How and Why the FS?

I'll admit, I haven't always known about the Foreign Service. I mean, I knew what a diplomat was--I've lived overseas, and I knew about embassies and all that jazz. However, I didn't know about the Foreign Service as an institution.

My academic background is solidly within the humanities, and my career field has little to do with travel and government shenanigans. I guess you could say that aside from my overseas experience and what I've seen in the news, it simply hasn't come up. The one thing I've always maintained in life is that I'd like to do something meaningful and useful, and I'd like to travel.

And so. I finished my MA in May, and I was without employment. But one day, while I was loafing on the couch (I won't pretend I was more active than that at that particular moment), my phone rang. It was my Dad, and he was calling me in the middle of his workday. He was excited. Very excited. He'd seen something in the newspaper, and it just couldn't wait.

"There's an ad in the paper! They're having some kind of informational session up at the UW about the Foreign Service. The blurb says they're recruiting."

My reaction was... well, not one of total excitement. I was interested, but I didn't even know what the Foreign Service was, and based on my education, I wasn't convinced I was eligible for government work. I told Dad that it seemed great, but that I was probably unqualified.

My Dad, ever the optimist, always my biggest fan: "You're qualified for everything you want to do. You should look this up. There's a website--go to it. Besides, the ad says they're having a hiring surge. This could be your shot."

If Dad had had his way that day, I would have registered right then for the June FSOT. But fortunately, I humored him, and I went to the State Department website like a dutiful daughter. I read the job description. More significantly, I read the requirements. US Citizen--check. At least 20 years of age--check. And, that was pretty much it. I was astonished. I had not thought a girl with an English degree could have job like that.

But apparently, I could. I read the State Department website backward and forward. I read about all the FS jobs. I read about all of the Cones (career tracks) in the FS. I took the quiz to see where I matched up. Consular. A clear choice for me. I started reading FS blogs and Googling and Googling everything I could. I bought the official test book.

Unfortunately, I couldn't register for the test right away. I was in transition, and I wasn't sure where I'd be living by the end of the summer--or by the end of the month. So I just kept reading the materials. I bought some books to review for the FSOT, and I pondered this potential path.

A long path. A rigorous one. The odds weren't good. But. As my Dad would say, there's no way to get what I want in life if I never try.

I guess the question remains: Why? Why was I so thunderstruck?

Sure, the travel is always a factor. I'm a rebel, and living in Bishkek sounds pretty sweet to me. It's really much more than that, however. The FS would allow me to do something meaningful with my life. If I were in Consular services, I'd adjudicate visas--people would either be happy or upset by my decisions. The right people would enter our country, and hopefully, the wrong people would be kept out. Critical! If I worked with AmCits, I'd help people who got in over their heads while overseas.

In fact, it was in reading the Consular Cone stuff on the State Department website that I realized AmCit services played a critical role in my life at one point. When I was a little girl, my mother and I were evacuated from Riyadh (twice) during the Persian Gulf War. It became clear that it would have been the US Embassy that made this happen. It was kind of a DUH moment for me, but it also made me feel like I could do something to reciprocate this. I had been helped--why not help others? Hell, based on was the website said, I was qualified anyway.

So you see, it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. I thought about it. Between the time I was informed of the FS' existence by my Dad and when I finally registered for the exam, it had been a few months. It never left my mind. It was simply one of those moments where I thought: "This is what I want."

I hope it happens. I'm trying!

Let me tell you, it felt damn good to pass the FSOT. I know it's the lowest of the hurdles, and that I could be shot down like a SCUD missile by the QEP, but at least I know I can make it this far. I just keep thinking to myself: I can do this. I am qualified.

And my Dad and my Mom are rooting for me. Good enough.