Sunday, August 30, 2009
Younger Man
I went on a date last night with a cute guy I met at my friend Cindy's birthday party a few weeks ago. I don't think he knows how old I am - or if he does, he doesn't care. Who knows. I think he is 26. He graduated from law school last year and now works as an attorney for a state agency. He lives close by, so that's convenient. He actually works in a building across the street from where I work. He came over here and we walked to Tower Cafe. It was a hot evening, still in the 80s at 9 p.m. There is a beautiful outdoor patio at the cafe and we sat there drinking wine. One bottle was probably enough, but I think we were both enjoying the conversation so we ordered another. I hope I wasn't slurring! We left at around 11:30 and headed back to my place. He hung out here for about 15 minutes before leaving. There was some kissing...very nice. I'd be happy to hang out with him again, but we'll see. I'm leaving it up to him to contact me if he wants to go out again.
Switzerland
I am very excited that I have a job interview this week with an organization in Switzerland! The interview will take place via Skype...no trip to Geneva :(
Would I move to Geneva if I got this job? YES!! Absolutely. You can't pass up amazing opportunities like that.
Would I move to Geneva if I got this job? YES!! Absolutely. You can't pass up amazing opportunities like that.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Foreign Service Application Process
On June 11, I took the Foreign Service Officer Test. This is the first step for those who are interested in a career with the U.S. Department of State as a professional diplomat. The hiring process is extremely competitive - only about 10-12% of those who take the test end up with a job offer. I've always been interested in a diplomatic career, but life just happens and takes you in different directions. You can't plan it. But now I'm at a point where I feel that all of my cumulative career experience has possibly prepared me well for a career in the Foreign Service. Since I'm exploring a career change anyway, I figured I'd sign up for the exam. It doesn't cost anything, so what the hell.
Some say that you can't effectively study for the test. I studied anyway. I checked out a great book called The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy from the library. I had a study guide and I practiced writing timed essays. There are four sections to the test: job knowledge, bio, English expression, and essay. I was really concerned about job knowledge and the essay. I worried about what the essay prompt would be, so I was trying to brush up on all sorts of current events, domestic and international. After a while I relaxed about it because I realized there's no way I could prepare for it (and I was right!).
On the day of the test, I was feeling OK. When I arrived at the testing site, I started getting nervous. The test is taken on a computer and it's multiple choice (except for the essay, of course). The job knowledge section was first. I thought - for sure I'm not going to pass, based on that section. I found it extremely difficult. The bio section was OK, it's hard to tell how they score that, becanuse you're just answering questions about your own experiences. The English section was unbelievably easy. I would be surprised if I missed more than 2 or 3 questions. The essay prompt was something general enough that I felt comfortable typing up a decent answer. You have to get 6/12 points to pass the essay and I was pretty sure I accomplished that.
I left feeling rather defeated and quite disappointed. However, I got an e-mail about 3 weeks later informing me, much to my surprise, that I had passed! Shocking. I was pretty excited but knew there were more hurdles to overcome. I believe 45-50% of people taking the written exam pass. Next, we were instructed to submit 5 short essay answers discussing our leadership, management, communication, etc. skills. We have three weeks to submit them. I've been spending quite a bit of time on my answers. It's been very frustrating to write these stories in such limited space, only about 200 words. However, I feel I've done my best and I think I have some fairly good essays. I'll submit them online tomorrow.
Then it's back to waiting. I will find out by October if I am invited to move on to the next step, which is a daylong oral assessment. I can't believe it takes up to 3 months for the examiners to make this decision. In the meantime, I'm going to pursue other foreign service opportunities, but with different agencies. The US Dept of Commerce and the US Agency for International Development both have foreign service officers. The hiring process is still competitive, but doesn't seem quite as grueling. I feel like I'm fairly well-qualified for positions at any of these agencies, but there are thousands of people applying for a limited number of openings. From what I know, the State Dept will be hiring many more foreign service officers than in past years, so it seems like it's a great time to be applying. The US government is investing in diplomacy, which I think is a wonderful idea!
Some say that you can't effectively study for the test. I studied anyway. I checked out a great book called The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy from the library. I had a study guide and I practiced writing timed essays. There are four sections to the test: job knowledge, bio, English expression, and essay. I was really concerned about job knowledge and the essay. I worried about what the essay prompt would be, so I was trying to brush up on all sorts of current events, domestic and international. After a while I relaxed about it because I realized there's no way I could prepare for it (and I was right!).
On the day of the test, I was feeling OK. When I arrived at the testing site, I started getting nervous. The test is taken on a computer and it's multiple choice (except for the essay, of course). The job knowledge section was first. I thought - for sure I'm not going to pass, based on that section. I found it extremely difficult. The bio section was OK, it's hard to tell how they score that, becanuse you're just answering questions about your own experiences. The English section was unbelievably easy. I would be surprised if I missed more than 2 or 3 questions. The essay prompt was something general enough that I felt comfortable typing up a decent answer. You have to get 6/12 points to pass the essay and I was pretty sure I accomplished that.
I left feeling rather defeated and quite disappointed. However, I got an e-mail about 3 weeks later informing me, much to my surprise, that I had passed! Shocking. I was pretty excited but knew there were more hurdles to overcome. I believe 45-50% of people taking the written exam pass. Next, we were instructed to submit 5 short essay answers discussing our leadership, management, communication, etc. skills. We have three weeks to submit them. I've been spending quite a bit of time on my answers. It's been very frustrating to write these stories in such limited space, only about 200 words. However, I feel I've done my best and I think I have some fairly good essays. I'll submit them online tomorrow.
Then it's back to waiting. I will find out by October if I am invited to move on to the next step, which is a daylong oral assessment. I can't believe it takes up to 3 months for the examiners to make this decision. In the meantime, I'm going to pursue other foreign service opportunities, but with different agencies. The US Dept of Commerce and the US Agency for International Development both have foreign service officers. The hiring process is still competitive, but doesn't seem quite as grueling. I feel like I'm fairly well-qualified for positions at any of these agencies, but there are thousands of people applying for a limited number of openings. From what I know, the State Dept will be hiring many more foreign service officers than in past years, so it seems like it's a great time to be applying. The US government is investing in diplomacy, which I think is a wonderful idea!
Distractions
Lately I haven't been making any effort as far as dating is concerned. I feel like there are other, much more important things to focus on - like employment! The economic situation is really stressful, and it's compounded by working where I work, because the reality of the state's horrible budget deficit is in my face all the time. I am often reminded to be grateful, however, that I still have my job and I'm not subject to the furlough order. Most state employees are furloughed for three Fridays every month now. When I'm biking to work on those days, I feel really sad for my fellow government employees who have to deal with a 14% salary reduction. If I had to do that, it would be very difficult.
Given the dour economic outlook, coupled with the political realities in my office, it is definitely time to move on and find a new job. It's disappointing, because I thought I would be in this job for a while longer, but honestly it's not what I thought it was, and I'll probably be happier doing something else. However, quitting is not an option! Not when I have major financial responsibilities. I completely adore my house, but lately I've been wondering what I was thinking buying a house!! It's such a huge financial commitment. At least the value has held, so if I did have to sell, it would be an option. I'd like to keep it. Realistically, if I want to continue my career in international affairs, I'm going to have to move away, either overseas or to Washington, DC. I don't want to move away from my friends and family and this cute house, but if I want to pursue what I'm passionate about, I can't stay in Sacramento. I'd also like to live in a larger, more vibrant city. I can always come home and visit.
I also feel as though since I'm not in a relationship, I can move away, I can pursue an international career. It's all about me - that's a good thing for me right now. I would be open to meeting someone in the future, preferably someone who understands and shares my interest in travel, living abroad, and having adventures.
While I'm pursuing career opportunities elsewhere, I would really prefer not to meet anyone because that would just be a distraction and make things more difficult! Given my track record, however, it's probably not something I'll have to worry about.
Given the dour economic outlook, coupled with the political realities in my office, it is definitely time to move on and find a new job. It's disappointing, because I thought I would be in this job for a while longer, but honestly it's not what I thought it was, and I'll probably be happier doing something else. However, quitting is not an option! Not when I have major financial responsibilities. I completely adore my house, but lately I've been wondering what I was thinking buying a house!! It's such a huge financial commitment. At least the value has held, so if I did have to sell, it would be an option. I'd like to keep it. Realistically, if I want to continue my career in international affairs, I'm going to have to move away, either overseas or to Washington, DC. I don't want to move away from my friends and family and this cute house, but if I want to pursue what I'm passionate about, I can't stay in Sacramento. I'd also like to live in a larger, more vibrant city. I can always come home and visit.
I also feel as though since I'm not in a relationship, I can move away, I can pursue an international career. It's all about me - that's a good thing for me right now. I would be open to meeting someone in the future, preferably someone who understands and shares my interest in travel, living abroad, and having adventures.
While I'm pursuing career opportunities elsewhere, I would really prefer not to meet anyone because that would just be a distraction and make things more difficult! Given my track record, however, it's probably not something I'll have to worry about.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Confessions of a Slacker
I confess, I’ve been a total slacker the last couple of weeks at work. I plan on picking up the pace next week, because I’ve learned that NOT working actually makes the day go by much slower, and I feel much more sluggish at the end of the day. Not worth it! Plus I feel a little guilty too. How have I been keeping myself occupied? Well, I spend a lot of time job-searching. I used to feel uncomfortable using state time and computers to search for other jobs, but now I can justify it, because I feel very uncertain about my future employment situation.
Today I took it a step further and actually applied for a job online. It probably took me about half an hour, so I called it my lunch break. I find very few jobs that I actually want to apply for, and I think this is the only job I’ve applied for. It’s something in Sacramento, in the private sector. Not my ideal job, but according to the description, it appeared to be something I’d be at least relatively qualified for. I have no idea what the salary would be. I mostly applied in the hopes I’ll get called for an interview, because I think it will be good practice to do some job interviews. It’s a fairly large corporation, and I imagine they’ll get a lot of applications for this position, so I don’t have high expectations that I’ll be considered. If I really wanted to pursue it, I could probably call a couple of people who could put in a good word. But I am not going to that length, I suppose I’m not that desperate yet.
The other thing I’ve been doing while I’m supposed to be working is studying for this horrendous exam required for those who wish to serve the US as diplomats. I took the exam yesterday afternoon and would be shocked if I actually passed. Most disappointing was that I spent what I consider to be a great deal of time studying and preparing. The questions I thought were difficult were on topics I feel to be rather obscure. I thought to myself during the test, there’s no way I could have studied more and done better. I did my best, and made a number of educated guesses, but my sense is that I missed too many to get a passing score.
The exam has four sections: job knowledge, which is the part that I found most difficult. The questions test your knowledge of US and world history, culture, world geography, the political system, etc. The next section was an opportunity to answer questions about yourself. I found it a little weird, even though I had sample questions and knew what to expect. I just don’t know how they grade this section. The English expression section was very, very easy. I mean, I was almost laughing during it because it was so simple. Anyone who’s a native English speaker would breeze through it. The final portion was a timed essay. We were provided with a prompt – I know that there are different prompts out there, so the topics vary – and you have to write a persuasive essay, arguing your position one way or another, in 30 minutes. I had done some practice essays to see how fast I could write and I felt pretty confident that I could get it done in 30 minutes. I did finish just in time and didn’t have time to review, but I think I did well enough to get a passing score, which is all I need.
My thought about this whole process now that it’s over – first of all, I’m relieved! No more studying, and my life can get back to normal. By that I mean I can stop making excuses to not clean my house. Last weekend, I pretty much sequestered myself to the house and studied all day long, both days. Ugh. I’m happy to regain my free time. I also feel that if it’s meant to be, I will pass, and that if I don’t, that means I don’t have the knowledge, experience, or qualities they are looking for. Fortunately I have a number of other interests that I can and will pursue. All I know for sure is that I have to take action to change my current employment situation because I don’t know how much longer I can bear it.
Today I took it a step further and actually applied for a job online. It probably took me about half an hour, so I called it my lunch break. I find very few jobs that I actually want to apply for, and I think this is the only job I’ve applied for. It’s something in Sacramento, in the private sector. Not my ideal job, but according to the description, it appeared to be something I’d be at least relatively qualified for. I have no idea what the salary would be. I mostly applied in the hopes I’ll get called for an interview, because I think it will be good practice to do some job interviews. It’s a fairly large corporation, and I imagine they’ll get a lot of applications for this position, so I don’t have high expectations that I’ll be considered. If I really wanted to pursue it, I could probably call a couple of people who could put in a good word. But I am not going to that length, I suppose I’m not that desperate yet.
The other thing I’ve been doing while I’m supposed to be working is studying for this horrendous exam required for those who wish to serve the US as diplomats. I took the exam yesterday afternoon and would be shocked if I actually passed. Most disappointing was that I spent what I consider to be a great deal of time studying and preparing. The questions I thought were difficult were on topics I feel to be rather obscure. I thought to myself during the test, there’s no way I could have studied more and done better. I did my best, and made a number of educated guesses, but my sense is that I missed too many to get a passing score.
The exam has four sections: job knowledge, which is the part that I found most difficult. The questions test your knowledge of US and world history, culture, world geography, the political system, etc. The next section was an opportunity to answer questions about yourself. I found it a little weird, even though I had sample questions and knew what to expect. I just don’t know how they grade this section. The English expression section was very, very easy. I mean, I was almost laughing during it because it was so simple. Anyone who’s a native English speaker would breeze through it. The final portion was a timed essay. We were provided with a prompt – I know that there are different prompts out there, so the topics vary – and you have to write a persuasive essay, arguing your position one way or another, in 30 minutes. I had done some practice essays to see how fast I could write and I felt pretty confident that I could get it done in 30 minutes. I did finish just in time and didn’t have time to review, but I think I did well enough to get a passing score, which is all I need.
My thought about this whole process now that it’s over – first of all, I’m relieved! No more studying, and my life can get back to normal. By that I mean I can stop making excuses to not clean my house. Last weekend, I pretty much sequestered myself to the house and studied all day long, both days. Ugh. I’m happy to regain my free time. I also feel that if it’s meant to be, I will pass, and that if I don’t, that means I don’t have the knowledge, experience, or qualities they are looking for. Fortunately I have a number of other interests that I can and will pursue. All I know for sure is that I have to take action to change my current employment situation because I don’t know how much longer I can bear it.
Cash Log
I was reading a blog this afternoon that features money-saving tips. One entry was particularly interesting, it was the "money diary" of a 25-year-old woman. For a number of days, she wrote about what she spent her money on. Mostly, she felt guilty about spending money she didn't have - she was buying a lot of things with her credit card. I've been thinking a lot lately - worrying a lot, actually - about money and the need to spend less because of what I see as an unstable employment future. I thought I'd give the money diary a shot. Here goes:
Friday, June 12: Today was payday. Normally this would be exciting, because it appears that I have a fairly significant amount of money in my checking account. The reality is that I have to stash about half of my paycheck away so that I can make the mortgage payment on July 1. Also, my student loan payment cleared today. That's another big chunk. I made an online payment for my credit card, and that should clear tomorrow. I did deposit my travel reimbursement check today, which covers the credit card and then some, so that is reassuring.
I mostly spent money on little things today. I bought a couple pieces of candy at See's. I think I spent about $1.45 there. I stopped at Safeway on my way home and spent about $14 on groceries, some stuff for dinner and some fruit. I decided to stay home tonight because I wanted to relax after a stressful week. I did treat myself to a movie at Blockbuster, which set me back $4.88. I bought some candy for $0.88. And I think that's about it.
Lately I've been leaving my wallet at home when I go to work, so I won't be tempted to go buy stuff. This is mostly to prevent me from buying cookies or other unnecessary food during the day - like the See's candy today! It works pretty well and I can kill two birds with one stone - save money and save calories.
Friday, June 12: Today was payday. Normally this would be exciting, because it appears that I have a fairly significant amount of money in my checking account. The reality is that I have to stash about half of my paycheck away so that I can make the mortgage payment on July 1. Also, my student loan payment cleared today. That's another big chunk. I made an online payment for my credit card, and that should clear tomorrow. I did deposit my travel reimbursement check today, which covers the credit card and then some, so that is reassuring.
I mostly spent money on little things today. I bought a couple pieces of candy at See's. I think I spent about $1.45 there. I stopped at Safeway on my way home and spent about $14 on groceries, some stuff for dinner and some fruit. I decided to stay home tonight because I wanted to relax after a stressful week. I did treat myself to a movie at Blockbuster, which set me back $4.88. I bought some candy for $0.88. And I think that's about it.
Lately I've been leaving my wallet at home when I go to work, so I won't be tempted to go buy stuff. This is mostly to prevent me from buying cookies or other unnecessary food during the day - like the See's candy today! It works pretty well and I can kill two birds with one stone - save money and save calories.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Taken
The Boytoy and I made plans to see each other on Thursday night. He called me the night before, at 10:30 pm. I was surprised to hear from him. He wanted to share with me that he'd received a job offer. He was really excited about it. I thought it was kind of adorable that he wanted to call me that night with the info, considering I'd be seeing him the next day. He also wanted to ask me if it'd be OK if he stopped by the office to see me. I said sure, I'd be in all afternoon. He had a lunch meeting in downtown.
He came by the office at about 4:30 pm and hung out in the reception area, chatting with my work friend and me for about 15 minutes. He got ready to leave and I wanted to talk with him about our plans for later, but couldn't do so there. He said he was going to get a beer with some people we used to work with. I knew he had a b-ball game at 7:30 (he asked me to come watch) but I didn't know if he was meeting me before and/or after the game. I was somewhat irritated because I really need to have my time planned and scheduled. What can I say, I'm a busy girl! If we weren't going to hang out after work, then I would have time to get my nails done. We exchanged a couple of text messages and I told him I wouldn't have time to go to his game, but I confirmed he was coming to my place after. He told me he'd like to watch a move and I said I'd rent one. I went to Safeway after my nail appointment and got a movie (Taken) and I bought a frozen pizza for him. He didn't come over until a little after 9:00 pm. I was relaxing, watching the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. He took a shower and I cooked his pizza. I started the movie. We watched about 3/4 of the movie before I leaned over and gave him a kiss. The kiss kept going and I suggested we pause the movie. He didn't protest.
We went upstairs - no need to share details, but I would like to say that I was very impressed and I had a great time. He was still in my bed when I left for work. I told him he could hang out and that the front door was locked, so he could leave whenever. He still isn't allowed to drive. I didn't bother asking how he was going to get home, I figured he had a friend or family member to call for a ride. He had plans to play golf at 3 p.m. He's got it pretty good for an unemployed guy.
I am fairly certain that we'll see each other again, I don't see why not. So far, everything's going according to my plan (of what I want, that is).
He came by the office at about 4:30 pm and hung out in the reception area, chatting with my work friend and me for about 15 minutes. He got ready to leave and I wanted to talk with him about our plans for later, but couldn't do so there. He said he was going to get a beer with some people we used to work with. I knew he had a b-ball game at 7:30 (he asked me to come watch) but I didn't know if he was meeting me before and/or after the game. I was somewhat irritated because I really need to have my time planned and scheduled. What can I say, I'm a busy girl! If we weren't going to hang out after work, then I would have time to get my nails done. We exchanged a couple of text messages and I told him I wouldn't have time to go to his game, but I confirmed he was coming to my place after. He told me he'd like to watch a move and I said I'd rent one. I went to Safeway after my nail appointment and got a movie (Taken) and I bought a frozen pizza for him. He didn't come over until a little after 9:00 pm. I was relaxing, watching the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. He took a shower and I cooked his pizza. I started the movie. We watched about 3/4 of the movie before I leaned over and gave him a kiss. The kiss kept going and I suggested we pause the movie. He didn't protest.
We went upstairs - no need to share details, but I would like to say that I was very impressed and I had a great time. He was still in my bed when I left for work. I told him he could hang out and that the front door was locked, so he could leave whenever. He still isn't allowed to drive. I didn't bother asking how he was going to get home, I figured he had a friend or family member to call for a ride. He had plans to play golf at 3 p.m. He's got it pretty good for an unemployed guy.
I am fairly certain that we'll see each other again, I don't see why not. So far, everything's going according to my plan (of what I want, that is).
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