<p>I'm currently a college sophomore who is hoping to transfer next fall. While writing my Common App transfer essay, I wrote about desiring to work for the Department of Treasury (or a similar governmental agency) and pursuing a career in financial intelligence. In addition to finance, I hope to take four semesters of Arabic and a few Middle Eastern studies courses. </p>
<p>Am I pursuing a pipe dream or is it actually realistic? What are some other careers should I look into?</p>
<p>I’m also wondering if Arabic is a good foreign language minor to take along with finance? I know everyone is taking Chinese or Spanish, but I want something different.</p>
<p>@NYCguy2020 and @hellolmchelsea, honestly, I am going to have to suggest considering to learn Russian or Spanish as well. Although Arabic is a very good language to learn (it can land you a job over someone with a Phd for FBI/CIA jobs, even if you didn’t do well in school), many people are learning Arabic. Especially US Army Special Forces, which will already have a leg up over you because they have a secret security clearance and government job experience and they will most likely know Arabic better than you. However, not as many people know Russian in this country because of the difficulty and it is generally not as useful as other languages. If you have dreams of getting into fraud protection and/or prevention keep in mind, most identity theft comes from South America,Russia,China,USA or some random country in Africa. Because, really, have you ever heard of an identity theft ring in the middle east? Many people there cannot even afford electricity, let alone a computer.</p>
<p>@Ultimablade, thank you for the insight. How useful is German in general (not particularly for government jobs)? I’ve taken a few intro classes in the past and did well in them, but didn’t pursue it further. </p>
<p>Very useful, Germany is probably one of if not the most economically sound country in Europe. Germany is gaining traction as an economic super power right alongside China. I say it would be a safe bet to say that Germany will be a strong trade partner with the rest of the world for years to come. Especially in the auto and manufacturing sectors.</p>
<p>@Ultimablade I know it probably sounds very unrealistic, but someday, I would like to work for the Treasury Department as a financial transactions analyst dealing with terrorist financing. I heard that Qatar is funding the Taliban. I’m not saying that that would be my first job straight out of college, but maybe after several years, would it be more realistic? </p>
<p>@Ultimablade Do you think it’s okay to write about wanting to eventually pursue a career as a government analyst or should I keep my career plans more general? </p>
<p>@hellolmchelsea It very well could be a possibility, I dont really hear about to many finance/business majors wanting to work for the government in terrorist financing. most want to be front line agents with guns and glory, so that would definitely work in your favor. keep in mind though, I am pretty sure you will NOT be getting that job fresh out of school unless you know someone who has power in the government. What is more likely is that you will start out in the treasury department finding tax dodgers and/or book keeping of some sort. Keep in mind though, even the book keeping jobs are competitive because of the government pension plan and benefits.</p>
<p>What I suggest doing is take an government internship in your junior and senior years if you still want to do it by then and bust your butt in school (NEVER let your GPA drop under 3.00) and get a job as a part time book keeper to get the necessary experience for the position.</p>
<p>As for writing about it in your essay, I say why not? We all have dreams and I doubt admissions will really care about what you write as long as it has proper grammar and you have good stats.</p>
<p>@ClassicRockerDad I have a full ride at my current college, but it doesn’t offer Arabic. Should I take on debt to transfer to a college that has Arabic or should I graduate debt-free and learn Arabic a different way? </p>
<p>I say learn Arabic. If intelligence in the financial area is your interest, you can probably turn it into a very interesting career with the govt. There are not enough people fluent in the language on the American side of things.</p>
<p>I recommend an immersion training program. For that, you wouldn’t need to transfer. - look for opportunities for college students on the State dept, treasury, NSA or defense dept, etc websites for programs that send students to other countries for language training. You may incur an obligation to a particular organization but that’s not bad if that is your desire.</p>
<p>There are privately run immersion programs but they may cost a couple thousand dollars to attend. Either way, it’s hard to learn a second language in a classroom. And some schools, if you say to them that you really want to learn something, will find a way to bring the instruction to you rather than lose a student to somewhere else. Speak with a counselor about that. The better the school, the more likely it is they will accommodate you, in general.</p>
<p>@Madaboutx At my current college, I have a full-ride, an on-campus job, and I get a refund check each semester. The problem is that my college is definitely not well-known enough to get bring the instruction to me. I’ve spoken with two of my professors, but both said that funding for Arabic was lost. </p>
<p>I figured that it would be safer to learn Arabic in a classroom rather than going to the Middle East (right now, at least).</p>
<p>With the money I’m hoping to accumulate, I want to go to American University for graduate school. Does this sound reasonable? </p>
<p>It does sound reasonable and I understand your concern about going to the Middle East. </p>
<p>Again, I think if you go through a State Department or other government/security service program for college kids, you’ll be safe and sound. Search for resources and search for language immersion program in the US. </p>