Although many of us enjoy family vacations when our children are young, traveling with teenagers is notoriously difficult, with many people assuming it’s impossible to find a way of doing it that will be interesting to all involved. More often than not, that’s simply because they’re going about it the wrong way. Taking teenagers traveling isn’t about keeping them entertained – it’s about talking in advance about their interests and planning trips that will give them the opportunity to learn and grow. Let them take the lead and you might be surprised by how much you learn.

Real life learning

No matter how much time has been spent on study, there’s nothing like learning in real life. It’s particularly useful right before young people go away to college – giving them the chance to take the lead in organizing some parts of the trip will enhance the life skills they need to get by on their own and will show them that they are respected as capable individuals. Giving them the chance to see famous monuments and historic buildings with their own eyes will make the things these places represent much more real to them and help them to understand how they fit into the world.

Washington D.C.

To cultivate an understanding of American history, nothing is more valuable than a trip to Washington, D.C. – a chance to see (and perhaps tour) the White House, visit the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and explore the Capitol Building and Library of Congress. The city has some magnificent museums, including the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – great places to explore for someone about to commence a college career. Key historical documents can be found in the National Archives, and if there’s time left over, you can soak up some culture at the National Gallery of Art.

Philadelphia

Once the capital of the United States, Philadelphia is the place where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, and you can still visit Independence Hall where it all happened. Just opposite, there’s the Liberty Bell Center, and the architecture you will see in the city’s older streets tells its own story about the early days of American history. The Philadelphia Museum of Art has far more to offer than just the cool set of steps where Rocky Balboa trained; hidden treasures like the Eastern State Penitentiary speak to the beginnings of a distinctively American value system, and when you want some downtime you can go check out the Philadelphia Flyers.

New Orleans

Perhaps the single most important site for French cultural influence in the early United States, New Orleans has a rich culture also influenced by the Spanish and by survivors of the slave trade. Despite the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, it still has many beautiful old examples of European-style architecture, and its old inhabitants are remembered in spectacular tombs. It has a wealth of museums to explore, from the Voodoo Museum to the Backstreet Cultural Museum, and it’s the site of Chalmette Battlefield, where you can learn about the Battle of New Orleans.

One of the best jobs you can get today is a job with the government, especially with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The benefits are unbeatable, the pay is excellent and you get some of the best experience possible in your field of endeavor. There’s just one problem: Government jobs aren’t easy to get. Sure, some of the lower-paying ones might be attainable, but the best jobs out there require extensive training and a comprehensive education.

Main Misconceptions

You are probably thinking that you’ll have to move to Washington, D.C., to find a federal job, but that’s not true. According to Forbes.com, you can find a government job in all 50 states, as well as overseas, with the 84 percent of them of them located outside of the nation’s capital.

Even though the government has a federal deficit and is cutting out some jobs, your chances of getting hired are high, with over 2.3 million federal civilian employees out there. At least one quarter of these workers are eligible to retire, so the government is always seeking qualified people to fill those vacancies.

Basic Requirements

To get a job with the U.S. Department of Commerce, you’ll probably need at least a bachelor’s degree in economics or a related field. You’ll also need to have three years of specialized trade promotion experience. You must also be a U.S. citizen, between the ages of 21 and 59. In addition, you must be available to work in a worldwide setting, and you must be able to move around the world, if needed.

You may be required to relocate every three to four years. You must also be able to obtain medical and Top Secret Clearances and pass a drug test. It might seem like a lot, but you probably already qualify if you’re not a convicted felon and you live a responsible, healthy lifestyle.

The Application Process

There are plenty of jobs available with the government, but only the most advanced credentials will secure you a job in this marketplace. The application process for working with the U.S. government is exhaustive. You must complete a competitive oral and written exam. You must also be willing to wait. The U.S. government often takes six months or longer to fill some jobs.

After you complete the exam, they may call you in to complete a one-day oral assessment before they make a final decision. If you pass the assessment, they place you on a waiting list, called the Rank Order Register. This list is valid for a period of two years. From here, you wait.

The U.S. government fills jobs when vacancies open up. You also need to pass Top Secret security clearance, a medical clearance and a drug screening, too.

Limited Appointments

You can work for the government in a more limited capacity through limited appointments. Limited, non-career, Foreign Service officers are members of the general public that the government hires as foreign commercial service officers for a specific job, duty station or tour of duty, based on a specialized skill or experience. These job assignments are typically limited to two years for the first assignment.

You can’t work for the U.S. Commercial Service for more than five consecutive years, and there are no promises that your contract will extend beyond the two years. In fact, there’s no promise that you will be assigned for the full two years on your first assignment.

Taking the Civil Service Exam

Taking a civil service exam is standard part of the application process. Even if you have your heart set on working for the U.S. Department of Commerce, there are many other jobs available within other areas of the government. These jobs are listed at the government web portal, usajobs.gov, through the Office of Personnel Management. You can search their website for the type of job you are looking for, the specific department you want to work in, your skills, or even your location.

Although the process may seem laborious and complicated, obtaining a job in the U.S. government can provide many excellent opportunities like training, for example. The salaries federal workers receive are highly competitive with the private sector. For example, middle management jobs can pay over $100,000 per year. In addition, the federal health insurance and retirement benefits are often superior to the programs corporations offer.

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Lisa Mills is an independent labor researcher with a love for education and career opportunities. She enjoys blogging about the options and benefits of a variety of fields.