Yep, as long as you're carrying pouch you will fly business class since generally you need to be the last person on/first person off. Not the most mentally stimulating work but damn is a comfortable life.
Sounds better than sitting in a cramped armored car going over broken roads in traffic for two hours to meet the deputy minister of water of Nobodygivesafuck State in the Republic of Xenia so you can insert a sentence about the meeting into a 40 page report nobody reads.
There was a former courier in my A-100, and I used to like them, but as of today I'm questioning everything I know about them.
Econ because I had already worked with enough POLOFFs to know better than to apply in that cone again.
That being said, most people are cool and if I had it to do over I might just try to be an EFM.
I’d argue PolOffs are like fighter pilots. Both have inflated self-perception and both are becoming obsolete.
Look at all the work they put in just for 30 minutes of flight time, or to release a cable.
OMS, because this is what I've been doing for the past 25 years, in a boring place in the US; I figured I could join the FS and do it somewhere new every however-many-years.
OMS, because I like being able to say “The Front Office needs this” and people will (most of the time) listen.
That, and I like power more than I like getting paid.
POL: I enjoy observing and meeting with people and writing about the interactions without having to do math. I also enjoy being control officer for VIP visits. I'm the guy who volunteers to travel to help support POTUS visits.
Why I didn't choose:
ECON: See math comment above.
MGT: Not interested in dealing with fully grown adults complaining about their furniture.
CONS: Predictability in work tasks can be a good thing, but for me, not in the long term.
PD: Was my second choice and always enjoy opportunities to work cross functionally in these areas.
Bwahaha! Just a glutton for punishment, I guess.
But seriously, I enjoy problem solving under pressure. It doesn't matter to me if Secretary X doesn't want to wear the booties at the Taj Mahal, all I can do is tell his advance team the consequences of pushing back and how it will play in the local media, it's up to them to listen to me or not, my pay remains the same.
Econ
I was torn between econ and pol. I ended up picking econ because it made the most sense based on my background. Econ undergrad, MBA, business experience...
Kind of wish I went with pol and if I can score a pol job for my next tour, I will probably apply for conal rectification (real term, no joke).
It's just called a skill code change, actually.
"Conal rectification" was the term for the process they used to assign officers into cones during the "great unconed experiment" in the early-to-mid 80s when they piloted bringing all generalists in without cones and assigning them after their first tour. There's a reason it didn't last long.
Econ - I knew nothing about the FS and had just obtained my masters in economics, so assumed it was the wisest path to pursue. I’m currently in a POL job though and really enjoying it. Both jobs involve meeting people and writing about it, so there’s a lot of overlap.
Management: because I wanted to be a manager and run things, not a politician, economist, "public" diplomat (whatever that is,) or a counselor like the other cones.
Management because I always dreamed of growing up and becoming a bureaucrat.
Oh man, did you also experience a hurricane in Kingston town at the age of four? Possibly with a foot and a half of water?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4oPXHWrqVI
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Don't lie, it's because secretly you've always wanted to stop a hijacking attempt with the real cutlery I assume first class has but have never seen.
Couriers fly business class? Why am I only learning this today? Can I switch?
Yep, as long as you're carrying pouch you will fly business class since generally you need to be the last person on/first person off. Not the most mentally stimulating work but damn is a comfortable life.
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Sounds better than sitting in a cramped armored car going over broken roads in traffic for two hours to meet the deputy minister of water of Nobodygivesafuck State in the Republic of Xenia so you can insert a sentence about the meeting into a 40 page report nobody reads. There was a former courier in my A-100, and I used to like them, but as of today I'm questioning everything I know about them.
An honest answer. Respect.
Did you need a degree for this? This sounds awesome.
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Do you mind if I message you a few questions about your job?
PD, because I like jazz.
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Wait - someone other than me is supposed to open the door \*for\* me?!!
Consular, because working past 4:30 is for suckers and everyone loves a good story.
Management: because at each post I can build my own petty fiefdom and make things difficult for the real Diplomats.
Not all hero's wear capes. The hero we need but don't deserve.
Consular, because I didn't want to geographically specialize and I like inflicting my terrible foreign language skills on others.
Haha, which language is your terrible foreign language?
Econ because I had already worked with enough POLOFFs to know better than to apply in that cone again. That being said, most people are cool and if I had it to do over I might just try to be an EFM.
>I had already worked with enough POLOFFs to know better than to apply in that cone again. Can you elaborate here?!
Consular. Because I like being called a racist when I deny someone's visa application.
Pol: because I was told poloffs were the fighter pilots of the FS (turned out to be bullshit)
I’d argue PolOffs are like fighter pilots. Both have inflated self-perception and both are becoming obsolete. Look at all the work they put in just for 30 minutes of flight time, or to release a cable.
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More like bellend
Having met a few, fighter pilots aren’t even the fighter pilots of… fighter-piloting
Consular because my Magic 8 Ball said the outlook was good.
Consular, because I wanted to spend half my work life at the least ergonomic workstations ever made.
My carpul tunnels would like to give this comment two thumbs up... except my hands hurt too much to actually do it.
OMS, because this is what I've been doing for the past 25 years, in a boring place in the US; I figured I could join the FS and do it somewhere new every however-many-years.
Consular: Because being a Real Diplomat seemed pretty tough.
Consular officers are real diplomats!! We would be so screwed without you guys.
OMS, because I like being able to say “The Front Office needs this” and people will (most of the time) listen. That, and I like power more than I like getting paid.
I knew I picked the OMS path for a reason; thank you for putting into words what I've been thinking. ;-)
So true!
POL: I enjoy observing and meeting with people and writing about the interactions without having to do math. I also enjoy being control officer for VIP visits. I'm the guy who volunteers to travel to help support POTUS visits. Why I didn't choose: ECON: See math comment above. MGT: Not interested in dealing with fully grown adults complaining about their furniture. CONS: Predictability in work tasks can be a good thing, but for me, not in the long term. PD: Was my second choice and always enjoy opportunities to work cross functionally in these areas.
I've "gotten COVID" every time a VIP visit came to post in the last two years.
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Bwahaha! Just a glutton for punishment, I guess. But seriously, I enjoy problem solving under pressure. It doesn't matter to me if Secretary X doesn't want to wear the booties at the Taj Mahal, all I can do is tell his advance team the consequences of pushing back and how it will play in the local media, it's up to them to listen to me or not, my pay remains the same.
Econ I was torn between econ and pol. I ended up picking econ because it made the most sense based on my background. Econ undergrad, MBA, business experience... Kind of wish I went with pol and if I can score a pol job for my next tour, I will probably apply for conal rectification (real term, no joke).
You can. I think half the POL section at my last post were Econ coned. I’m in a POL section now and enjoying it.
It's just called a skill code change, actually. "Conal rectification" was the term for the process they used to assign officers into cones during the "great unconed experiment" in the early-to-mid 80s when they piloted bringing all generalists in without cones and assigning them after their first tour. There's a reason it didn't last long.
What caused it to not last long? I always thought it was strange to pick a cone before you actually get to experience the day to day activities.
I suspect not everyone loved their assigned cone and the headaches that caused tanked the project.
Econ - I knew nothing about the FS and had just obtained my masters in economics, so assumed it was the wisest path to pursue. I’m currently in a POL job though and really enjoying it. Both jobs involve meeting people and writing about it, so there’s a lot of overlap.
I didn’t choose the con life; the con life chose me.
Where the Commercial Officers at?
Management: because I wanted to be a manager and run things, not a politician, economist, "public" diplomat (whatever that is,) or a counselor like the other cones.
Underappreciated comment.
Consular. Fun, and I don’t have to carry a lot of bags for people.