STATE VP VOICE | BY HUI JUN TINA WONG Contact: wong@afsa.org | (202) 647-8160 Flourishing in Our Career Paths for 2025 and Beyond Maya Angelou’s powerful words ring true in 2025, propelling me into quiet reflection about the Foreign Service career path. When I joined the Foreign Service, I was not focused on attaining a specific high rank or role. I simply believed I could represent the United States abroad and help sway foreign interlocutors’ support for America’s values and international norms. For me, it was always about reaching hearts and minds abroad and a deep commitment to a public service career that would constantly stretch me, build my skills, and strengthen these same skills in my team. Moment of realization. Something changed, however, when I landed back in Washington, D.C., as a midlevel officer. Having already excelled at senior action officer work, I found intense pressure in the mid-ranks to compete for managerial experiences that would prove we had all the skills to reach the highest levels of the State Department. Given the needs of my young children, a dualcareer household, and elderly parents, I suddenly became the very epitome of the “sandwich” generation. It became vital for me to unpack this traditional career progression expected of members of the Foreign Service and the job choices we make that cause intended or unintended adjustments to that career path. The career path on paper. There are many resource guides and tools outlining the generic Foreign Service career progression. A search on StateChat’s AI Bot found a description of the “structured” path as entry-level/junior officer with directed first- and second-tour assignments. Then follows a longer period of mid-level assignments both in the field and Washington, D.C., enabling officers to specialize in particular regions and functions (such as China, arms control, emerging technologies, and more) and in a variety of first-time manager roles (such as deputy counselor or senior desk officer). The next rung of this ladder is the senior level, where employees take on more significant roles such as deputy chief of mission (DCM) or consul general in a small mission, with significant leadership, institutionbuilding, and mentoring responsibilities. Finally, for the top 1 percent, there is the executive level (or Senior Foreign Service) including DCMs/chargés d’affaires of very large missions and ambassadors. Off the beaten career path. Whether you are at the entry-, mid-, or senior level, you should give yourself grace and breathing space. It might be wise not to hit the accelerator all the time but find time to pause or slow down. If 2025 is not the last year (or even last few years) when the promotion boards look at you for promotion to the next level, give yourself ample time to do some strategic, out-of-the-box thinking about your career. The adoption of crossfunctional competency as a sixth area of our promotion criteria is an institutional signal to encourage us to step outside our cone or specialty, or even outside the State Department. AFSA advocated for our members to shore up a congressionally supported and Department of State resourced 250-person training float. This new personnel policy has translated into an exciting lineup of detail and training opportunities open every summer before the regular bidding cycle. These include sabbaticals and research fellowships, training in war colleges, interagency assignments, packaged assignments with one year of study in an academic institution followed up by a two-year D.C.-based assignment, congressional fellowships, and details to multilateral organizations. A senior mentor once told me they tried at least one of these opportunities at every level to broaden their skill sets and expand their networks. Taking other career risks. Take control of your career in 2025. If none of these outside opportunities appeal to you right now, do not get discouraged. Explore a job share in the State Department while taking care of family or other self-care needs. Read more about leave without pay (LWOP) options that will allow you to work in the private or nongovernmental sector. As part of the LWOP approval process, check in with the Office of Ethics and Financial Disclosure to ensure there are no conflicts of interest with the State Department. Set a “timer” for when you might want to come back to State and under what conditions. I know several employees who took LWOP, returned, got promoted, and are thriving. You can do this. Write to me at wong@ afsa.org if you have any questions or want to talk about this career journey. n AFSA NEWS The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise. —Maya Angelou THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025 51
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