Another door?

A new position opened up today in the Foreign Service. I got word that they are taking applications for the Office Management Specialist position through September 2nd. Foreign Service Specialist are a lot like Foreign Service Officers but they are more specialists in a support function. You still move around the world serving the U.S. Government but the work is somewhat different depending on the field.

There were openings for diplomatic courier positions last month but I didn't apply since it wasn't really a great fit. I love travel but as a courier that's literally all you do. Office Management Specialist work would be a much better fit for me, that's for sure.


Still, I have to think about whether I want to apply for this job. Reading the description, this would be a pretty basic office support job (and at a clearly lower salary than I am getting now). I'm not saying I am below it, but it wouldn't be the direction I'd want to pursue if it weren't with the State Department.


The good news is that I would get to do the same overseas thing as a officer. Also, I am also more qualified for it and would have a decent shot at making it to the oral exam portion of the specialist process (I'll get into that whole selection process later). Finally, if you are a specialist, you have easier access to become a Foreign Service Officer in the future, which would keep my options open.

It will be something to think about...