Reply #57: Realistically,

[Tangerine LaBamba]

all the jobs at the White House are very, very, very politically connected. They don't hire people who aren't already "inside." Same is true for any job on Capitol Hill - either your family back home is politically involved, or your family has made big donations, or you're recommended by someone who's either of those two things. But, walk-ins don't get even a first look.

The Foreign Service exam is scheduled in advance, and you have to apply in order to be qualified to take it. They don't let just anyone take it, so if she wants to explore that possibility, warn her that she has to get on the stick right now, because I think they give the test in October, and after that, it could be another six months.

Also - and I have a lot of friends from law school who took the test, but it was a long time ago - it was really, really hard. I'm sure she'd do fine, but she's gonna have to want to be a Foreign Service Officer really badly. It's a fun career, though, if you're interested in living abroad and doing strange things. My old FSO friends have some wonderful stories, and they've been EVERYWHERE.

Staying in D.C., though, she has a lot of places to explore. I'm sure GW's placement office has all sorts of resources that she can utilize.

Boy, I'm glad I'm not starting out today! Seems so much harder than 'way back when, don't you think?