Robert Dry's been a U.S. diplomat for nearly 35 years, but he's never seen an opportunity like the present.
"Now is the best time to consider a career in the
," Dry told a packed hall during the March 3 "International Careers with the US Government" event organized by New York University's Center for Global Affairs.
"There's a 40 percent increase in State Department funding in Obama's budget as he wants to re-address the issue of hard and soft power," explained Dry, who currently serves as diplomat-in-residence at City College of New York after postings in Paris, Oman, Riyadh, Jakarta and other hotspots. "Further, plans are afoot to significantly increase the number of positions at the foreign service and USAID."
Moderator Judith Siegel, a public diplomat at the State Department for 25 years, is now teaching a course on the subject at CGA.
"There are jobs in this administration right now – I know that for a fact," she said, pointing to state.gov for
and
for civil and management positions.
Meghan Aabo worked on health care promotion for two years in north Peru as a
before shifting to Lima for a third year of service. In the regional Peace Corps office, she saw the connection to the organization's mission, and to the work of USAID. Some of her colleagues went into foreign service, but she's aiming towards developing world work as a doctor.
"The
opened my eyes to what field work looks like," said Aabo, noting an increase in Peace Corps volunteers of late. "And it's very valuable on a resume."
Shane Christensen described the five cones, or career tracks, within U.S. foreign service: political, economic, public diplomacy, consular and management. He went with economics, but "you shouldn't take the cones as rigid," said the nine-year diplomat, who now handles the democracy and human rights portfolio for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
"My experience in economic work has been fairly slim," Christensen said. He advised applicants to pick the consular or management track, as those that tend to have fewer candidates applying.
Doug Johnson, a former
analyst on southern Africa now working with Ferrari Consultancy in New York, got an early start in his government career.
"I applied to the CIA during my freshman year of college," he said to titters from the audience. "They called at the end of that school year and asked me if I wanted to begin the process of becoming an analyst. I must have randomly fit some profile and some machine hit on a keyword in my resume or something."
After a nearly 18-month application and training process – involving a detailed application, polygraph, interviewing of friends and family, and 4-5 months instruction on thinking and writing like an analyst – he began work on the Africa portfolio at 21 years old, just days after Laurent Kabila overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko in the Congo in 1997.
"I was thrilled," said Johnson, urging people to take a look at the detailed job offerings at
. "For me the agency was basically a well-paying think tank, and it was great to be part of the policy-advising process."
Still, he left in 2005 because he was "excited about the possibilities of the private sector in Africa, and all the good work going on there."
The senior diplomat capped the evening nicely.
"The key to foreign service and State Department work is motivation," said Dry, who studied chemical engineering for his undergraduate degree. "You gotta push on all kinds of doors. If you don't pass the FS exam this year, take it again next year, or go for the Peace Corps or USAID. You have to want to make a difference."
