IamA United States Diplomat. AMAA

Thank you for your service, and for doing this AMA!

It is my life's ambition to join the Foreign Service, and I hope to one day be doing the work you yourself are doing. There are an endless number of questions I could ask you, but there's one I'm most keen on:

What recommendations would you have for me to improve my chances of making it through the FSOT? I have passed the written exam 4 times now but have not made it past the next step, which is submitting my responses to the Personal Narrative questions. Despite it reputedly being the most competitive by far, I have selected the Political track each time, as that is what I really want to be doing as a FSO. Would it make more sense to choose a different one, then attempt to switch to Political once I make it through?

I'm nearly 27 with a BA in Int'l Affairs and Poli Sci, and I'm currently working in an unrelated field in New York. I attend foreign policy lectures and panels when I can, but aside from reading various online and print publications that's about all the exposure to Foreign Policy that I regularly have. Are there any steps you would say I should take that would concretely advance me toward this goal? Any advice at all that you can provide will be immensely appreciated.

Despite it reputedly being the most competitive by far, I have selected the Political track each time, as that is what I really want to be doing as a FSO. Would it make more sense to choose a different one, then attempt to switch to Political once I make it through?

No. You should sign up for the cone you want, not the cone you think will be easiest to get in the door. If your PNQs are getting rejected, make sure they relate to the dimensions and are written well. Poor writing stands out like a sore thumb.

Jon Stewart recently talked about new US ambassadors being chosen for the job because they raised money for the election campaing of the Democratic Party, instead of being chosen for their abilities and interest in the country they are going to be ambassador of.

What is your opinion on this? Did you ever have the idea you were working with someone who knew nothing about the country you were in?

Jon Stewart recently talked about new US ambassadors being chosen for the job because they raised money for the election campaing of the Democratic Party, instead of being chosen for their abilities and interest in the country they are going to be ambassador of. What is your opinion on this?

My opinion is that access to the President, no matter how it is obtained, is a valuable thing for any Ambassador. It really doesn't bother me if they know nothing about the country they are in or have never worked in the Department before. Some of those turn out to be the best Ambassadors.

What is your stance on the legalization of marijuana?

It should be a state decision.

In these days of elected officials paying back their supporters by giving them jobs in an administration, what were your unique qualifications in order for you to be assigned that job.

The vast, vast majority of government employees are not politically appointed. I passed the foreign service officer test way back when and haven't gotten fired.

What is one interesting fact about your work that many people may not know?

Edit: a word

It's not all parties and schmoozing. Working in an embassy is actually fairly mundane.

What is your favorite snack?

Starbursts or Oreos. Double stuff, of course.

How would I be able to pursue a career in the United States Government?

Take and pass the FSOT and subsequent steps.

How do you react if the official White House stance conflicts with your own personal morals? Would it affect your professional ability to be diplomatic with your foreign counterparts? For myself personally, I know that I don't perform nearly to my intellectual peak if I dislike what I'm doing; wonder if it's the same for you.

When push comes to shove, you suck it up and do your job. It happens to everyone at some point in their careers. If it got really bad you could ask to be reassigned to a different portfolio or something.

What's your favorite country and why?

The USA. No place like it in the world.

In order of best to worst, rank US relations with:

• China
• North Korea
• Russia
• Venezuela
• Ukraine
• Iraq
• Afghanistan
• Iran
• Libya
• Egypt
• Pakistan

Ukraine, China, Russia, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Venezuela, North Korea I guess.

What's your very best life advice?

"Never tell me the odds."

How influenced are you by the governments motives (i.e. how they woud benefit the most) over finding the actual best,fairest solution when trying to resolve conflicts?

Thanks for doing this AMA btw.

"Fair" and "best" are subjective terms. Part of my job is being Washington's eyes and ears on the ground. If I have input on a particular policy decision or what not, I suggest it. Sometimes it's considered, other times it isn't. I imagine it's the same in any job.

The daily show recently did a piece on how few ambassadors have been to the countries they become the ambassadors to and that they're usually big campaign donors. Are ambassadors mostly window dressing?

Have you seen any repercussions to wikileaks?

Ambassadors certainly aren't window dressing. Even the politically appointed ones I've worked with have been thrilled to represent the USA.

Have you seen any repercussions to wikileaks?

Not personally, but it affected the entire Department in a number of ways.

What kind of education do you need to be a diplomat? How did you get started? Was it something you truly wanted to do?

There are no educational requirements to become a US diplomat - it all depends on passing the various steps in the hiring process outlined at careers.state.gov. I kind of fell into the job - I thought it looked interesting, took the test, and the rest is history.

How big a of a deal are "diplomatic packages". How often do you suspect they are used for illicit or suspicious purposes?

I'm not quite sure what you mean - diplomatic packages?

Any point to considering the Foreign Service if your foreign language skills are severely lacking?

Also, how many years/hardship posts would you guess before a new FSO would be able to end up at a highly sought destination like Sydney? New Zealand?

If you are interested you should not let lack of language ability prevent you from applying. I didn't come in with any language skills.

Also, how many years/hardship posts would you guess before a new FSO would be able to end up at a highly sought destination like Sydney? New Zealand?

There's no way to answer this. Some people are directed to nice places right out of A-100. Others spend years to get to somewhere they want to go.

What gives you the greatest satisfaction in dealing with other countries: Is it them accommodating to the country your represent, or is it your people back home changing their ideas about where you are stationed?

I think the most satisfying aspect of my job is having foreign counterparts tell me things that don't make it into the papers (outside of Wikileaks or something). Public and private stances can be very different.

I have been considering a career change to the Foreign Service when my daughter graduates high school. I will be mid fourties. What would be the difficulties an older worker might experience entering the service in comparison to someone entering early in their career?

Everyone experiences a culture shock when they join. You may have a lot more to "unlearn" than a new college graduate might, but on the flip side you may have more experiences to draw on. Some posts have long hours and a physical component that older people have trouble dealing with sometimes (not that you're old).

What part of your job do you find most rewarding and why?

Representing the country. Getting the opportunity to sit at a table in a Foreign Ministry (or wherever) knowing that you've got the entire US government behind you is pretty great.

Are you doing this while on my dime?

No.

With no info on where you've been, this is pretty useless.

I've been to over 90 countries in an official capacity - mostly in Europe, the Middle East, and the western hemisphere. Specifics about where I've served can be personally identifying for any of my colleagues who might read this, so I'm not going to reveal things to that level of detail. Sorry if that disappoints you.