The Foreign Service: Choosing the Right Cone
Did I mention that when I signed up this time, it was for the consular cone? The last time (first time) I registered, it was for public diplomacy. (Hence, all the PD links at the top of this blog.)
Why the change?
Well, the thing is, I didn't sign up for PD because it was my one-and-only. Oh, I really wanted to work with cultural and educational exchanges -- and still do -- but I was torn because I was already burned out with the journalism part. Confronted with the requirement to choose something, I chose PD simply because it was familiar ... and I thought it made the most sense considering my professional training and background.
In other words, I chose it because of my past.
Months later, as I traveled further and further along the path to actually becoming an FSO -- and a public diplomacy officer -- I became aware of a heaviness of heart, even a sadness. Finally, I admitted to myself that I had made my choice based on calculation, not on intuition -- most importantly, not on what I wanted, or feel called, to do.
While sitting in one of my study groups last summer, listening to people talk about their chosen cone and their life experiences, I realized that I wasn't being true to myself. What I wanted, what I had wanted all along, was to do consular work -- to help American families living overseas.
Now, by this time, I was well aware of a, shall we say, attitude among some, who look down on consular work. The real foreign policy work, some feel, is done by managers, economics officers, and public diplomacy officers. Who would want a career stamping passports, listening to sob stories, getting Americans out of trouble that they "no business getting themselves into?"
I would.
Why? It seemed like one of the most grinding, thankless jobs a person could ask for. But there it was: my dream job.
Again, why?
Well, the 15 years I spent overseas certainly had a lot to do with it.
I know what it's like to try to find doctors and lawyers, dentists and pediatricians overseas. I know what it's like to go to a U.S. Consulate and need help. I know the relief of being welcomed by someone who is knowledgeable and helpful and patient and kind -- and the frustration of being confronted by the opposite.
And I know I can be effective in the job.
At my last OA, when the gentleman first told me that I hadn't received the needed score for my candidacy to continue, I actually felt a sense of relief. It was faint, but it was there. I had felt uneasy about my application to be a public diplomacy officer. Oh, I'm sure I'd do an excellent job of it -- (indeed, I have a history of excelling at jobs I'm uneasy with, a point of determination, I suppose) -- but it wasn't where my heart was. So while I was disappointed, I wasn't heartbroken. I had to wonder whether my reluctance vis-a-vis PD work had affected my performance that day.
Everything's different now. I want to do consular work. One of my favorite blogs is Muttering Behind the Hard Line. It's honest and refreshing and it's by someone who actually loves this most trying job. Unfortunately, the author writes that he's signing off, hopefully not forever, as he moves on to other enterprises. In the meantime, he leaves behind a marvelous blog, one that's funny, informative and touching.
This time, when I go to DC for the Oral Assessment, it will be with a whole heart. Of all the things I would hope to do differently, the greatest change has already occurred. I'm very happy with my chosen cone.
(Reviewing this entry, it occurs to me that maybe I should back up and explain what I'm referring to by cones. "Cones" is just another word for career track in the Foreign Service. There are five: management, economic, political, public diplomacy and consular.* Each has very specific duties, and every applicant to the Foreign Service must choose a track when first registering for the FSOT. The Foreign Service helps you with this choice by providing an online personality exam. Based upon your answers to questions about your preferences, the website will produce a tailored chart, showing which track you might find most enjoyable and/or appropriate. That being said, last time I checked, there was also guidance about the competitiveness of each given track. For more information, check the Foreign Service website. You can also find a great informal guide at the Hegemonist.)
*Corrected as per Ado's kind remember.
Why the change?
Well, the thing is, I didn't sign up for PD because it was my one-and-only. Oh, I really wanted to work with cultural and educational exchanges -- and still do -- but I was torn because I was already burned out with the journalism part. Confronted with the requirement to choose something, I chose PD simply because it was familiar ... and I thought it made the most sense considering my professional training and background.
In other words, I chose it because of my past.
Months later, as I traveled further and further along the path to actually becoming an FSO -- and a public diplomacy officer -- I became aware of a heaviness of heart, even a sadness. Finally, I admitted to myself that I had made my choice based on calculation, not on intuition -- most importantly, not on what I wanted, or feel called, to do.
While sitting in one of my study groups last summer, listening to people talk about their chosen cone and their life experiences, I realized that I wasn't being true to myself. What I wanted, what I had wanted all along, was to do consular work -- to help American families living overseas.
Now, by this time, I was well aware of a, shall we say, attitude among some, who look down on consular work. The real foreign policy work, some feel, is done by managers, economics officers, and public diplomacy officers. Who would want a career stamping passports, listening to sob stories, getting Americans out of trouble that they "no business getting themselves into?"
I would.
Why? It seemed like one of the most grinding, thankless jobs a person could ask for. But there it was: my dream job.
Again, why?
Well, the 15 years I spent overseas certainly had a lot to do with it.
I know what it's like to try to find doctors and lawyers, dentists and pediatricians overseas. I know what it's like to go to a U.S. Consulate and need help. I know the relief of being welcomed by someone who is knowledgeable and helpful and patient and kind -- and the frustration of being confronted by the opposite.
And I know I can be effective in the job.
At my last OA, when the gentleman first told me that I hadn't received the needed score for my candidacy to continue, I actually felt a sense of relief. It was faint, but it was there. I had felt uneasy about my application to be a public diplomacy officer. Oh, I'm sure I'd do an excellent job of it -- (indeed, I have a history of excelling at jobs I'm uneasy with, a point of determination, I suppose) -- but it wasn't where my heart was. So while I was disappointed, I wasn't heartbroken. I had to wonder whether my reluctance vis-a-vis PD work had affected my performance that day.
Everything's different now. I want to do consular work. One of my favorite blogs is Muttering Behind the Hard Line. It's honest and refreshing and it's by someone who actually loves this most trying job. Unfortunately, the author writes that he's signing off, hopefully not forever, as he moves on to other enterprises. In the meantime, he leaves behind a marvelous blog, one that's funny, informative and touching.
This time, when I go to DC for the Oral Assessment, it will be with a whole heart. Of all the things I would hope to do differently, the greatest change has already occurred. I'm very happy with my chosen cone.
(Reviewing this entry, it occurs to me that maybe I should back up and explain what I'm referring to by cones. "Cones" is just another word for career track in the Foreign Service. There are five: management, economic, political, public diplomacy and consular.* Each has very specific duties, and every applicant to the Foreign Service must choose a track when first registering for the FSOT. The Foreign Service helps you with this choice by providing an online personality exam. Based upon your answers to questions about your preferences, the website will produce a tailored chart, showing which track you might find most enjoyable and/or appropriate. That being said, last time I checked, there was also guidance about the competitiveness of each given track. For more information, check the Foreign Service website. You can also find a great informal guide at the Hegemonist.)
*Corrected as per Ado's kind remember.
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2 comments:
Don't forget the political cone!
Best of luck your next time around at the OA!
Good grief, you're right! How could I have forgotten that, Ando? Amending the entry ASAP.
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