The Foreign Service Journal, September 2003

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 49 t has now been nearly five years since I began my career with the Foreign Service as an Information Management Specialist. This job has certainly transformed my life in ways that I had never imagined. I have tremen- dously enjoyed the opportunity to live over- seas and explore new cultures. However, the actual experience of working in an embassy or consulate is not always as satisfying as it could be. Becoming proficient with all that is expected of the IMS over- seas can take years of on-the-job training and experience, in addi- tion to the many hours of class- room instruction that are required. A typical IMS will possess a broad range of techni- cal knowledge in several vital areas — namely, communica- tions and information manage- ment systems hardware, soft- ware, and end-user training and support. What We Do There are 68 items on my short list of programs and systems that an IMS serving overseas may be responsible for — from toner cartridges and copier and printer repair to satellite communications, mail screening for chemical or biological contaminants, and post Web site develop- ment. This list does not include personnel and administrative responsibilities. Even first- and second-tour IMS person- nel will often supervise some of the Foreign Service National staff members. In general, more experience brings more administrative responsibility for the manage- ment of projects and personnel. And, because the Post Communications Center where the IMS generally works is off-limits to local FSN staff, including the FSNs that would otherwise provide support services, an IMS will also be responsible for keeping these facilities clean and habitable. So, in addition to all their other technical and administrative responsibilities, IM specialists routinely empty the trash, change the light bulbs, and vacuum the floor. This can be a shock to professional self-esteem. These days even many first-tour IMS personnel join the Foreign Service with several years of man- agement experience in addition to advanced technical certifica- tions and graduate degrees, never anticipating having to perform such tasks. This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the attri- tion rate is rather high for IMS personnel after only their first or second tour overseas. The thoughtful IMS may come to accept such conditions of work on security grounds. But even the most resilient new hire will be test- ed by another feature of the real working conditions: the disparity between IMS personnel and Foreign Service officers serving overseas. It isn’t just the fact that we are issued different diplomatic license plates and identity cards, but the feelings of lowliness and frustration that come with being treated as second-class citizens. The Pecking Order at Post Once one has worked in a few communications centers and seen the office space, furnishings, and equipment assigned to Information Resources Management person- nel overseas, one learns quickly where an IRM specialist stands in the pecking order of an embassy or consulate — F O C U S O N F S S P E C I A L I S T S T HE IMS O VERSEAS : S TAND U P AND B E C OUNTED B Y W ILLIAM P OTTER A S FULFILLING AS THE F OREIGN S ERVICE IS , THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE OF WORKING OVERSEAS IS NOT ALWAYS AS SATISFYING AS IT COULD BE , THIS IMS EXPLAINS . I