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hayden. posted:Finally decided to register for the FSOT today, not realizing the deadline was yesterday I think. Oh well, more time to study for the one later this year. Easy or not, I thought the scores were based upon that test range of scores from everyone. So if everybody nailed it 100% and you missed only 1 question, you'd fail. I passed the October test with around 5 or so spare points in each category except the essay which you had to score a minimum of 6 in order to pass.
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Feb 3, 2012 11:57
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I don't see how the range of IMS duties could be much wider. So much of what I do has nothing to do with what is considered IT in "the real world." My top activities for this past week time wise: Turning stuff off & on again Escorting contractors Hook up cable to make sure the Super Bowl is available Monday morning Try to explain why we can't get the AFN channels at the Marine house working so they could watch the Super Bowl there (within a day & without spending any money to pay the technician) when A) Nobody outside the Marines knew they had ever had AFN & B) Nobody had ever mentioned that it was no longer working Sort mail Participate in video conference Set up other people's video conferences & calls I do have a network printer I need to replace, but I haven't had time to get to it. I did get to swap out a monitor, reset a password, & install an exhaust fan though!
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Feb 3, 2012 17:39
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On the bright side, that makes me feel quite confident about the strength of my resume and work experience.
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Feb 3, 2012 22:09
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Just got home.... passed my OMS OA! Alas... only a 5.3 though. Time to study Chinese nonstop haha.
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Feb 3, 2012 22:17
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TCD posted:*You still get overseas experience and a TS clearance plus great managerial opportunities. You also will meet contractors and other government people which if you're not satisfied doing what you're doing, there are doors opened which might stay closed. That was something I am/was curious about--a friend of mine mentioned that people frequently do a tour or two, then bounce to a contractor to make more money. Is there truth to that?
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Feb 4, 2012 04:14
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mute posted:That was something I am/was curious about--a friend of mine mentioned that people frequently do a tour or two, then bounce to a contractor to make more money. Is there truth to that? This is rare among FSOs; I can't think of a single non-retiree I know who has left the service to become a contractor. The FSOs I'm familiar with have left mostly due to not wanting to (or not being able to, for family reasons, etc.) return overseas. Some have gone on to get advanced degrees or have gone into banking or business or to work with NGOs. Several from my A-100 class have converted to the Civil Service, but no contractors, as far as I can tell.
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Feb 4, 2012 05:09
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Business of Ferrets posted:This is rare among FSOs; I can't think of a single non-retiree I know who has left the service to become a contractor. The FSOs I'm familiar with have left mostly due to not wanting to (or not being able to, for family reasons, etc.) return overseas. Some have gone on to get advanced degrees or have gone into banking or business or to work with NGOs. Several from my A-100 class have converted to the Civil Service, but no contractors, as far as I can tell. It's a little more different for specialists, particularly IT. I've seen it happen, but most actually stay in.
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Feb 4, 2012 11:55
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TCD posted:It's a little more different for specialists, particularly IT. Is it easy for an IMS to convert to Civil?
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Feb 4, 2012 19:06
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asuran posted:Is it easy for an IMS to convert to Civil? I know some who have. I also have had 2 FS IMS supervisors who were former CS themselves.
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Feb 4, 2012 20:53
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mtreecorner posted:Just got home.... passed my OMS OA! Congrats! Back in September they were trying to fill a lot of entry level OMS positions so getting placed on the register was an automatic invite to training (with one or two exceptions). The 2011 September Specialist class was one of the largest in recent history with around 86 students, including ~24 OMSers. This still didn't meet the desired OMS hiring target. It's highly possible that was the last gasp of the hiring splurge, but if it's still the case then you won't have to improve your OA score with language points. If you do get invited to training you can still take the language test at FSI, which will give you an advantage on bidding future Chinese speaking posts (if desired). Good luck!
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Feb 5, 2012 13:52
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mute posted:That was something I am/was curious about--a friend of mine mentioned that people frequently do a tour or two, then bounce to a contractor to make more money. Is there truth to that? I don't think so either. State has a ridiculously high retention rate, somewhere in the 90% - 94% range if I recall correctly.
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Feb 5, 2012 13:55
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Tip: if the CLO invites you to an event ask if it's an official function. That way you won't be surprised to find tens of thousands of people watching you as you arrive & walk towards your seats.
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Feb 5, 2012 14:39
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Huh. At our post, none of the CLO events are an official function. If your presence is required, most likely the DCM will have sent the invite. Our CLO events are basically "BBQ at X house" or "Yoga lessons."
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Feb 5, 2012 15:23
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It wasn't a "CLO event", but she just happened to be the one who asked me if my family wanted to go. It was some "Friendship Day" thing where our host government invited all of the local consulates. It was a full day of activities, so I hadn't planned on going until & didn't pay it much attention. She also didn't want to do the whole day, so she arranged for a van to take us just to a few of the events: a dragon dancing exhibition & a visit to an orchard to pick some oranges. So, I thought it was just some sort of fair thing that we were going to. I didn't know it was going to be a huge event & that there would be paparazzi & thousands of people watching us watch the dancers. We did get some nice silk jackets out of it though
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Feb 5, 2012 16:05
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AgentSythe posted:For the two IMS guys (hi Vile Rat), what is expected knowledge for an applicant? I read the description for the position and it is fairly vague. Will a degree in Computer Science, plus 2 years in support and a year in industry as a programmer (I graduate in May) prepare me adequately, or rather is there a wide-enough range of duties that I would be useful? My concern is that too much of my knowledge is computer science theory and not enough IT. There's a lot of talk now about the job shifting a bit from work-a-day IT stuff and into more of a consulting role with the other sections. There's a proposed change to the requirements in the works and it may be that somebody who can cogently explain Deep Packet Inspection to An Econ officer will get a closer lok than they did in the past even if they aren't Active Directory wizards.
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Feb 5, 2012 16:09
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AKA Pseudonym posted:There's a lot of talk now about the job shifting a bit from work-a-day IT stuff and into more of a consulting role with the other sections. There's a proposed change to the requirements in the works and it may be that somebody who can cogently explain Deep Packet Inspection to An Econ officer will get a closer lok than they did in the past even if they aren't Active Directory wizards. I'd freaking love that here; we're involved in a lot of discussion in my department that could seriously benefit from having an IT expert going with us on demarches.
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Feb 5, 2012 17:24
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HOORAY posted:Congrats! Back in September they were trying to fill a lot of entry level OMS positions so getting placed on the register was an automatic invite to training (with one or two exceptions). The 2011 September Specialist class was one of the largest in recent history with around 86 students, including ~24 OMSers. This still didn't meet the desired OMS hiring target. Thank you. (Also, thanks to everyone else that has helped me on this board... its a valued service.) Well, from what I hear the March and May class will be taking only about 10 OMSs each. I think that right now the register has about 60 on it. About 80 were invited to OA this round (Feb-March OAs)... so __out of 80 will be added on to that 60 in the coming months. A 5.3 will put me on the lower end of that list (luckily I had the first OA session.. so in theory, I could get on sooner than others) I probably won't be on the register until say June (estimate)... so it really depends on what future classes look like. If we stay on the 10 per class (or classes are cancelled) then I really need those language points. I do have time I guess... I am between a 0+ and a 1 in Chinese right now. I have 18ish months to get to a 2.
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Feb 5, 2012 18:19
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Diplomaticus posted:I'd freaking love that here; we're involved in a lot of discussion in my department that could seriously benefit from having an IT expert going with us on demarches. This is one of the reasons I'd love to go back to AF. We're talking about policy, positions, and strategies that quickly become classified with inter-agency cooperation and that's pretty fun. It's also a win-win for the US and host country.
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Feb 5, 2012 19:35
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I've been looking around trying to see what I could do to help get "international experience" or something at least relevant to foreign service work. Anything to help my chances at getting into a FSO position. Some of my options I'm looking into: -Getting involved in my local city council, possibly on some task force or trying to get appointed to a board -MBA from a locally well recognized private university. Costly even after employer's tuition reimbursement and lots of crap work (months studying for GMAT) to get in. Probably not very well recognized outside my state. It has one to two week long international courses though, which I bet would look nice on FSO application. -MBA from a large public university nearby, not a nationally recognized school or anything but I'd get automatic acceptance and not have to take the GMAT. Also free with employer's tuition reimbursement. -Certified Financial Analyst program -Masters degree in information technology, which would make a nice fallback in case foreign service doesn't work out. Also free with employer's tuition reimbursement. I could possibly get into a FSS career with this, which I wouldn't be against, it just doesn't seem nearly as interesting or having any sort of impact/relevance like an FSO career might. -??? Could I get some feedback on what the best idea for the master's degree would be? Should I not bother with it unless I otherwise want it? Will they care whether the MBA comes from a slightly more distinguished school? Are there other options anyone can suggest that I can do that don't involve up and moving my life / unpaid internships / Peace Corp? hayden. fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 17:20
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I'm not an FSO or anything, but I would think an MPA would be more appropriate.
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Feb 6, 2012 17:24
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Barracuda Bang! posted:I'm not an FSO or anything, but I would think an MPA would be more appropriate. Unfortunately employer's tuition reimbursement will only apply to business oriented degrees. I don't think paying entirely out of pocket for an MPA as opposed to a completely free MBA is really the best option for me, but if anyone else has feedback on how the two might compare I'd really appreciate it.
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Feb 6, 2012 17:28
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hayden. posted:Unfortunately employer's tuition reimbursement will only apply to business oriented degrees. I don't think paying entirely out of pocket for an MPA as opposed to a completely free MBA is really the best option for me, but if anyone else has feedback on how the two might compare I'd really appreciate it. Point taken.
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Feb 6, 2012 17:39
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hayden. posted:Unfortunately employer's tuition reimbursement will only apply to business oriented degrees. I don't think paying entirely out of pocket for an MPA as opposed to a completely free MBA is really the best option for me, but if anyone else has feedback on how the two might compare I'd really appreciate it. Well, if it means anything. HR people in Government don't look at the school you got your Degree from. A MBA is a MBA and counts for the same. Now, that is different if you used that degree elsewhere but I am just talking intra-government.
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Feb 6, 2012 18:14
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Barracuda Bang! posted:I'm not an FSO or anything, but I would think an MPA would be more appropriate. I'm doing an MPA right now. They are literally the same thing, except they reverse the titles. "Public Finance" v 'Finance' and 'Government Regulations' v 'Business Regulations,' etc. We even share a good 1/3 of our classes with the MBA program.
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Feb 6, 2012 20:20
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hayden. posted:Could I get some feedback on what the best idea for the master's degree would be? Should I not bother with it unless I otherwise want it? Will they care whether the MBA comes from a slightly more distinguished school? Are there other options anyone can suggest that I can do that don't involve up and moving my life / unpaid internships / Peace Corp? Only get a degree if you otherwise want it. Your best bet is to learn a critical foreign language relatively well. Take an intro college course and get a tutor. Once you get a foundation in the language, go do some traveling or an immersion somewhere it is spoken. I forget -- do you already have a foreign language?
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Feb 6, 2012 21:13
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Nope, no foreign language. I'm not really sure what I could do to learn the critical languages since I've heard that doing it alone isn't realistic. College classes are scheduled during the day and aren't something I could attend while working full time. I've tried looking for group tutoring for languages in the area and haven't really found anything. I could learn french on my own with my girlfriend as a tutor because she's nearly fluent, but that's about it. Does the FSO interviewers really not care much about graduate degrees? I'm not sure immersion programs are really going to be a viable option (while keeping a job) for me but I'll keep an eye out for any opportunities. Thanks! hayden. fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 21:17
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hayden. posted:Nope, no foreign language. I'm not really sure what I could do to learn the critical languages since I've heard that doing it alone isn't realistic. College classes are scheduled during the day and aren't something I could attend while working full time. I've tried looking for group tutoring for languages in the area and haven't really found anything. I could learn french on my own with my girlfriend as a tutor because she's nearly fluent, but that's about it. Try a community college night program? I took Chinese I at a community college here in DC.. now doing Chinese II with a private teacher (who is cheaper). If you live in a large city, there might be language groups where you can get a few hours each week of immersion. There are options for full-time workers. I am getting a duel Masters and learning Chinese. I am burning myself out... but its doable.
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Feb 6, 2012 22:55
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Thanks for the feedback. I haven't found any good options for night classes in languages but I'll keep looking. One more quick question, sorry for all the spam. Can you receive bonus points from more than one language? For example, can you test in both French and Arabic and receive bonus points from both? The state website said "In all cases, you may receive the language bonus points for only one language" but immediately before that it says "proficiency in multiple languages will enhance your competitiveness for selection" so I'm not sure exactly what it's saying.
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Feb 7, 2012 03:11
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hayden. posted:One more quick question, sorry for all the spam. Can you receive bonus points from more than one language? For example, can you test in both French and Arabic and receive bonus points from both? No. Just one.
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Feb 7, 2012 04:16
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Anyone (formerly?) in Syria? How long does a decision to empty the embassy have to be made in advance for the logistics to work? Is it all just a show and only the ambassador actually leaves? Do they return to the states or go to a neighboring country?
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Feb 7, 2012 04:35
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wukkar posted:Anyone (formerly?) in Syria? How long does a decision to empty the embassy have to be made in advance for the logistics to work? Is it all just a show and only the ambassador actually leaves? Do they return to the states or go to a neighboring country? For an Ordered Departure, everybody leaves. That's what happened in Syria, as I understand it. Some go to the states, others go to a neighboring embassy if logistics permit (news reports say some of the Syrian embassy staff went to Jordan). Logistically, they can make it as quickly as they need to.
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Feb 7, 2012 11:49
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Diplomaticus posted:For an Ordered Departure, everybody leaves. That's what happened in Syria, as I understand it. Some go to the states, others go to a neighboring embassy if logistics permit (news reports say some of the Syrian embassy staff went to Jordan). Logistically, they can make it as quickly as they need to. Kinda. Ordered Departure means the Ambassador has selected and ordered staff to leave. This means some staff can stay in country if they are selected by the Ambassador for various reasons. A lot of Embassies have gone on Ordered Departure over the years, but haven't had a full evacuation/suspended Embassy operations. Authorized Departure - personnel can leave at the U.S.G's expense. Ordered Departure - personnel are forced (ordered) to leave at the U.S.G's expense. This can be selected personnel or all personnel, and will be all family members. There’s a reason why specialists know the difference. 
TCD fucked around with this message at 12:24 on Feb 7, 2012 |
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Feb 7, 2012 12:22
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hayden. posted:Nope, no foreign language. I'm not really sure what I could do to learn the critical languages since I've heard that doing it alone isn't realistic. College classes are scheduled during the day and aren't something I could attend while working full time. I've tried looking for group tutoring for languages in the area and haven't really found anything. I could learn french on my own with my girlfriend as a tutor because she's nearly fluent, but that's about it. Playing devils advocate here Night classes at the community college are not going to get you anywhere near the level required by the State Department to earn points on your application. It's going to take hundreds of hours of study outside of your classes to get to that level so keep that in mind before you even bother to start.
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Feb 8, 2012 00:53
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So, apparently Brasilians like detonating loud fireworks/firecrackers for no apparent reason in the city( like in the park outside our apartment, close enough to have my parents here it on Skype). I come from a rural place in Alaska, so I'm used to random gun shots throughout summer/fall. Only problem is recently coming from Africa, the times when we heard these noises, it was actual grenades blowing people apart at bus stops. Nothing like enjoying a nice dinner with the RSO and our only consular officer, only to hear a bang, and then have both of their cellphones light up for the next half hour. I'm okay with this, however my wife jumps nearly every night and approaching PTSD land. We received no danger pay during that tour 
TCD fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Feb 8, 2012 |
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Feb 8, 2012 01:06
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Well, were you blown up by a grenade at a bus stop?
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Feb 8, 2012 04:54
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AgentSythe posted:Well, were you blown up by a grenade at a bus stop? Good point... In other news this week has seriously been a week of  .I think I get to record around 30+ hours worked on CIRT incidents between last week, this one, and next one. We have some loving retarded people in the Department.
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Feb 10, 2012 21:22
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I'm leaving here three months from today. Christ Almighty, it feels like I stepped off that plane yesterday. (That's if all goes to plan. And... this is the government. So who the hell knows.)
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Feb 10, 2012 23:20
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pamchenko posted:I'm leaving here three months from today. Christ Almighty, it feels like I stepped off that plane yesterday. It must feel like a new lease on life every time you escape one of those USAID hellholes. Where to next?
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Feb 11, 2012 00:56
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Business of Ferrets posted:It must feel like a new lease on life every time you escape one of those USAID hellholes. Where to next? Uh, Iraq. New lease on life, indeed. Short-term.
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Feb 11, 2012 10:24
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pamchenko posted:Uh, Iraq. New lease on life, indeed. Short-term. except your bank account.
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