The Foreign Service Journal, October 2014

18 OCTOBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Stable, but Less Than Thrilled M y experience in talking with other techs is they generally are not really happy with the State Department as an employer, but they stick around because they like the lifestyle. is will help the department maintain a stable work force, but not an elite work force. e truly driven and talented will ultimately leave for the private sector or other agencies. Anonymous Information Resources Specialist We Secure Your Workplace T he motto of Security Engineering O cers and Security Technical Spe- cialists is “Defend, Detect, Deter.” Our job is to technically secure State Department work spaces so that everyone else can succeed in doing their jobs. David Zwach, Security Engineering Officer We Are Human Resources I landed at my rst post eager and ready to serve. However, within days of my arrival, I was cautioned by colleagues to “get out of HR as soon as possible” due to that bureau’s terrible reputation at State. Rather than run for the nearest exit, I took this as a challenge to help improve that reputation. I remind myself every day that the rst word in my position title is “human,” and compassion should always come rst. Jill E. Perry, Human Resources Course Chair/FSI