Becoming a FSO?

Question

One of my biggest dreams in the future is to become a diplomat. Obviously, it is not an easy job and I have read up on the written and oral exam that people must take in order to hopefully become a diplomat. However, I would love to travel the world and I am really into helping other countries out in any way I can, etc.

I could rant on and on about why I want to become a diplomat, but I will just get to the point. Right now, I am a high school sophomore and these are my questions:

1. How hard is the exam and oral test?

2. What university/college would be good for me? I heard Georgetown is an excellent school for foreign service for example.

3. What kind of major should I have? Does International Relations/Affairs work?

4. How much does an FSO get paid? Money is not a real concern for me because the whole opportunity to be able to travel and whatnot is already a big dream of mine.

Thanks!

Answer 1

As far as your majors go, there are a lot you could pick from. Diplomats often have a background in political science, international affairs/studies, business/economics, even history or law. They may also have a background in something completely different. Serving with the FSO carries no specific *requirements* as to what type of education you're expected to have, as there is no such expectation.

If you don't know a foreign language, well, you might want 1, 2, 3 of those on top of English, but expect that if you do become a diplomat, you would often be sent to areas of the world that match your language skills (e.g. Middle East if you speak Arabic, states of the former Soviet Union if you speak Russian, etc.) for obvious reasons.

Certain languages are in higher demand due to increased US political/diplomatic activity in those areas of the world where they are spoken.

Take a look over there as well:

http://www.careers.state.gov/index.html

Good luck!