The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

62 JULY-AUGUST 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Breaking into Publishing BY BRUCE K . BYERS W hat do I wish I’d known before joining the Foreign Service? I would have liked to know more about the dislocation that moving overseas can visit upon a young family. I grew up in a military family and was used to moving a lot. But there is a major difference between military life and Foreign Service life. Support for the families of armed forces members is much more developed, although there have been significant improvements in family support at Foreign Service posts. How should a prospective retiree prepare for post-Foreign Service work (paid or volunteer) and other activities? Research your post-career interests as much as possible before you retire, and expand professional contacts in those fields while you are still employed. To the extent feasible, attend conferences, seminars and lectures in the areas you are interested in pursu- ing. And don’t neglect to join professional organizations that can help after retirement (AFSA and DACOR are two I have joined). Finally, hone your public speaking skills and expand the range of topics about which you can speak. If you enjoy writing, start documenting your experiences while still on active duty. Keep photos, letters, articles and other memorabilia that can help in pursuing a writing career. (Remem- ber, your children will one day want to know more about the early years in the Foreign Service when they were young and moving about the world.) Participate in writing workshops and seminars to establish contact with local authors. While I worked as a WAE (now REA, or re-employed annui- tant) in the State Department between 2001 and 2009, I pub- lished several essays on foreign affairs topics on different web- sites. I also wrote short stories related to my career experiences and my life before the Foreign Service, which were the basis for an autobiographical novel about my first trip to Europe as a high school exchange student. Write what you would enjoy reading without worrying about publishing it. That way, the experience is more fun and less prone to disappointment. When you think you have something worth publishing, ask friends about their experiences and research the self-publishing industry thoroughly. Read contracts carefully and don’t assume anything. What advice would I give my younger self about planning for life after the Foreign Service? First, I would emphasize the need to save throughout one’s career and avoid carrying major debt into retirement. It’s also advisable to maintain good relations with local physicians, dentists and lawyers. I would establish a revocable family trust (much sooner than I did) as a means of protecting personal and financial assets. The trust documents include medical directives, wills and powers of attorney to protect us and our assets in case of certain life events. Shop around for a law firm that specializes in trusts, ask lots of questions during the initial interview with a lawyer, and take nothing for granted. I would urge anyone on the verge of retirement to update their security clearance and maintain good relations with the bureau in which they are working at the time of retirement to be able to be considered for WAE positions. A current security clearance is very valuable if you contemplate working for any government contractor or other government agency. It opens many doors to post-retirement jobs. Bruce K. Byers joined the Foreign Service in 1971 with the U.S. Infor- mation Agency. He served in South Asia, Europe and East Asia, retir- ing in 2000. After retirement he worked in the Office of International Visitors and published essays on foreign policy topics in The Foreign Service Journal and the e-zine AmericanDiplomacy.org . From 1995 to 1996, Byers served as AFSA’s USIA vice president. Bruce Byers with his book, The Extraordinary Journey of Harry Forth , at AFSA’s 2015 Book Market. COURTESYOFBRUCEBYERS