done so. Partly because the salary was better but mostly because I knew I would enjoy working there, I had already accepted that offer, as a Continuing Education Provider Services Manager at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
To be continued!
So began a long six months of staying with my parents again (now in Duck, North Carolina) and looking for any job that had anything to do with teaching, international experience, training programs or the like. A lot of the jobs I applied to were extreme long shots - things I knew I didn't meet the written qualifications for, but that I thought I would be able to do well if they randomly decided to interview me anyway, and that looked like a lot of fun. The other half, on which I spent much more time customizing my resume and polishing the cover letters, I regarded as serious possibilities.
It was during this time, on September 8, 2007, that Bongsu and I were married in Duck.
In trying to see what my connections could do for me, I spoke on the phone with a distant relative whose career as a diplomat has been very successful. That conversation, along with intense discussions with my wife, convinced me that I might have a chance at my dream job after all, and so the longest of the long-shot application was when I submitted the online registration for the Foreign Service Officer Test. At the time, despite Bongsu's overwhelming confidence in me, I didn't really expect anything to come of it; I was actually surprised they even let me register for the written test (considering how my "slacker" phase had affected my college GPA).
When the time came to take that exam, I had just reached the crest of my job-hunting - I'd been to several interviews in the past few weeks, one of which looked like they would be making me an offer soon, and another of which had even already done so. Partly because the salary was better but mostly because I knew I would enjoy working there, I had already accepted that offer, as a Continuing Education Provider Services Manager at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
To be continued!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
My Background: Part 2, Berlitz
During most of the time I was studying as an undergrad, my plan for the next phase of my life was to study as a grad student. It seemed like it would be a smooth transition with a lot of continuity. When it got closer, however, I started feeling like I should be doing something more active, working to make a contribution to society. Plus, none of my top choices among graduate programs accepted me. Without any special connections or qualifications that I thought would lead me to cool jobs, I considered various ideas, and ended up living temporarily with my parents (then headquartered in New Hampshire) and focusing on looking for a job in Boston, where I had some good friends and which I regarded as a great town. I was mostly looking at jobs in journalism (even after earlier doubts about being able to find a career there) and at customer-service positions.
Since my father was also looking for a new job at that time, he happened to be looking at a position at the Princeton, NJ corporate headquarters of the Berlitz language schools, and he noticed a posting for overseas English teachers. That sounded fun and adventurous to him, so he shared it with me, and I also thought it looked adventurous and fun, plus it was easy to make a connection to my International Studies major, so I applied. For some reason the particular Web site he'd found only mentioned jobs in Korea, so I only thought of applying there; as I would later tell my students, I knew that I didn't know much about Korea and that I would be interested in learning more, and I also knew I liked Korean food, so there was enough attraction there that I didn't even think of researching teaching possibilities in other countries.
I got the job, and although the visa process took a lot longer than I expected, eventually arrived there and had a fantastic and highly educational year in Seoul with frequent travel to various other parts of Korea. By my third month there, I had decided a few things: that I enjoyed teaching English, that I was good at it, that I loved not only seeing a new part of the world but living there and getting to know it well, and that I could envision myself combining these things by hopping from one country to another and working at Berlitz in each one. That world-wide aspect of the Foreign Service dream career seemed to be within reach as reality, so the thought of actually becoming a diplomat was pushed to the farthest corner in the back in my mind. By my sixth month in Seoul, I had decided that my next country would be Japan, and I had applied for and gotten a job in Tokyo (although I would later find out that I didn't have a specific position, just a general kind of job offer) and started Japanese lessons (alongside my continuing Korean lessons - there was a great employee discount).
When my stopover in the U.S. grew from the two months I'd planned to four months because of that tenuous nature of my employment in Tokyo, I decided to fill the time by making myself even more marketable in my chosen field by copleting a one-month intensive TESOL certification course. Even though I already had my next job, I was looking ahead to the future - I wanted to make sure I'd find a place easily in my third country of choice, and my fourth, and so on, perhaps eventually getting enough experience to come back to the States permanently and work at Berlitz headquarters developing textbooks or something. I was completely satisfied with what looked like the rest of my life would be, and it would have taken something pretty big to change that plan.
To be continued!
Since my father was also looking for a new job at that time, he happened to be looking at a position at the Princeton, NJ corporate headquarters of the Berlitz language schools, and he noticed a posting for overseas English teachers. That sounded fun and adventurous to him, so he shared it with me, and I also thought it looked adventurous and fun, plus it was easy to make a connection to my International Studies major, so I applied. For some reason the particular Web site he'd found only mentioned jobs in Korea, so I only thought of applying there; as I would later tell my students, I knew that I didn't know much about Korea and that I would be interested in learning more, and I also knew I liked Korean food, so there was enough attraction there that I didn't even think of researching teaching possibilities in other countries.
I got the job, and although the visa process took a lot longer than I expected, eventually arrived there and had a fantastic and highly educational year in Seoul with frequent travel to various other parts of Korea. By my third month there, I had decided a few things: that I enjoyed teaching English, that I was good at it, that I loved not only seeing a new part of the world but living there and getting to know it well, and that I could envision myself combining these things by hopping from one country to another and working at Berlitz in each one. That world-wide aspect of the Foreign Service dream career seemed to be within reach as reality, so the thought of actually becoming a diplomat was pushed to the farthest corner in the back in my mind. By my sixth month in Seoul, I had decided that my next country would be Japan, and I had applied for and gotten a job in Tokyo (although I would later find out that I didn't have a specific position, just a general kind of job offer) and started Japanese lessons (alongside my continuing Korean lessons - there was a great employee discount).
When my stopover in the U.S. grew from the two months I'd planned to four months because of that tenuous nature of my employment in Tokyo, I decided to fill the time by making myself even more marketable in my chosen field by copleting a one-month intensive TESOL certification course. Even though I already had my next job, I was looking ahead to the future - I wanted to make sure I'd find a place easily in my third country of choice, and my fourth, and so on, perhaps eventually getting enough experience to come back to the States permanently and work at Berlitz headquarters developing textbooks or something. I was completely satisfied with what looked like the rest of my life would be, and it would have taken something pretty big to change that plan.
To be continued!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
My Background: Part 1, University
Although I love my job, I am currently in the process of trying to become something else. How did I get to this point in my life?
When I started college at UNC, I still had no idea what I wanted to do in life. Freshman year I chose my classes by picking whatever looked interesting, and figured I would have time later to settle on a major, let alone a career path. I had enjoyed working on my high school newspaper and was enjoying the DTH, but although I considered it, journalism was not high on my list of potential career interests, as I tended to view it as an extremely tough environment in which to succeed.
In taking whatever classes seemed interesting at the time, I ended up with a lot of great courses in the Philosophy department, so I did identify that fairly early on as a major I'd likely be able to earn without much trouble. I never wanted to go to law school, though, so I wasn't sure what I'd do with a philosophy degree. My parents strongly encouraged me, if that was the case, to double major. The summer after my freshman year, a study-abroad opportunity in Vienna pointed me on the path to that second major by giving me nine hours toward an International Studies major - I would only need four more classes to complete it, and there was even a good chance that I'd be able to get one or two courses to count towards both majors.
During those two months studying abroad, I became hugely interested in the study of intergovernmental organizations and multilateral diplomacy. In my "slacker" period as a junior and senior in college, I guess I kind of let go of that passion, although I remained interested in the subject and even continued taking fascinating courses on related topics ("European Democracies", "Language and Nationalism") - but I was not focusing on creating a viable career path in that field, and instead kind of going with the flow rather than trying to steer my destiny at all, thinking I might happily end up in academia - going to grad school in philosophy, becoming a professor, that kind of thing. Inertia was definitely a factor.
I had indeed identified the Foreign Service early on as a dream career, but the main reason I did not particularly work toward making it my career was precisely that: it seemed such an amazing thing that I knew there was no way I would ever be qualified, let alone get a position. It looked like it was just out of reach; I wasn't about to break my heart by trying to become an FSO any more than I would by setting myself the goal of becoming editor-in-chief of the New York Times, for example.
If I had known more about the process at the time, it might have seemed viable, but I somehow had the idea that those jobs were so far above the range of ordinary mortals that I didn't bother to research it. That is one of my reasons for starting this Web site: in the hopes that someone else will read about me going through that process, and learn that it is possible after all - and more than that, a valuable experience in itself, regardless of whether it ends up becoming a career.
To be continued!
When I started college at UNC, I still had no idea what I wanted to do in life. Freshman year I chose my classes by picking whatever looked interesting, and figured I would have time later to settle on a major, let alone a career path. I had enjoyed working on my high school newspaper and was enjoying the DTH, but although I considered it, journalism was not high on my list of potential career interests, as I tended to view it as an extremely tough environment in which to succeed.
In taking whatever classes seemed interesting at the time, I ended up with a lot of great courses in the Philosophy department, so I did identify that fairly early on as a major I'd likely be able to earn without much trouble. I never wanted to go to law school, though, so I wasn't sure what I'd do with a philosophy degree. My parents strongly encouraged me, if that was the case, to double major. The summer after my freshman year, a study-abroad opportunity in Vienna pointed me on the path to that second major by giving me nine hours toward an International Studies major - I would only need four more classes to complete it, and there was even a good chance that I'd be able to get one or two courses to count towards both majors.
During those two months studying abroad, I became hugely interested in the study of intergovernmental organizations and multilateral diplomacy. In my "slacker" period as a junior and senior in college, I guess I kind of let go of that passion, although I remained interested in the subject and even continued taking fascinating courses on related topics ("European Democracies", "Language and Nationalism") - but I was not focusing on creating a viable career path in that field, and instead kind of going with the flow rather than trying to steer my destiny at all, thinking I might happily end up in academia - going to grad school in philosophy, becoming a professor, that kind of thing. Inertia was definitely a factor.
I had indeed identified the Foreign Service early on as a dream career, but the main reason I did not particularly work toward making it my career was precisely that: it seemed such an amazing thing that I knew there was no way I would ever be qualified, let alone get a position. It looked like it was just out of reach; I wasn't about to break my heart by trying to become an FSO any more than I would by setting myself the goal of becoming editor-in-chief of the New York Times, for example.
If I had known more about the process at the time, it might have seemed viable, but I somehow had the idea that those jobs were so far above the range of ordinary mortals that I didn't bother to research it. That is one of my reasons for starting this Web site: in the hopes that someone else will read about me going through that process, and learn that it is possible after all - and more than that, a valuable experience in itself, regardless of whether it ends up becoming a career.
To be continued!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Foreign Service Oral Assessment
Today was the big day for me! I took the metro into the District and tried hard to put my best foot forward.
The first part of the FSOA was a group role-playing exercise, in which the object was not to "win" the discussion but to show good teamwork and help to achieve consensus. I was inspired in that part and confident that I had aced it. Much of the credit for my performance here goes to a local group of candidates from an online forum who met several times to practice the Group Exercise and to critique one another's responses.
Next was the written exercise, which I'd only practiced once, and had done a good job on - in twice the allotted time. In the real one, I managed to finish (just! there were literally three seconds between my last keystroke and the ending buzzer), but I was pretty sure it could have been a lot better - one of the key traits you're supposed to show in that section is mathematical/analytical ability, and I had spent so much time on the interpersonal aspects of the question that I just kind of shoved that bit into a single sentence.
Finally there was a standard interview-type section; I tried to put the other two parts behind me and come into that fresh, but I really had no idea how I'd done. I always enjoy talking about myself, but I'm not good at judging how well I manage to present my qualifications in doing so.
So at the end I had no idea what kind of score I might have gotten. Fortunately, you get your results the day of the FSOA. There was a lot of waiting (which would have been hideous, had not the other candidates been talking and joking to hide the fact that they were just as tense as I was) while other people got called out one by one, and then finally the assessors identified the remaining five candidates as those who had passed. To my amazement, I was one of them! They should have taken pictures of our faces at that moment. From that point, I started allowing myself to think of this as an actual real possibility.
After being congratulated on passing, we submitted a form SF-86 which we had previously completed online. This document compiles the huge amount of background information needed in the investigation to grant Top Secret security clearance. We were also given a lot of instructions on the next steps, including the security and medical clearances that we'll need to get. Finally, after being fingerprinted, I was released. Before getting on the Metro to come home, I made an important phone call to Bongsu.
Overall, I thought the day was a lot of fun. The other candidates were an amazing group of people, and there were opportunities during the day to talk to some of them about their experiences in the Peace Corps, journalism, the military, academia, and the private sector. The best part, of course, was the end.
The first part of the FSOA was a group role-playing exercise, in which the object was not to "win" the discussion but to show good teamwork and help to achieve consensus. I was inspired in that part and confident that I had aced it. Much of the credit for my performance here goes to a local group of candidates from an online forum who met several times to practice the Group Exercise and to critique one another's responses.
Next was the written exercise, which I'd only practiced once, and had done a good job on - in twice the allotted time. In the real one, I managed to finish (just! there were literally three seconds between my last keystroke and the ending buzzer), but I was pretty sure it could have been a lot better - one of the key traits you're supposed to show in that section is mathematical/analytical ability, and I had spent so much time on the interpersonal aspects of the question that I just kind of shoved that bit into a single sentence.
Finally there was a standard interview-type section; I tried to put the other two parts behind me and come into that fresh, but I really had no idea how I'd done. I always enjoy talking about myself, but I'm not good at judging how well I manage to present my qualifications in doing so.
So at the end I had no idea what kind of score I might have gotten. Fortunately, you get your results the day of the FSOA. There was a lot of waiting (which would have been hideous, had not the other candidates been talking and joking to hide the fact that they were just as tense as I was) while other people got called out one by one, and then finally the assessors identified the remaining five candidates as those who had passed. To my amazement, I was one of them! They should have taken pictures of our faces at that moment. From that point, I started allowing myself to think of this as an actual real possibility.
After being congratulated on passing, we submitted a form SF-86 which we had previously completed online. This document compiles the huge amount of background information needed in the investigation to grant Top Secret security clearance. We were also given a lot of instructions on the next steps, including the security and medical clearances that we'll need to get. Finally, after being fingerprinted, I was released. Before getting on the Metro to come home, I made an important phone call to Bongsu.
Overall, I thought the day was a lot of fun. The other candidates were an amazing group of people, and there were opportunities during the day to talk to some of them about their experiences in the Peace Corps, journalism, the military, academia, and the private sector. The best part, of course, was the end.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Foreign Service Officer Test
Yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama gave a speech in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. He said, among other things, that:
"... loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July; loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it. And if you do stand up, I promise you that your life will be richer, and our country will be stronger. We need your service, right now, in this moment - our moment - in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history's course. And if I have the fortune to be your President, decades from now - when the memory of this or that policy has faded, and when the words that we will speak in the next few years are long forgotten - I hope you remember this as a moment when your own story and the American story came together."
Today, I took the written exam to join the Foreign Service. I'll use this space to let you know how I did. I fervently hope that this will indeed be a moment when my own story and the American story come together.
"... loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July; loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it. And if you do stand up, I promise you that your life will be richer, and our country will be stronger. We need your service, right now, in this moment - our moment - in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history's course. And if I have the fortune to be your President, decades from now - when the memory of this or that policy has faded, and when the words that we will speak in the next few years are long forgotten - I hope you remember this as a moment when your own story and the American story came together."
Today, I took the written exam to join the Foreign Service. I'll use this space to let you know how I did. I fervently hope that this will indeed be a moment when my own story and the American story come together.
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