CIA Officers Discuss Careers in Intelligence With Pardee Students
peruses materials distributed during the CIA
Career Informational Session.
Representatives from the Central Intelligence Agency visited the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University on November 16, 2016 to meet with undergraduate and graduate students to offer practical advice on pursuing careers within the intelligence community
The CIA officers discussed the mission and organization of the organization and emphasized that the CIA hires people from diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines for a broad range of jobs. According to the CIA officers, integrity, active curiosity, a sense of mission, common sense, a strong work ethic and patriotism are desired traits.
They noted that the Agency offers full-time employment in its five directorates (Operations, Analysis, Digital Innovation, Science and Technology, and Support) as well as paid student internship opportunities.
Raina Kadavil (Pardee ’19) said the information session reinforced that a career within the intelligence is attainable, and stressed the importance of language skills in pursuing a career with the CIA.
“The CIA is an organization that we hear about throughout our student careers as an elusive, bigger-than-ourselves organization, but this event has offered a deeper insight into it that humanizes it and made me realize that a career with the CIA is actually very realistic,” Kadavil said. “It also gave me a greater appreciation for the importance of a knowledge of languages, and has definitely inspired me to widen my horizons when it comes to searching for internships and jobs.”
Approximately 75 Boston University students attended the informational session, which was hosted by Professor of the Practice of International Relations Joseph Wippl and Professor of the Practice of International Relations John D. Woodward Jr., both retired CIA officers.
“Two Central Intelligence Officers described the multitude of employment opportunities in the Central Intelligence Agency and their own career experiences,” Wippl said. “They emphasized that employment in the CIA essentially meant a life long career in intelligence because of the need for skill development over a lengthy period of time.”
Wippl spent a 30 year career as an operations officer in the National Clandestine Service (NCS). Wippl has served overseas as an operations officer and operations manager in Bonn, West Germany; Guatemala City; Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; Mexico City; Vienna, Austria; and Berlin, Germany. You can read more about him here.
Woodward served as an operations officer in the Clandestine Service and as a technical intelligence officer in the Directorate of Science and Technology, with assignments in Washington D.C., East Asia, Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. You can read more about him here.