The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

do not equate with the skills and experience required to be compet- itive.” Ryan Rhea, an Information Systems Officer in Tel Aviv, agrees: “Overall, [the CDP] looks fine. At least it is a step in the right direc- tion, although I would question a few things.” One General Services Officer, who spoke on background, also endorses the new CDP: “I think the career path is viable and the requirements for promotion to FS-1 are realistic, both in terms of professional and technical proficiencies specified and the time allotted to attain them. I am an FP-2 and I have already met all of the CDP requirements for promotion to FP-1. I am not the brightest star in the firmament, so I think my experience is a good gauge of the reasonableness of the new requirements.” Other specialists are less sanguine. Robert Loveless, a GSO inMontevideo, points out that he and his colleagues “compete for positions against generalists, spe- cialists and, in D.C., civil servants. [Yet a] recent requirement for acquisition certification for all domestic contracting officers (usu- ally Civil Service) has been waived for GSO specialists and is not included in the CDP. What this means for GSO specialists bidding later in their career on Civil Service jobs in the Procurement Executive is that we will not have the required certification for domestic contracting, [leading] to a complete inability to compete for those positions.” The Training Hurdle Unhappiness about the lack of dependable access to training cuts across specialties (and is shared by many gen- eralists, as well.) One of the many benefits the Diplomatic F O C U S M A Y 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 23 Get Your Finances In Line With SDFCU Online You can depend on State Department Federal Credit Union for the ultimate in security and convenience with SDFCU Online banking. This FREE service allows you to access your Credit Union accounts via the Internet anytime, from anywhere in the world. Just go to www.sdfcu.org and click the SDFCU Online logo. You can conduct the following Credit Union business: Transfer funds between accounts Check current account balances View your account history over the last 15 months View check images View and pay your credit card bill online Pay Bills and much more!* See just how easy SDFCU Online is! Visit us at www.sdfcuonline.org and check out the easy demo! If you’re interested in becoming a member of State Department Federal Credit Union, give our Member Service Center a call at 703- 706-5000 , or outside the D.C. Metro area at 800-296-8882 . You can also email us at sdfcu@sdfcu.org . SDFCU Online puts us at your service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whenever you need us the most. Sign up today! *The Bill Payer service is available at no charge for Capital Club members. Otherwise, there is a low monthly fee of $3.95 for unlimited transactions. A number of specialist career paths stop short of the Senior Foreign Service mark (well short in several cases).