I’m worried. Nervous. Scared straight.

When I started my candidacy, I was 20 years old. I never expected to make it all the way past the Oral Assessment. Approximately 3% of those who register to take the written exam ever make it that far. I considered it an honor to move on to the OA.

If I receive my security clearance (I’m already medically cleared), I’ll be on the register with a 6.1. Barring any craziness, I think that should be high enough to be called into A-100. The issue is..I’m pretty young. Will I be doing this for the rest of my life? A whole new world awaits me and for that, I’m truly excited. I’m just not ready to accept the fact that my entire adult life will be based on what I do overseas. This isn’t the same process that my friends in college are going through. Searching for jobs, submitting resumes, going to interviews, and then slowly starting and working their way up. This is a big dramatic change. I hope I’m ready for it, though.

I’m ready to put my candidacy in the past and I won’t summarize the FSOT, QEP, or OA as there have been many, many blogs that have already done an excellent job of doing so. There are also very informative Yahoo Groups about the FSOT and FSOA. But if you have any questions, I’d be more than glad to answer them.

I’ve been wanting to write a blog documenting my experience through my candidacy for the Foreign Service from the moment I registered for the written test. The only reason I didn’t is because I thought it was simply too premature.

Today, the one obstacle remaining between me and A-100 is my security clearance. It has been an amazing ride so far and I can’t even imagine what my future will hold. I will have more to write very soon but I felt now was the most appropriate time to launch “Super Mario Diplomacy”.