A dramatized version of my discovery of the foreign service.

So there I was in my office at the top of one of the tallest buildings in the southern state where I practice law, scouring the internet for other law firm jobs, prosecutor jobs, biotechnology jobs, etc., when I wandered over to USAjobs to peruse government attorney offerings.  One of the government attorney openings was at the State Department, so naturally I surfed over to the State Department website to determine what exactly a legal advisor for State does.  I got my answer but saw something there that was far more interesting:  a job description for "Foreign Service Officer."

The State Department website describes the foreign service officer position as follows:

The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad.

If you’re passionate about public service and want to represent the U.S. around the world, a challenging and rewarding career is waiting for you. The opportunity to work and experience cultures, customs and people of different nations is truly a career unlike any other.

The work you’ll do will have an impact on the world. You will be asked to serve at one of any of the more than 265 embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions in The Americas, Africa, Europe and Eurasia, East Asia and Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. Some of these posts are in difficult and even dangerous environments, but working in them affords great challenges and rewards.

http://careers.state.gov/officer (June 24, 2011).

It seemed to me to be a constructive vocation.  It seemed to me to be an exciting job.  It seemed to me to be a great way to see the world AND have a wonderful family.  Mostly, however, it seemed like a job that would take me out of the drudgery of civil litigation and into a world of cultural diversity, excitement and public service.  Plus, as an FSO, I could actually promote economic growth instead of fighting over the spoils of it!  I fell fast and hard in love with the idea of becoming a foreign service officer.  So I sent the State Department my resume and into the foreign service I went.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Unfortunately, the process isn't quite that simple...