Only in his early thirties, Joshua Walker has an extensive and impressive resume – he was a Fulbright Fellow in Turkey, Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, co-founder of various programs, lecturer at many prestigious universities including Princeton University and Yale University, and the list of his accomplishments continues. As of now, Dr. Walker is a 2012-2013 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow serving at the U.S. State Department as a senior advisor to the Office of the Secretary.

As a rising senior majoring in International Relations, my future after graduation remains a looming cloud which I try to avoid thinking about. What kind of career do I want after graduation? Do I want to work in the government? Do I want to be an academic? It is a relevant question, especially here at CMC, where IR is an extremely popular major. Dr. Walker was the perfect resource for career advice. He has already had experience in many of the fields I have ever thought of working at after graduation. Fulbright Program? Check. Working in a university setting? Check. Researching at a think tank in D.C.? Check. State Department? Check. Moreover, he is an expert on the Middle East, which is my regional specialization as an IR major. Here are a couple tips I found most helpful from spending an afternoon listening to Dr. Walker:
Tip #1: Make the most of every opportunity and experience.

He quoted former Secretary Clinton, who once said, “Talent is universal; opportunity is not.” When you have the opportunity, take it – especially with regard to travel. He said in an era where communication and travel is so easy, “you have to be open to all the technology.” Moreover, we should make the most of every experience. “We are so schizophrenic and impatient to get to where we want, that if our needs are not fulfilled in six months, we move on to another job. But you need to go through a cycle and make that decision. It is not to sit in a place just to put up with it, but it is actually being able to make sure you are able to get the full benefit of that opportunity even if it is a negative one. You’ve learned something by the process of elimination.”

Tip #2: Network.

This is something we, as CMC students, do not need reminding about. At the Ath lunch, Dr. Walker said, “Focus on sectors which you have connections with” and “work within the system and be their ally.” He said one would be “naïve to believe that if you’re the best at something, you would naturally get the job, because you could be really good at it but not be able to explain that to other people beyond a small group.” Yet, he said that there needs to be a “healthy balance” between networking and merit because “either of the extreme is bad.” He said that over-networking will lead people to sense “insincerity,” and though you may be a good person, you are perceived to be a “networking monster.”

Tip #3: “You can’t overestimate or underestimate knowing a language.”

Dr. Walker made it clear that language is important for those wanting to work in the government sector – especially if you are going abroad. It is a means of communication as well as a way of truly understanding and connecting with the people from that region. Dr. Walker explained that as a Fulbright Scholar to Turkey, he was one of the few students to actually learn Turkish. His language skills set him apart from others and made him an important asset.

Tips for those thinking about graduate school: Don’t go to graduate school for the sake of a getting a degree. Dr. Walker stressed that graduate school is expensive, and thus there is a cost-benefit analysis involved. For those debating graduate school, he said that you must “know why you are doing it.” Graduate school should only be a path if it is necessary for your future career. In other words, “it should be a means to an end.”

Tips for those thinking about working at the State Department: First of all, Dr. Walker made it clear that working at the State Department is “an amazing opportunity.” The easiest way to start working at the State Department is by taking the Foreign Service exam and becoming a Foreign Service Officer if you pass. A second route is through the civil service and becoming an expert on a certain region or issue, and a third route is becoming a political appointee and being brought into work by an insider. He recommends taking the Foreign Service exam as quickly as possible, especially because there are a lot of test-taking skills involved. However, this is difficult right out of undergraduate college because “the competition is really steep” and because most undergraduates simply do not have enough experience to “shape you in a way that will allow you to pass.” In fact, he said that people are probably lying to you if they tell you that they passed the first time they took it.

Final and most important tip: “Follow your passion. Be true to yourself.”

As cheesy as it sounds, Dr. Walker is convinced that this will lead you to the career that best fits you. He admits he is an idealist, but I was personally encouraged by his optimism, his enthusiastic passion for what he does, and his genuine conviction that he is doing something good. We tend to think that our contributions to this world are insignificant, or that our starting careers after graduation will be too low-level to be important. However, Dr. Walker says that even if you work at the bottom level, “you need to be the change you want to see in the world.”

I left Dr. Walker somewhat dazed by his knowledge and insight. Dr. Walker is unsure of his 15-year plan, but he is excited about his future: “I want to equip my students and equip my children to be able to take them to the next level and opportunities I never had myself. So yes, in 15 years I hope I’m still having an impact on foreign policy and hope I’m still actively involved.”

But how about me? Unfortunately, I did not have an epiphany of my dream career, nor do I feel like I have a certain path after graduation. Yet, I left Dr. Walker feeling inspired and much more confident in myself. I can’t tell you where I am going to be after I graduate, but I can tell you what I am interested in and passionate about, and I hope that is a good enough starting point for me as I leave CMC and trek into the real world.