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[quote=Anonymous]OP, there are probably thousands of people in your shoes. Many, if not most, people who study IR want to move into the public sector at some point. But the process of becoming a federal employee can be all but impossible if you aren't a veteran or didn't do an internship or the PMF program.

I was in your shoes several years ago and did become a fed, but it was a slow (i.e. 2+ years) process that involved major financial sacrifice. I was at a dead-end job in the private sector that I hated, but I was fluent in a critical language and had a master's degree from a top school in the area. After many fruitless job searches, I applied for and was accepted to participate in a fellowship program at the State Department--the catch was that the program was unpaid and wanted a year-long commitment! However, my very gracious husband agreed to be the sole breadwinner for the year, without which I never could have done this. Because of my language ability, education, and professional experience, I was assigned to a major country desk and basically did the same work as a desk officer, even though for all intents and purposes I was a glorified intern.

Through that job, I got a top secret security clearance. When it became clear that I wasn't going to be hired permanently at State (my boss tried hard but no luck there), I put my resume up on ClearanceJobs.com. Within a few days I had an offer to interview for a contracting position working for another federal agency (not State or DOD). I got the job, became a federal contractor, then eventually was able to apply for the federal job that I'd been doing as a contractor. I had to take a major pay cut to become a fed, but it was worth it, as the contracting world isn't too stable these days. For me, this all worked out really well in the end, but I recognize that I was extremely lucky to have a spouse that earned enough to support us and to get a good placement in the fellowship program (not everyone did).

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