What’s the “glam” part?
Looking good in a tuxedo? Getting to drive an Aston-Martin (until you wreck it)? Having people trying to kill you? Getting to kill other people?
You don’t need a “double-zero” designation, or any other credentials, for that matter, to be devastatingly lucky at Poker or Baccarat.
If it’s the travel part, a Foreign Service posting can get you that.
OP: I’m not insinuating that your daughter is a potential traitor. What I’m saying is that successful applicants to the intelligence services have their singular loyalty to the US as a core attribute. Your kid may develop this one day. Right now, her driving force as you’ve described it – is to *do the work of an intelligence agent, ANY intelligence agent *.
It’s akin to having someone REALLY want to marry you versus someone who REALLY wants to be married and happens to choose you. The US intelligence agencies don’t want to be the latter.
The earlier suggestion about working for the foreign service is a good one, too.
Everyone is a potential traitor. 
Note that in the CIA there are no ‘agents.’ They are called ‘Case Officers.’ It’s not like in the movies where they go into a dangerous situation to personally get information and kill people. They don’t carry weapons, and their job is to recruit foreigners to betray their countries. You have to be good at chatting up people and to get them to give you secrets. It’s like being a car salesman on steroids.
H’s cousin just retired after 25 years, Her cover was that she worked for the State Dept. but everyone in family knew that wasn’t true. I only recently met her as she was always overseas, mostly in Turkey. Her last assignment was in Afghanistan, but she told her parents she was in Turkey so they wouldn’t worry so much. I don’t know how she got started in this career as the subject was rarely brought up.
@JustOneDad I think she knows that in the off chance she is selected, its most likely not what she’s looking for ( behind a desk and not going pew pew with Edward Snowden types) but in her mind, it’s the closest thing she can get to something that interests her.
@NoVADad99 I can only hope she’s not going into this thinking she can become the 21st century version of a gun toting cow girl but thanks, ill make sure to tell her about the car salesmen part.
No one is going “pew pew” with Edward Snowden types. Whatever that is.
OTOH, if she is the kind of girl who could talk Mr Snowden into briefly stepping out for a walk or a breath of fresh air or, maybe, a FroYo at the shoppe down the street, she might be interesting…
Yes, the Department of State is also a really good idea. Their employees mostly need security clearances, too. Foreign Service officer is a tough job to get, but there are other jobs with state as well. Even stateside jobs can be pretty interesting with them if there is a lot happening in the region they cover. But her facility with languages makes them an obvious choice.
She probably should identify several options and try to major so she could be attractive to multiple agencies. It is just too hard to get into any of them to assume that Plan A will work out. And she needs to keep her nose clean and avoid foreign entanglements to help with future security checks
“The closest thing she can have to an ‘Interesting’ and fast paced job” - some of us are saying it’s not necessarily that, at all. Most people are in support positions, many are admin types (also true in the Foreign Service.) Or as said, they may be accountants, etc. One of my mother’s friends was translating newspapers and writing reports. In DC. No one said to him, come to Moscow for a meet, bring your cloak.
“do something where she could travel alot and do interesting things” - gawd, go for a Fulbright or an internship… Or get a great stateside job and travel on vacations. Or work for a company with international offices. Some of us lived abroad for other reasons, regular work or studies.
I have an old HS friend who is an editor for the State Department-at least, that is what her FB says is her occupation. We lost touch after HS so I don’t know what she studied, but she’s lived all over the world and had many interesting adventures. She also had to evacuate the African country she was in a few years back, with nothing but what she was wearing. She is not married-hasn’t been in one place long enough to settle down with anyone. It’s not all the cool stuff you see on TV, but she seems to enjoy it. She does speak several languages.
I also have a nephew who joined the military intending to go into espionage, but has ended up doing tech stuff. He is just starting out. He wasn’t happy at first but his language testing didn’t score him as high as needed to take his original route. He’s doing well in his assigned track. The military was his number 1 goal from the time he was a kid and he did stay out of trouble with that goal in mind.
OMG wingsuit flying. No.
I agree that keeping squeaky clean background is was essential if you want to pass high level security background check. Proficiency in languages and learning STEM and some accounting can be very useful and versatile, no matter what her next interest is. Those things can be good regardless of what your kidfo eventually decides to pursue in earnest.
The federal agencies that do intelligence work DO recruit at many top Us and look for bright kids with good credit rating, good grades, etc.
I knew a girl in HS who later married a man who can’t tell her where he works or what he does. He has had to travel to other countries for extended periods with very little notice, so it has been rough on her and their child. Not sure if the marriage survived–we’ve lost touch.
In addition to keeping your nose clean you also have to watch where you travel. My husband has an employee who needs a security clearance, but she spent a few months in the Ukraine 2 years ago. She has been waiting for her security clearance for 8 months now, and it still hasn’t gone through. They are talking about transferring her to another department in the company because they are running out of work she can do without one.
Hmm…D wants eventually to work in international relations with a specialization in Russia and Eastern Europe. She has applied for an internship at the State Department for this summer and thought her years traveling all over the world while representing Ukraine as an athlete would be an asset–but maybe not. I think I’ll suggest she focus on IR think tanks.
Don’t let these stories about security clearance issues stop the student from following his or dreams. I know many people with the highest level clearances who were immigrants or who traveled extensively before getting the clearances. The key is to be up front about all the travel (keep good records) and foreign relationships. Don’t have money in foreign banks or own foreign property, and things will go easier.
Yes, background checks are simplest of you haven’t done much travel outside the U.S. And have no closet friends or relatives outside the U.S. When a loved one was having a background check, he waited until it was completed and got approval to travel to Thailand while waiting for his job to start after the clearance was completed over a year after he accepted the job! They said he was fine to go there and he went and had a great time.
Maybe your D would be interested in the job of foreign correspondent (journalist). But it is very dangerous… you may not want to mention it. :o
I posted above about heavy Mormon recruitment by the FBI/CIA. Many Mormons travel abroad for their mission work and I’m sure make friends during those travels. Obviously, this travel doesn’t prevent their recruitment but rather is seen as an attractive quality. The example of the young woman above going to the Ukraine being a stumbling block is just one person’s story. It may or may not be the reason for security clearance delays. I doubt the exact details regarding the delay are provided.
They do ask a lot of questions about any foreign connections you have. You can still get clearance, but more connections means more people for them to follow up on before they grant it.
Worst thing you can do is to leave a foreign contact off, or any other thing that will raise a flag with the investigator. Be forthcoming and lay it all out. Same with the polygraph test.