The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2012 41 dem couples pointed to joint placements as the number-one factor determining how long they will stay in the Service. Security Engineering Officer Daniel Carlson says that he sees his job as a long-term career. “The only thing that gives me pause is that my wife is not happy with her employment situation. If we can resolve that, I expect to remain in the ser- vice until retirement in 20 or 25 years.” “My spouse absolutely expects to have a career,” says an economic officer in Asia who joined in 2012. “Whether he can find meaningful work will be one of the major considerations in whether I stay in the Service.” Several say they believe spouses and the wealth of experience they bring should be utilized by posts, and a number offer their own stories of how management did not help where it could have. The 20-plus new hires who said their spouses or partners would be fine with opportunities to work at post and do not necessarily expect a career are likely to be less disappointed than those trying to fit a non-Foreign Service career alongside an FS career. But at the same time, the new group of spouses and partners may be better equipped than previous genera- tions to pursue careers, thanks in part to advances in technology and telework. Looking Ahead The Foreign Service career used to be truly mysterious to the uninitiated, to anyone not actually in the Foreign Service. While most Americans still don’t have a clue about what the Foreign Service is or does, this is no longer the case for those looking at careers in international relations. The new generation at State and USAID signed up for the For- eign Service with a reasonably good sense of what they were get- ting into, and they are ready to go to the tough places and serve their country. They bring a wealth of overseas and professional experience, though not wide experience working in diplomacy. For many, the Foreign Service is a second career. They expect, in return, that the agencies in which they serve will allow them to put their experience and skills to good use— not bury them in bureaucracy and bad management. n