Hey, you said you liked adventure. Salary: $40,000 

You'd never felt prouder than when you found out you passed the Foreign Service Exam. You were still riding high as you received your first assignment, right up until you realized you misread "Nassau" and that your orders actually said "NairobiN'Djamena," in Chad. So instead of afternoons on the beaches of the Bahamas, you've got political violence and attempted coup d'états. Not the luxury spot you were hoping for.

Oh, Canadon't. Salary: $62,000

 You've got your passing Foreign Service Exam and you're ready to get your hands dirty. You've got a sense of adventure a mile wide and want to get into the dark spots on the map with no holds barred. But apparently that will have to wait because you've just been assigned to Ottawa. The Canadians are great and all, eh, but aren't usually mentioned in the same sentence as the word "exciting." And does your boss have any idea how cold it is up there?

That's enough foreign for now, thank you very much. Salary: $88,000 

 You've been working in the Foreign Service for about seven years now. You've done assignments in Manila and Mumbai, which were both fascinating, but you're beat, frankly. You requested a return to the States to recharge, so you've just been assigned to USFS HQ in Washington, D.C. It's a little early in your career for that, according to your boss, but she never did two South Asian tours in a row.

Climb that ladder. Salary: $110,000 

You’'re on the fast track up through the Service. After only twelve years you've moved through the ranks in the London embassy. Your reputation is important to you, especially since one of your supervisors was just caught in an FBI probe discussing sensitive information with his French girlfriend and you're really hoping to snag his position.

Condi would be proud. Salary: $150,000 

The Secretary just picked you up for her personal staff. You're on a first name basis with some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Provided your boss doesn't go down in scandal, your post State Department career is pretty much assured with the contacts you've built. You might even be interviewed for a book.