Secretary Of State Info Session 10/30/18

On Tuesday, October 30th, I attended an information session on the United States State Department with Dale Giovengo, who is a Foreign Officer with the State Department. This event was a Non-IA event located in Cockins Hall on Tuesday afternoon. This event impacted me by showing me exactly how international affairs and relations are implemented in the work force on a daily basis. It is a true representation of this scholars program in action. This event did not really change any beliefs I had about international relations, but it confirmed what I already thought about international affairs in the workforce, either you need to relocate and travel all around the world, or you’ll work with the government in Washington.

From this information session, I gained knowledgeable information about the different jobs in the State Department. After you pass a test and many background checks, you can become a Foreign Officer who can travel all around the world in different specializations. These specializations include human resources, finance, management and corporate positions, and medical management. These appeal to me because I am a business major, and I am majoring in finance and thinking about doing a double minor in international relations and economics. Also, I learned a lot about how to get an internship with the State Department. A guest speaker who was a junior and a past member of IA spoke about her internship at the State department this past summer. It is exciting to see past IA members being successful, and I hope one day I can be successful and speak about it too. Once again, this event directly ties in with my American Foreign Policy class. We studied the State Department, but more specifically the Secretary of State. However, we briefly went over officers, advisers, and diplomats as well.

After attending the information session, I realized this is something that would not be suitable as a career for me unfortunately. Mr. Giovengo made a crucial point to say that you will need to relocate and travel often, and that you will miss important milestones back in America with extended family and friends. However, the job has great benefits in terms of housing, schooling, retirement benefits, and you can bring your immediate family with you. For me, the traveling seems nice, but I know I will want to have a more domestic career with some traveling involved, but not relocating from place to place. Mr. Giovengo talked about how he gets bonuses for being in an area that has a lot of risks and violence and harsh living conditions. Although these bonuses may seem nice, I do not think I want to put my future family through that. Then again, my mind is constantly changing! I do see a lot of IA kids potentially looking into this though, it is a great career opportunity for those who seek it and want to travel the entire globe. I am glad I got to attend the session and learn more about “international affairs in action.”