While having lunch with my mom I casually brought up the topic of my future. We've talked recently about my current job and my future career ambitions, so this topic was nothing foreign. I told her that I would like a job that enabled me to do a lot of research. She agreed that research is something I'm good at. Then I said, "The CIA seems like the type of place that would provide many research opportunities." She agreed. I followed this with, "They have a position called Collection Analyst. I'm qualified and I think it sounds like a job I would like. You study programs and policies of the government and analyze how they fulfill national security priorities. I'm working on the application." She kind of starred at me and then said, "don't you feel like this organization goes against your morals?" I explained that I thought it would be a good career move, and living in DC would put me closer to my dad. She just kept starring and then said, "well, I guess it could be interesting. . .[long pause] . . .do you want to see Al Gore’s movie with me next weekend?"

A few minutes later she interrupted our conversation to say, "you know you can't work for the CIA, right? I mean, your high school still reads that essay you wrote about being an anarchist. . .I don't think the CIA will look to kindly on that." I tried to tell her I would still apply and see what happens, but instead I started laughing and caved. The color immediately returned to her face, and she mumbled something about her children digging her an early grave.

Before lunch, I emailed my dad.
the subject was: job idea: CIA
the body of the email had a link to the collection analyst job description and then it said, "I've decided to pursue this as a career option. Can you offer any help? I want to work on the application this week."
He responded 4 minutes after receiving the email.

Georgi:
Sounds very interesting. If you are interested I would apply. If you get an interview then you can make a decision.
Call me this evening and we can discuss the government.

umm. . .i'll be sure to update tomorrow with notes from my conversation with my dad.

UPDATE:
I'm not sure how to explain the conversation I had with my dad. We talked for a long time about government jobs and how they are usually less pressure than one would expect. He honestly sounded excited about the prospect of me joining the CIA. He kept saying I should give it a try (this sentence deserves an exclamation point based on his enthusiasm). I tried to express some counter points, "don't you think I would be selling my soul?" and he wouldn't respond--he just said, "apply! If you get an interview, then ask those questions. Sending out a resume is never a bad thing." He finished by saying something about a good benefits package and quality retirement pay, and he assured me that my character references would be excellent.

I'm not shocked that he thinks I would actually join the CIA. I think I expected this response. The scary part is that I can't tell if he is just being a supportive parent or if he actually thinks it would be a good job for me. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a joke. Maybe I should "apply! see what happens!" I wonder if my mom would disown me.