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Dameius posted:My cousin just graduated from a school in one of the largest metros in the country and he was the only person to get a job within 150 miles of campus because the market is so saturated. Not surprised. My state, Louisiana, is one of the less congested states because we only have 2 pharmacy schools and it's just about impossible to find any real work that isn't just replacing a burned out PIC in Nowheretown 250 miles away, or Per Diem Clinical Pharmacist, PGY2 and 3 years experience required, one day a week 4 hours away. Texas is bleeding pharmacists to us because they have 9 schools too. Long in short I worked very hard for a long time to do what was supposed to be the right thing just for it all to collapse. I'm ready to work hard again to do something better for my own mental health and to hopefully continue helping people.
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Aug 1, 2019 22:26
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:Fred's and Rite Aid getting bought out with mass closures, Walmart had a mass firing in the pharmacy department and restructured to single pharmacist per business day wherever possible, starting salaries are down in retail from ~60/hr to 40 and dropping, further squeezes forecast because pharmacy schools can't slow down pumping people out or they collapse and PBM's aren't disappearing. It's miserable work and it's only going to get worse for the foreseeable future. Rumor mill has Walmart targeting $30-35/hr for new grads within a couple of years, which is unconscionably low for people getting out of 7-8 years of school with $200k in debt and will have to fight for 6 months or more for jobs. I've been stuck for nearly 2 years as a PRN only pharmacist because my big blue company would rather hire new grads they can skin alive than someone who graduated in 2015. So I average between 10-40 hours per month based on how many people need to take a vacation or have to retire because they had a stroke at work and scheduling wouldn't help them find coverage. Man, that sounds totally depressing. Courier would definitely be a change of pace, but I just want to echo what people have said about the challenges of being a courier. You are on the road constantly and work ridiculous hours (Saturday from 2 am until 8 am) because of having to orient your life around international flight times. I've seen some couriers burn out pretty hard - but then a lot of them love it! It all depends on your tolerance for travel and your family's tolerance for separation. With the amount of education you have, I would also encourage you to look at other jobs in the Foreign Service - everything from GSO Specialist to FSO Generalist. I'm not a courier btw, but a DS Agent. I work with couriers a lot. I don't have much advice on applying to this specific job, but there are some things that hold true for all gov jobs. Read the vacancy announcement very carefully and be familiar with what it says - particularly before any interviews or written exams. Your resume needs to be crafted to reflect the listed job requirements. I recommend going as far as using the exact language from the job requirements on your resume - just find a way to work it in. Also, once the process starts be very proactive in following up on the status of your application. Even if they tell you they will call you when it's time for the next step - call them anyways and make sure things are moving along and they haven't forgotten you. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Aug 2, 2019 02:21
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All I want to do is live abroad and travel non stop. In June I hit 6 countries in 2 weeks, navigating the "coup attempt" in Ethiopia and delivering skateboards. For 3 years I was a passport courier in Los Angeles going to all the foreign consulates submitting passports for visas on behalf of others and now I work in international logistics but behind a computer not in the field. I'm going to put as much effort into this application as possible but with my lovely college transcripts and just the odds of 1000 apps for 2 spots, I'm quite certain I'm not DOS material.
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Aug 2, 2019 04:52
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Bruxism posted:Man, that sounds totally depressing. Courier would definitely be a change of pace, but I just want to echo what people have said about the challenges of being a courier. You are on the road constantly and work ridiculous hours (Saturday from 2 am until 8 am) because of having to orient your life around international flight times. I've seen some couriers burn out pretty hard - but then a lot of them love it! It all depends on your tolerance for travel and your family's tolerance for separation. With the amount of education you have, I would also encourage you to look at other jobs in the Foreign Service - everything from GSO Specialist to FSO Generalist. I'm not a courier btw, but a DS Agent. I work with couriers a lot. Thanks, I appreciate the advice! To be honest, I know it's a little selfish of me but I've always wanted to work overseas and see what was out there, but my education didn't allow a semester abroad. I never really wanted to just go vacation somewhere either; it doesn't feel right to me to go enjoy someone else's beaches or libraries or whatever as a tourist without giving something back. I like learning languages, mythology, food culture and so on anyway. I'll definitely look into that GSO/FSO work as well.
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Aug 2, 2019 05:34
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Casual Yogurt posted:All I want to do is live abroad and travel non stop. In June I hit 6 countries in 2 weeks, navigating the "coup attempt" in Ethiopia and delivering skateboards. For 3 years I was a passport courier in Los Angeles going to all the foreign consulates submitting passports for visas on behalf of others and now I work in international logistics but behind a computer not in the field. I'm going to put as much effort into this application as possible but with my lovely college transcripts and just the odds of 1000 apps for 2 spots, I'm quite certain I'm not DOS material. I don't think anyone is going to care about your college transcripts so long as you meet the minimum education requirements. Just go all in and cross your fingers. You never know what is going to happen with the hiring process - that's why it's so important to follow through. People applying for jobs like this are usually applying for every job like this. They may get selected, but then decide to follow a different opportunity. It's not unheard of for someone way down the list to suddenly get a class date - especially if they are proactive about it. Dr. Red Ranger posted:Thanks, I appreciate the advice! To be honest, I know it's a little selfish of me but I've always wanted to work overseas and see what was out there, but my education didn't allow a semester abroad. I never really wanted to just go vacation somewhere either; it doesn't feel right to me to go enjoy someone else's beaches or libraries or whatever as a tourist without giving something back. I like learning languages, mythology, food culture and so on anyway. I'll definitely look into that GSO/FSO work as well. Right on. Looking at the available jobs page (https://careers.state.gov/work/available-jobs/) I see IMS is also hiring. Also, if you think maybe you don't want to spend your entire life overseas but just get a taste of it, consider the Consular Fellows program - also hiring.
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Aug 2, 2019 06:24
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So I've done some reading and took the FSO career track quiz, and I think the Political Track looks the most appealing, considering my interest in language, politics and being involved the the communities I visit instead of a passive observer. I don't mind the idea of being overseas for long periods of time, and I don't have any IT skills or proficiencies anyway beyond the basic stuff like word processors so IMS is out. It looks like your host nation assignment isn't determined until after training based on need, so having language skills beforehand don't necessarily help you if you have a particular nation in mind, right? If I've been focusing on Japanese, the fact that we don't seem to have much to worry about with them right now would make that assignment pretty unlikely and I should try and learn something else? I suppose they have to worry about the downstream effects of Chinese trade policy in the region, how our trade war is affecting that, and their apparent need to increase immigration to deal with their labor issues, but that's likely for the economic track folks. Unfortunately, it looks like medical Foreign Service specialists are either physicians, nurses or physician assistants, so my pharmacy degree wouldn't help. Now, to somehow make a resume out of pharmacy and music experience into something they would care about at all and try my hand at the FSO test.
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Aug 7, 2019 18:27
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I had a colleague whose first tour was Pol/Mil in Tokyo. I suspect his 5/5 in Japanese had an influence on that assignment. You never know what might be available.
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Aug 8, 2019 02:36
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Well that's interesting. I doubt I'd score that high but it' good to have goals.
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Aug 8, 2019 18:44
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:So I've done some reading and took the FSO career track quiz, and I think the Political Track looks the most appealing, considering my interest in language, politics and being involved the the communities I visit instead of a passive observer. I don't mind the idea of being overseas for long periods of time, and I don't have any IT skills or proficiencies anyway beyond the basic stuff like word processors so IMS is out. It looks like your host nation assignment isn't determined until after training based on need, so having language skills beforehand don't necessarily help you if you have a particular nation in mind, right? If I've been focusing on Japanese, the fact that we don't seem to have much to worry about with them right now would make that assignment pretty unlikely and I should try and learn something else? I suppose they have to worry about the downstream effects of Chinese trade policy in the region, how our trade war is affecting that, and their apparent need to increase immigration to deal with their labor issues, but that's likely for the economic track folks. Unfortunately, it looks like medical Foreign Service specialists are either physicians, nurses or physician assistants, so my pharmacy degree wouldn't help. I'm not a generalist but I'll weigh in. Once you pass the test and get a orientation course date (called A-100) you head off to Northern Virginia for a few months of training. Towards the end of your A-100 they have "Flag Day" where everyone finds out where they are going. Prior to that you are given a list of every country currently waiting for a new hire to come out to them. You put them all in order of preference and then they direct you to one of the assignments. Your first two tours are directed and at least one of them will be a consular tour - generalists often work in areas outside their cone of "specialty." Your Japanese could have an impact on your assignment, but it could just as likely not. If they send you to another post with another language you will go through intensive language training before heading to that post. Language training can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years before heading to post.
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Aug 9, 2019 00:34
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Bruxism posted:I'm not a generalist but I'll weigh in. Once you pass the test and get a orientation course date (called A-100) you head off to Northern Virginia for a few months of training. Towards the end of your A-100 they have "Flag Day" where everyone finds out where they are going. Prior to that you are given a list of every country currently waiting for a new hire to come out to them. You put them all in order of preference and then they direct you to one of the assignments. Your first two tours are directed and at least one of them will be a consular tour - generalists often work in areas outside their cone of "specialty." Your Japanese could have an impact on your assignment, but it could just as likely not. If they send you to another post with another language you will go through intensive language training before heading to that post. Language training can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years before heading to post. Huh, neat. I didn't realize they were willing to put that much time into someone before sending them off at all after the long hiring process. Do you have any opinions on the FSO test itself? It looks like the next date is ~Sep. 28, which isn't too far off.
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Aug 9, 2019 19:01
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:Huh, neat. I didn't realize they were willing to put that much time into someone before sending them off at all after the long hiring process. Do you have any opinions on the FSO test itself? It looks like the next date is ~Sep. 28, which isn't too far off. Yea, it's kind of crazy how much time State will invest in language training. The test is hard to pin down - it covers a wide range of topics and the grading criteria are pretty opaque. I'm often surprised at who does well and who does poorly on it. If you are interested I absolutely suggest taking the test - one again there is no penalty for poor performance except waiting a year to take it again. There are some practice tests available on the website I believe - maybe even an app? Once again, if you are at all interested, take the test.
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Aug 13, 2019 03:21
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:
Problem solving, diversity of experience, resiliency, encounters with atypical situations and personalities, customers, bosses, bureaucracies.. all of these kinds of experiences either influenced the foreign-service-qualified person you are now or provided an opportunity to use those skills and traits. I’ve heard of housewives who’ve emphasized their organizational skills, as well as conflict resolution, budget, “interagency” coordination, and other skills. The earlier advice about reading the application and official prep materials closely, then responding to address the stated priorities is your path to glory.
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Aug 15, 2019 04:04
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Thanks. I need to shake off the old mindset for applying to pharmacy work with prerequisites, acronyms and hoop jumping with... well more hoop jumping but this time I get to think about my experiences in a meaningful way instead of maintaining subsistence. Because by god, I have stories. The time I had to help a man who only spoke an obscure Honduran dialect my phone translator didn't know with a complicated steroid dosing scheme, the time I helped a "slow" charter bus driving son of a patient get to a Walmart in Dallas 6 hours away over the phone to pick up a medication I had transferred for him because he forgot, the time my Korean friend's parents had left their blood pressure and diabetes medication back home on their trip to visit their son and even though their doctor had foreseen such an event and gave them a new prescription with a nice note it was illegal to fill in the US, the time the DEA visited because somehow a local doctor who was already in trouble had an ambulance's DEA number attached to all his controlled prescriptions, the time a crazy person tried to hop the counter at my cashier because he crammed into line 5 minutes before closing and we weren't able or even authorized to break $100's for change, the time my favorite middle eastern professor couple brought a set of what appeared to be duplicate prescriptions when in fact the doctor had written them with, eh, the culturally relevant assumption that it all had to be under the husband's name,.... Dr. Red Ranger fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Aug 15, 2019 |
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Aug 15, 2019 18:57
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This would certainly be a unique post. I know people who probably jump at this, but wow that is really cold and isolated. US to open Greenland consulate amid increased interest
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Aug 24, 2019 17:06
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AKA Pseudonym posted:This would certainly be a unique post. I know people who probably jump at this, but wow that is really cold and isolated. Buddy of mine got that gig - he's working part time in Copenhagen and part time in... whatever it's going to be called.
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Aug 25, 2019 19:10
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A rare vacancy announcement for Diplomatic Security Special Agent position is coming up. These are only happening about once a year these days. Happy to answer questions.
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Aug 26, 2019 00:39
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Congrats to those who got promoted.
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Aug 31, 2019 05:34
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the_chavi posted:So uhhh anyone want to bid Ankara? It's chill af. Definitely no high-level interest in our work, real 9-5 sort of place. Ever make it out to Adana? How’s that? SCRwM posted:Congrats to those who got promoted. Got my 3  That makes it 40% of our class now. Was 10% last year. Bruxism posted:A rare vacancy announcement for Diplomatic Security Special Agent position is coming up. These are only happening about once a year these days. Happy to answer questions. I’m a dummy. I applied for this for shits last year and accidentally said “yes I’ve been rejected from a suitability panel in the last year” and got my rejection a few months later. problematique fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Aug 31, 2019 |
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Aug 31, 2019 08:20
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problematique posted:Got my 3 Same, high fives all around! And I didn't even write an EER this year. 
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Aug 31, 2019 12:08
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Everyone I rated got promoted this time!
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Aug 31, 2019 12:13
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Business of Ferrets posted:Everyone I rated got promoted this time! That's gotta be a great feeling.
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Aug 31, 2019 12:25
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problematique posted:I’m a dummy. I applied for this for shits last year and accidentally said “yes I’ve been rejected from a suitability panel in the last year” and got my rejection a few months later. It's not too late to try again! Unless...you just turned 38?
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Aug 31, 2019 14:03
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Hey guys, I have a small clarification I'd like to ask for. I'm looking at the Available Jobs page under Foreign Service, registering for the FSOT and all, but I don't see any links to any particular job openings or places to put a resume. Will there be a corresponding opening listed on the USA Jobs website or is this an entirely different process?
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Sep 4, 2019 01:01
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:Hey guys, I have a small clarification I'd like to ask for. I'm looking at the Available Jobs page under Foreign Service, registering for the FSOT and all, but I don't see any links to any particular job openings or places to put a resume. Will there be a corresponding opening listed on the USA Jobs website or is this an entirely different process? You register for the FSOT on the Pearson VUE webpage. That's where you enter your resume information. If you are looking at Specialist and Civil Service jobs on the Careers webpage and you don't see any openings listed, that means there are none. Just keep checking periodically and job announcements will appear.
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Sep 4, 2019 14:18
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Thanks
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Sep 4, 2019 17:21
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problematique posted:Ever make it out to Adana? How’s that? Small, but I like it! The work is really interesting - a close friend is the sole poloff there currently. The new consulate compound is under construction I think, and the city itself is actually pretty charming. It's just swamp-rear end weather for four months out of the year.
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Sep 7, 2019 20:32
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Drinking some bourbon tonight for Sean Smith, since I never got to bring him his bottle to Benghazi.
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Sep 11, 2019 17:01
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All the FSOT practice material I'm looking at tells me this test is very, very focused on trivia from a wide variety of subject matter including world geography, governments, laws, and all sorts of esoteric things. Do people reasonably expect to make a >50% score on this? I get the feeling I should just wait later in the year for another test date because only prepping for this since August is obviously not enough with the FSOT later this month.
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Sep 17, 2019 19:53
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If you're the kind of guy who reads Wikipedia or watches Jeopardy for fun it's actually a pretty easy test.
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Sep 17, 2019 21:22
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:All the FSOT practice material I'm looking at tells me this test is very, very focused on trivia from a wide variety of subject matter including world geography, governments, laws, and all sorts of esoteric things. Do people reasonably expect to make a >50% score on this? I get the feeling I should just wait later in the year for another test date because only prepping for this since August is obviously not enough with the FSOT later this month. It's really not that bad. I say, just go for it. Even if you don't pass it the first time, the sooner you start the sooner you can re-take the test next year. Then you will know for sure what the test is like.
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Sep 18, 2019 01:37
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If you watch a lot of random documentaries on the History Channel and enjoy trivia and looking at maps, you should be fine. The FSOT is the easiest part of the hiring process.
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Sep 23, 2019 22:58
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Well guys, I'm taking the FSOT on Saturday. Wish me luck.
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Sep 26, 2019 04:53
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:Well guys, I'm taking the FSOT on Saturday. Wish me luck. That's what I'm talkin' about. Good luck. Keep us posted.
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Sep 26, 2019 05:35
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:Well guys, I'm taking the FSOT on Saturday. Wish me luck. Good luck, man.
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Sep 27, 2019 00:29
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Well I didn't expect results back within a couple of hours, and especially a passing grade with next to no prep, so there you go. Nice.
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Sep 29, 2019 00:03
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Congratulations. Put a lot of effort into the next step of the process because it's where a lot of folks get cut.
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Sep 29, 2019 00:14
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I'm beginning to think Twitter is just about the goddamned worst thing ever invented.
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Oct 7, 2019 18:57
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the_chavi posted:I'm beginning to think Twitter is just about the goddamned worst thing ever invented.
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Oct 11, 2019 13:31
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Edit: Whatever, I'll think of something.
Dr. Red Ranger fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Oct 16, 2019 |
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Oct 16, 2019 20:38
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So yesterday I passed the oral assessment with a 5.4. How likely is that to get me off the list. I'm in the consular cone and have no languages.
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Oct 24, 2019 00:46
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