Obviously I haven't been great about keeping up the blog, but I promise it will get better!
Over the past couple of years, we have been living in Boulder, CO. Adam was working on his MS in Telecommunications while I was working as an academic advisor for first year and open option (undeclared) students at CU Boulder.
Adam started exploring job options last year (doing a few internships with Boeing and Power Engineers, as well as working on campus). He decided to apply for an Information Management Specialist position with the Department of State last Fall and made it through the oral assessment, and security & medical clearance process. Not too long after he graduated, he received his invitation to attend the 130th Specialist Class Training in Washington DC starting July 15th, and he accepted! I thought I'd answer a few questions that we've been getting about what is coming up next for us now that Adam is officially in DC!!
What is the Department of State?
The Department of State is the US government's foreign affairs agency- it maintains diplomatic relations, oversees the US embassies & consulates in over 256 locations, and is led by the Secretary of State.
What is a Foreign Service Specialist, and what will Adam's job be?
There are a couple paths for those wanting to work in the Foreign Service. One is as a Foreign Service Officer (career tracks within that are working as Consular Officers, Economic Officers, Management Officers, Political Officers, and Public Diplomacy). The other is as a Foreign Service Specialist. Specialists work in functional areas to support the needs of the Foreign Service. These include facilities specialists, medical specialists, and in Adam's case, in information technology.
Adam will be training as an Information Management Specialist- his role will be to manage and operate the IT infrastructure- this includes computer networks, the telecommunications network, and radio, telephone and mail communication.
How long is Adam's training, and what will Emily be doing throughout this time?
Adam's training is several months, starting July 15th. I'm staying in Boulder until early September for work, but then I'll be joining Adam in Washington DC. I might try and find some volunteer opportunities in DC (NASPA and several other higher education organizations/associations are out there- maybe they'll let me hang around for a few months!), but I probably won't be looking to work since we are there for such a short time. We expect we'll be there until January or February 2014.
What happens after training? When do you find out where you go?
After Adam's training, we will be heading to a post overseas. This upcoming week, Adam will be receiving a list of options for potential locations. He will be working with a Career Development Officer to share preferences but at this point, we have no idea where we'll go! On July 30th, there will be a Flag Day Ceremony in which everyone finds out their site placement. I heard that family and friends are allowed to attend, but alas I'll be at work! However, as soon as we hear any news, we'll update you all here!! I don't know the exact selection process- Adam will find out more details over the next few weeks.
How often do you move?
Essentially, employees of the Foreign Service move approximately every 2-4 years. Where we go depends on the needs of the Foreign Service, and while Adam does have some ability to share preferences, we have to be willing to go anywhere. There are some hardship posts where family members are not permitted to accompany the employee. Hopefully we won't have to experience that, at least not anytime soon!
What will Emily do in terms of work/career?
I am along for the ride, a little bit. Of course, I hope that I can continue working in higher education and with students, but it will depend a lot on where we end up and what the opportunities are. As many of you might know by now (maybe you got here from our announcement video), we are also expecting our first little one! As a result, I will probably be adjusting to life with a baby, at least for our first post. I have no doubt that I'll find ways to keep myself busy in other ways too. There are opportunities to work as a spouse for the Foreign Service, as well as possible opportunities to work/volunteer with other organizations. We'll see what happens!
I think those are the main questions we've been getting so far! I'll keep you posted! I'm currently sitting in our apartment in Boulder, while Adam is on a plane to DC as we speak. He starts training tomorrow and I'm going to ask him to send me some pix to share!
