Foreign Service job, best college major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prepare to send a lot of cables.

Yeah, looks like that's all they do, sending cables

[Anonymous]

With advances in communication technology there is no need for foreign service or state department

[Anonymous]

We happen to have a number of friends who are senior FSOs, including some who are/have been ambassadors. I have no idea what their college majors were, but I'm always impressed by how well they know history, both US and global. They also tend to be very good at reading people -- so studying psychology might be helpful. Interestingly, foreign language ability seems to vary considerably. Some of the FSOs we know grew up in bilingual or trilingual families, some speak languages for which there is more demand than supply, and at least one is known for being a game, but not terribly adept, speaker of more common Romance languages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With advances in communication technology there is no need for foreign service or state department

No. There's always going to be a need for in-person intelligence gathering, and foreign service is a perfect cover. And you're free to continue with your computer science major which is a dime a dozen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Does she have results proving competency in the two languages (e.g. OPI, WPI or national exam)?
2. Did she take the World Languages for credit exam (appears on transcript) in high school? FCPS, MCPS and other districts administer these tests.
3. Has she taken summer immersion (e.g. Midd, Columbia, Indiana) during high school for college credit?
4. Has she done a selective program abroad (NSLI-Y, Bundestag etc.) now that things will be gradually reopening?

Forgive my skepticism, but many parents insist that their children are fluent in a this-or-that language when they really aren't.

Many students from many different schools take the FSOT. George Mason to Georgetown to Pomona to Harvard. Far fewer actually pass. It's a long process but you can read more about how it all works online in subreddits.

AP as a soph. Scored a 5
Full immersion in parents’ native country for 6 summers. Confident re this part. Looking at NSLI-Y. Thanks for the tip

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We happen to have a number of friends who are senior FSOs, including some who are/have been ambassadors. I have no idea what their college majors were, but I'm always impressed by how well they know history, both US and global. They also tend to be very good at reading people -- so studying psychology might be helpful. Interestingly, foreign language ability seems to vary considerably. Some of the FSOs we know grew up in bilingual or trilingual families, some speak languages for which there is more demand than supply, and at least one is known for being a game, but not terribly adept, speaker of more common Romance languages.

Excellent points. DC loves history and is strong writer with a passion for analyzing and digging into facts. Appreciate your input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure your kid has the aptitude for languages. S/he could be assigned to cushy assignments in the U.K. or other desirable parts. If s/he doesn’t play politics right, s/he can be assigned to Congo. It’s her job to pick up a new language in a hurry.

Awesome. DC took an interest in Arabic. Found it fascinating and will probably study it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With advances in communication technology there is no need for foreign service or state department

Evidence that you don’t have the slightest clue what FSOs actually do.

[Anonymous]

Are we having the debate about how necessary diplomacy is going forward? I would say that some of the core functions should certainly change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College and major literally do not matter. Demonstrated fluency in a language comes into play only after you're on the register (i.e. after passing the written exam, resume review, and oral exam) and are angling to move up a few spots to receive an employment offer. If you want to skip the legions of clones who think their political science degrees, Economist subscription, and ability to order tacos in Spanish mean anything -- go into IT and become an FS specialist.

This. The way into this job is to pass the foreign service exam and pass the interview/in person portion. Doesn’t matter what is on your resume. Majority study foreign relations, area studies, languages. It will be helpful to have language competency to demonstrate that you have an aptitude with languages as you will expected to learn new ones. The key is passing the exam - definitely read the newspaper daily, Economist is fine in addition to papers, other magazines, read a variety of viewpoints and make sure you know your American history and how government function. Lots of good FSOT prep material out there but it’s not exactly an exam to cram for. You acquire the knowledge by reading regularly and being curious.

We know FSOs who studied languages, foreign affairs, political science, history, law, engineering, etc. Diplomacy inherently involves working with other people so I agree psychology or social sciences can also be useful. Journalism, English, rhetoric, or any communications are also good foundations. And do not discount going the Foreign Service Specialist route for those interested in IT. We know several officers who do this as well.

Also remember certain cones are more competitive than others, and some will offer additional opportunities. A lot of people look down at Consular but many people find the consular issues very complex and rewarding, and there are more consulates than embassies.

[Anonymous]

Make sure there are other career options with the major in case they change their mind or decide all that moving around is not for them.

[Anonymous]

I am currently overseas and know a lot of the people in the Embassy. Most of them majored in either international relations, international development or political science. However, there are many others that went into the field as a second career and just brought their expertise to the foreign service whether it was communications, technology, customer service or something else. There are so many jobs for many specialities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC is interested in a career w the State Dept in the foreign service. Speaks two languages and wants to add a 3rd -as a minor. Unsure if a major in int affairs or poli sci would be best match. Looking for advice from people who have this type of work experience. Would you mind sharing your school, too? Thanks in advance!

The difference between international affairs and political science isn’t going to be a big deal. Which language she takes will, though. What are they? They should be strategically important. Also, where is she at school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spooks get most of the jobs. The traditional way in is barely a career option available to others

Not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spooks get most of the jobs. The traditional way in is barely a career option available to others

This reminds me of a friend who could not pass the interview portion of the exam back in the early 90’s. He was born and raised in France to American parents who were working overseas as scientists. Graduated from 2 Ivy League schools for undergrad and grad schools. Served in the Peace Corps. Totally bilingual in English abs French. Quite fluent in Russian and Turkish. He couldn’t pass the interview portion of the test even though he aced the written/ general knowledge part. He was finally told that he would not be a good candidate because there was a non- American look and attitude about him.