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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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. [/quote]

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. [/quote]

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