Providing a public good like national security versus providing a service or product demanded by the market leads to a vastly different operating environment. He then started working for the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in 2006 and has… Looking ahead I see myself serving at a variety of posts including Main State and hope to take on additional leadership roles with each assignment. Is there anything you miss about working in the private sector? I do miss the agile decision making and the way the private sector can just get things done. I moved to DC for grad school and attended George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. What are some of the biggest differences between working in the State Department and working in the private sector? After double majoring in French and management information systems, I worked for an international technology consulting firm for several years. After working for Accenture he attended George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs where he received an M.A. Currently, as a reporting officer, my work informs Washington of the dynamic political, social, and economic conditions on the ground in East China (i.e. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Can you give a brief sketch of your career trajectory? Consular officers play a crucial role protecting our national security by facilitating legitimate travel to the United States and providing services to American citizens abroad. My reminiscences are a few years old now. After graduation I joined the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), where I’ve served at our diplomatic posts in Jerusalem, Bangkok and Shanghai. Working in the private sector as a consultant right out of college provided a lot of valuable experiences and exposure to industries ranging from banking, retail, biotech, energy, and government. Foreign Policy and Voting: Do Presidential Candidates Waltz Before Blind SAISers? How is your specific role important in the functioning of the State Department? Can you walk us through a typical day in the life at the State Department? But after a while I learned to navigate the processes and paper flows that push forward the cogs in the wheel. During positive business cycles the jobs are plentiful and the money is great; however, economic downturns often result in layoffs. The benefits of representing America doing meaningful work far outweigh the inconveniences and inefficiencies that are built into keeping the system fair and transparent. ‎The most difficult transition for me was learning to operate in the bureaucracy that is the federal government. The exciting pace of work, travel perks, and pay were also rewarding. Like most new FSOs I served as a consular officer for my first tour. in International Affairs. Two weeks after returning to the United States, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 took place. Shanghai, as well as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces). in International Affairs. View all posts by The SAIS Observer Staff. During my second tour I served in the management section of Embassy Bangkok as a contracting officer and later as an assistant management officer. It would do my heart good if some currently serving Canadian foreign service officer would assure me things are better now. The Election Will Be Televised: Presidential debates in the digital age, Election Security: How to make sure your vote counts, The Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Explained, SAIS Pandemic Finances – The Odd School Out. To give you an idea of my life as a political officer serving at our consulate in Shanghai, these are some of the items on my agenda this week: I’m attending a conference on the state of the LGBT community in China, highlighting firms that are promoting inclusive HR and marketing campaigns; I have a meeting with an official from the Zhejiang provincial government to ask about the province’s 13th five-year development plan; I will write a report on Shanghai scholars’ views of cross-Strait relations and the upcoming elections in Taiwan based on meetings I had with experts from think tanks and Shanghai’s top universities; and I will assist our public affairs section by participating in “basketball diplomacy” with visiting Pac-12 basketball players who we linked up with Special Olympics Shanghai to conduct a skills workshop and friendly match. Visit Job Bank to learn about this occupation or for more information about the Canadian labour market. Besides the cyclical nature of changing administrations and government priorities, working for the federal government tends to be very stable, albeit at lower wages than the private sector. One of my projects was to help set up a regional joint training center with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to save the government money by hosting training locally for employees from across the East Asia Pacific and South Central Asia regions. Find out what work is like for a Foreign Service Officer in Canada. The views expressed are‎ the individual’s own, and do not necessarily reflect State Department policy. After working for Accenture he attended George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs where he received an M.A. When you first began working as a Foreign Service Officer, was there anything that you found difficult to adapt to? Public service is driven by operational mission and congressional mandate. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), A Day in the Life of a Foreign Service Officer. After working for a dynamic firm in the private sector, the endless paperwork, approval chains, and regulations seemed to slow everything down, stifling creativity and hampering decision making. Jonathan Crawford worked as a manager at Accenture from 1999-2004 after graduating from Brigham Young University. In my experience the level of professionalism and commitment among coworkers in both environments has been excellent. Find key facts and figures about working as a foreign service officer in Canada: available jobs, wages, career prospects, skills, job requirements and more. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Firms have to focus on profits/loss and act accordingly. View job descriptions, duties, titles, and more. He then started working for the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in 2006 and has been stationed in Jerusalem, Bangkok, and most recently Shanghai. Visit Job Bank to learn about this occupation or for … Always interested in working overseas, I requested a transfer to a project in Germany and worked in Cologne and Frankfurt for a year. Jonathan Crawford worked as a manager at Accenture from 1999-2004 after graduating from Brigham Young University. This prompted me to change career paths and find a way to serve my country.

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