On April 13th 2020, I attended a virtual professional development event at 2pm. The event was ASC Virtual Week: U.S Department of State Info Session. This info session contained detailed information about being a Foreign Service Officer. The presenter, Lou Fintor, was an active Foreign Officer who had previously served in various places in the Middle East and South Asia including Afghanistan and Yemen. I was excited to attend this event because I would like to become a Foreign Service Officer in the Middle East.

In this presentation, I learned about the different categories of Foreign Service Officers, what the jobs entail, what they are looking for in a candidate, and how to prepare for the required test. There are two broad categories, generalists and specialists. Fintor mainly focused on the generalist category. Within the generalist category there are five main tracks — consular affairs, economic affairs, political affairs, and public diplomacy affairs. Each track has a separate assessment in the application process. When you are registering for the test to become a generalist Foreign Service Officer you will also have to submit essays. Next there is an oral assessment in Washington D.C. Fintor recommended that we do not buy test-prep books or get tutoring for these assessments. Instead, he suggested that we read the Economist and do a general review of civics, econ, and culture. I appreciated this advice because gathering test-prep books would be my first step in preparing for the assessment. 

When registering for this event I had a goal in mind. I wanted to learn how I can work towards my goal of being a Foreign Service Officer. Fintor gave me this information in the form of various internships and fellowships that are a step in the right direction. This includes the U.S Department of State Student Internships which are the Pathways Program and the Virtual Student Foreign Service, the Pickering and Rangel Fellowships, and more. In addition, he helped paint a picture of who is generally selected to be a Foreign Service Officer. Fintor describes the perfect candidate as anyone. He said they are looking for people with diverse backgrounds, degrees in various subject areas, and different levels of experience. And if you are not chosen for your desired position, there are many other agencies with similar openings like the USAID. This gave me some assurance that I would be able to find a position in this field. 

I highly recommend events like this to other International Affairs Scholars students. I recommend events that provide information about possible careers, teach you about opportunities for college students, and form valuable connections with professionals. Throughout my past 2 years at Ohio State I have had many opportunities to attend such events, and as a result, I have been able to explore my interests and determine what career path is right for me.