If getting into the State Department is hard and a bad idea these days, what are good alternatives?

[Anonymous]

It just sucks that these days, you are seen as a leech if you work for the government. What alternatives exist if you want to work in national security or defense?

[Anonymous]

There are more obvious choices for security/defense besides State, and nobody sensible thinks government workers are leeches. What is your actual question?

[Anonymous]

State is a no-go and will be on repair mode for at least nine years after Trump leaves office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It just sucks that these days, you are seen as a leech if you work for the government. What alternatives exist if you want to work in national security or defense?

Careers are long. Don’t plan your life around right now.

[Anonymous]

"seen as a leech" is your concern, not the current policies and decimation by DOGE?

[Anonymous]

I remember when I joined the workforce in 2004 as a government contractor talking to people about the lazy federal worker stereotype. This is not a new thing, certainly not a trump era thing.

Also we have a $39 tril problem and how taxpayer money is spent should be scrutinized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when I joined the workforce in 2004 as a government contractor talking to people about the lazy federal worker stereotype. This is not a new thing, certainly not a trump era thing.

Also we have a $39 tril problem and how taxpayer money is spent should be scrutinized.

Tell me you haven't looked at the federal budget without telling me you haven't looked at the federal budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What alternatives exist if you want to work in national security or defense?

Answering the second part of your query: there's the Department of Defense (War), of course. Treasury does some amazing things with their Terrorism & Financial Intelligence undersecretariat (money laundering, economic sanctions ...). Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security prevents the export of sensitive intelligence (though I've heard from some that it's not in great shape right now). And there's the intel community.

You might consider joining the National Guard--military experience can be very useful in breaking into the intel world.