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Sorry to hear this. It sounds like your decision is based on a mixture of factors you can control and some you can't. That must make it a very bittersweet experience. That said, it sounds like you have a good set up ahead of you with your law practice and that must be pretty exciting. Good luck and stay in touch.
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Mar 27, 2013 15:40
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Business of Ferrets posted:Think Air Force, but even more casual. Having been in the Air Force, I find that description spot on. Of course some people will get totally uptight about the smallest things at seemingly arbitrary moments. Gotta watch out for that...
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Mar 31, 2013 00:17
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AKA Pseudonym posted:You're not really expected to write a letter of introduction to the ambassador before you arrive at post either. That's right. Instead, post it on the Sounding Board!!
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Mar 31, 2013 23:52
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I'm a little late on the Falls Church Oakwood conversation, but thought I'd add some comments for the prospective DS people. While everything else everyone said about Falls Church definitely rings true, it has the advantage of being a short 10 minute drive away from the DS Training Center in Dunn Loring. As far as I know there are no shuttles that run between that facility and any of the Oakwoods. If you don't own a car you have to set up a carpool with some buddies. The nice thing about that is a lot of DS people tend to stay at the Falls Church location so we get a nice little community going. I'll actually be living there from June - September this year while training for my next post. If any of you kids are going to be around, I'd be happy to grab a beer with yea.
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Apr 15, 2013 14:08
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Great! Sounds like a lot of people will be around this June. Once I get out there I'll organize a happy hour somewhere centrally located. Looking forward to meeting some of you for the first time and catching up with others.
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Apr 16, 2013 03:51
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Kase Im Licht posted:And I'm walking distance to FSI, though I guess I'd only be there a week. You spend your first three weeks at FSI and then have a long enough break before coming back to DC that you have time to change housing arrangements.
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Apr 16, 2013 05:03
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Beria posted:I asked earler in the thread, but i guess it got lost in the shuffle. I was wondering if anyone coud offer any advice about other opportunities at the State Department, such as the Civil Service, or other Jobs like Foreign Affairs Officers? I'll be attending grad school next spring for Conflict Resolution, and think the State Dept would be a good fit for me, I'd just like a little more info, first hand if possible, about what other opportunities are offered. Strongly consider attempting to get into the Presidential Management Fellowship program: http://www.pmf.gov/ It's basically a fast-track into civil service. I think PMF recipients also get a preferential hiring process if they later apply for Foreign Service positions. I managed to squeeze into the program during my second year of grad school and had been able to secure a job offer from DoS's I&R shop as an analyst. If I hadn't gotten into DS I would have definitely gone that route instead.
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Apr 16, 2013 23:59
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the_chavi posted:So did we, and we were in Libya. Except for the guy who enjoyed jumping over the bonfire the more tequila he drank. Didn't fall in till the second time... At least he wasn't DoS.
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Apr 18, 2013 21:31
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the_chavi posted:Welp, I'm heading out from Tripoli a month early - not a formal curtailment, but definitely a "I've hit my fun limit and need to go home right now" adjustment of my departure date. (Not related to the French embassy bombing, actually - made my decision the day before, and that just confirmed my choice.) I'm trying to wrap everything up and get out of here within the next week. I'm both ecstatic to be going home and heartbroken to be leaving the team here, especially the local staff who have been through so much, much of it inflicted by us. It's hard not to feel like I'm abandoning the mission, but at a certain point you have to do what's right for you and your family, even if it inconveniences your bosses. Glad you are getting out of there. You have done your fair share in that place. Don't stress your departure, celebrate it. Let's get a beer in DC this Summer.
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Apr 27, 2013 02:47
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SCRwM posted:Woohoo! Just got my invite for the July 15th Specialist Class! Congrats! See you in DC!
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Apr 29, 2013 18:58
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problematique posted:I thought courier was one of those position that had like 80 people in it and no one actually ever applied and got in. This was the impression made on my by the HR guy I recently worked with at a job fair. It's a small field and peolpe NEVER leave once they are in. That said, they do hire from time to time. I think it's something you would have to always have in the back of your mind and try for whenever it pops up, but not rely on it as a career choice.
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May 6, 2013 14:51
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Quarex posted:My Dad was striving to be a Foreign Service Officer back in the day. He was scheduled for an oral exam when he went to the library and saw a friend of his (who had just taken the oral exam) hanging out with a woman. My Dad asked the woman if he could borrow a pencil, and her pencil happened to say "Property of the U.S. Government," so he assumed she was the Foreign Service employee who had just done his oral exam, and asked if she would come have coffee with him to talk things over. I legitimately think it might have been a professional networking move, but it led to marriage six months later. My Dad did two years of community development research in India and finished his doctorate instead of joining the Foreign Service. Awesome story! I'm a big fan of your posts and especially of your advocacy for Wasteland 2. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help/encourage your entrance into the Foreign Service!
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May 20, 2013 01:02
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SCRwM posted:Crap. So blazer and nice slacks is no go? Guess I need to go get a suit... You'll definitely need a suit. If not for FSI then for plenty of things in the future.
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May 20, 2013 13:24
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TCD posted:Honestly, 4-5 suits is better. When I started this job I had 2 suits. I now have 6...Though to be fair, half of them are tailored large for protection work.
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May 20, 2013 14:02
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Quarex posted:(also I just got to your first post in this thread and your job sounds fascinating, did you go through this process or do you just work with those who do?) As a DS Agent I am a "Specialist" rather than a "Generalist." We go through a similar but different process. We have as many steps, but there it is more focused in terms of what they think will make a good agent. I have been through the generalist hiring process, but decided to go with DS instead.
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May 21, 2013 03:39
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Anyone interested in being an OMS? http://www.careers.state.gov/specialist/vacancy-announcements/oms
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May 27, 2013 00:41
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Quarex posted:Ooh, requiring a top secret clearance for a $35,000/year job is like the federal equivalent of requiring a doctorate for a $20,000/year adjunct professorship! The starting pay for FS jobs is never what it appears in the job announcement. It doesn't take into account things like danger pay, locality pay, post differential, student loan repayment programs, matched contributions to Thrift Savings Plans, per diem, spouse dislocation allowance etc etc. With all these job announcements you can expect to make a lot more than is stated on the announcement. Particularly with being a DS agent due to overtime and LEAP Pay.
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May 27, 2013 04:28
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Hey dudes. I have landed in DC and will be here for the next few months (living in Falls Church Oakwood.) I'd be happy to organize a happy hour in the coming weeks for whoever is interested in meeting in person. Drop me a PM with a contact email or get it to me through some other means. Once I have the contact list put together I'll drop an email with some location/time suggestions.
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Jun 1, 2013 17:33
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Homie S posted:Did you move into Oakwood today? How did you swing that? Nope. Staying with the in laws at the moment. Will be moving in there tomorrow.
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Jun 2, 2013 00:15
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Nutrimentia posted:I get there at the beginning of September; you still going to be around? Unfortunately, I probably will not be. I bet there are plenty of people that WILL be around still at that point.
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Jun 3, 2013 21:54
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the_chavi posted:I've got a friend who just switched from OMS to DS - she'll be in your 15 July class. She's fun - Bruxism, you'll enjoy having her in your ranks. Cool! Feel free to pass my name along and send me hers through some form of PM. Depending on how her training shakes out, I might run into her at DSTC. Tell her NYFO is the only way to go for her field office tour. The Specialist version of A-100 is 3 weeks long.
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Jun 8, 2013 17:44
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Quarex posted:(Also worth noting for those of you who remember my cute parents-meeting-because-of-foreign-service-exam story: I scheduled the test to be on my Mom's birthday I love it. I'm sure you passed with flying colors! Keep us posted.
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Jun 16, 2013 17:03
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Diplomaticus posted:You've got an offer though, right? Did you talk it over with the Registrar's office (or your A-100 coordinators if you know who they were?) It's difficult, but not impossible to make accommodations during A-100. Yea, don't pull the trigger yet. I bet they will be willing to work with you.
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Jun 20, 2013 21:08
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the_chavi posted:This is absolutely true. Training attendance policies are always 100% and they are almost always negotiable. I have to chime in here in support of this as well. There is no reason for you to give up a chance that you may not have for another few years.
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Jun 21, 2013 01:49
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Strudelmeyer posted:
Awesome! I first got to know about DS while interning for the RSO shop in Macedonia. Probably one of the best summers of my life. You are going to love it there.
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Jun 23, 2013 20:58
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HiroProtagonist posted:Looks like IMS applications are already open again. I'm starting to pay attention to the 2:1 attrition replacement thing mentioned in this thread at this point. I'm still counting on an October announcement for new hiring window, but that isn't official in any way. I'm currently at our training center and seeing BSAC students so there are definitely classes coming through. Rumor has it that the classes coming out of the next hiring window will be double sized classes (48 people vs 24,) which could mean it's a better time to be on the list. Once again...just speculation.
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Jun 27, 2013 21:04
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astolfo83 posted:I can only attest to the veracity of this thread's title: DoS-Where Dreams Come True & Even Lawyers Get Jobs. Coming out of law school a couple years ago I never thought I'd actually be here! Congratulations! Let us know if you guys have any questions about the process. Are you in the DC area by any chance? Glad to hear they are kicking off another class. I'm currently at another training facility in the DC area, not out at the track. I'll be heading that way sometime in the next few months probably.
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Jun 29, 2013 01:22
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Quarex posted:My fellow political science doctoral student who insisted our program was itself sort of like training for this exam seems to be right. I feel bad posting my results, but keep in mind I am super-overeducated, have taught comparative studies in political science at the college level, spent years of my life living in various countries while growing up, and also am a total grammar jerk: I knew you would be a shoe in. Good luck with the QEP, everyone. I think it's actually the most difficult portion to get through.
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Jul 2, 2013 23:33
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Stolennosferatu posted:Please tell me how poor of an idea it is to use a gaming experience in my PNQ answers. Right now I'm leaning towards using a less relevant situation for the communication skills question, but I would feel more comfortable with the gaming one. My instinct is that this is a bad idea, but I have no first hand examples to back that up.
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Jul 8, 2013 19:43
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Homie S posted:Alright, so I'm thinking we can do something this Thursday if people are around. We'll head to Ireland's Four Corners in Arlington - http://www.yelp.com/biz/irelands-four-courts-arlington I'll be there. We decided not to do name tags, but I would like to encourage everyone to show up wearing masks made from their forum avatars. this will be easy for Homie S since he just used a picture of himself.
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Jul 16, 2013 02:40
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Homie S posted:Alright, so I'm thinking we can do something this Thursday if people are around. We'll head to Ireland's Four Corners in Arlington - http://www.yelp.com/biz/irelands-four-courts-arlington I'll see you guys at this tomorrow. I'll be getting there closer to 6:30 and ill be the tall skinny white guy with brown hair wearing a navy blue t-shirt and black sandals. Shouldn't be too hard to spot.
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Jul 18, 2013 02:48
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Tyro posted:Glad I'm not the only lame one. Getting ready to leave work, don't think I will make it back to VA in time. Hmm... am I the only one left? I'll have one beer and give up after that. Busy bar. I'm at the far end near the bathrooms. Same clothes I described earlier + glasses Bruxism fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Jul 18, 2013 |
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Jul 18, 2013 23:12
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Had a good time drinking and chatting with HiroProtagonist and Strudelmeyer. Hope more of your dudes can make it next time. Cheers.
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Jul 19, 2013 02:30
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psydude posted:Blame Hey now...highly sensitive conversations take place in that bathroom.
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Jul 26, 2013 02:55
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the_chavi posted:The bathroom by my office suite has these. I actually have photos - they exist! I gotta admit...I'm pretty surprised these exist in a government building and am curious how that came about.
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Jul 29, 2013 23:21
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d1rtbag posted:It feels like living on Air Force bases when I was a kid. Having grown up in and served in the military, I was really struck by how much the communities remind me of each other. I guess I should have expected it, but it still surprised me how much Embassy life, and especially Oakwood, reminds me of living on a military base.
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Aug 7, 2013 02:48
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problematique posted:My friend had to drop some documents off at a "US Consular Agent"in Acapulco and said it was some tiny dinky office in a hotel that didn't look official and the guy had a prodigy.net email account. Uhhhhhhh...what documents your friend provide? I've seen some pretty ghetto-rigged consulate setups, but if he is using a prodigy.net account I seriously doubt he is actually representing the US Gov.
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Aug 12, 2013 22:39
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Xandu posted:Apparently... Huh...look at that. Glad it's not a scam.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:16
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SCRwM posted:Since Specialist Orientation/A-100 is done should another meetup be attempted? My time in the great district is growing short, but I will try to make it if something is planned for this week.
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Aug 26, 2013 03:19
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Homie S posted:please dont leave me who else am I going to go to eastern market with Your french teacher. "Regarde! Un poisson!"
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Aug 26, 2013 06:21
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