The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

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 37 he Career Development Program for the Information Resource Management specialties is a brave and innovative initiative by the Bureau of Human Resources. I applaud several parts of the CDP. For instance, I agree completely that all IRM officers who reach the level of the Senior Foreign Service should have a diverse and exceptional career history and strong information technology qualifications. After all, they represent the U.S. Department of State’s IRM pro- fession to the world. But how realistic is the career path outlined in our CDP? I consider my Foreign Service career as a digital systems specialist (IMTS/D) to be typical. I have been promoted at the average time in service and time in grade for my specialty, so I ought to be in a position to embrace the CDP with full confidence that a fulfilling career is in sight. But in my view, there are several seri- ous problems with the IRM specialist career path into the Senior Foreign Service as it stands. Fundamentally, State is operating under the assump- tion that the career paths for Information Management Technical Specialists (2882 skill code) and Information Management Specialists (2880 skill code) are equal and afford the same opportunities to reach the Senior Foreign Service level. This could not be further from the truth. Institutional Segregation A twist on the famous phrase from Brown v. Board of Education comes to mind in this regard: “separate but unequal.” Unfortunately, in not acknowledging the basic differences in the work experience of an IMTS and an IMS throughout their careers, the Career Development Program perpetuates the institutional segregation that favors the IMS for advancement. The IRM “ticket punch” list of both mandatory and elective requirements is unevenly tilted in favor of the IMS skill code, and ignores the special circumstances encountered during the IMTS career. The following six points of the CDP requirements are not equally obtain- able “after tenure/entry into Service,” as I shall explain. Operational Effectiveness, RIMC Branch Chief. F O C U S O N S P E C I A L I S T C A R E E R D E V E L O P M E N T “S EPARATE BUT U NEQUAL ”: T HE IRM C AREER P ATH T HE CDP FOR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS A GOOD START , BUT NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE IRM SPECIALTY . B Y D AVID F IERSTINE T