It is your hope of hopes, your dream of dreams. It is the job you have been salivating over ever since “Career Day” in kindergarten. It is your dream job. From time to time, Sweeps will delve into what it takes to be an astronaut, fashion model, CIA analyst, cowboy or Northern Star Sweeps reporter … well, maybe Northern Star Sweeps reporter.

It was a glorious day in May 1996 – a day that quite possibly changed your life forever. It was the day you saw “Mission Impossible” for the first time and all you could think to yourself was “Oh… my… gosh…! That’s frickin’ awesome!”

Well, maybe that’s not exactly what happened, but somewhere along the line you were exposed to the ultra-cool world of the Central Intelligence Agency. Now you are in college and, lo and behold, you are starting to see ads everywhere for CIA analyst positions. Fate calling, perhaps?

The CIA has begun actively seeking out prospective CIA agents in advertisements in newspapers like the Star, but they aren’t looking for just anybody.

Political analysts evaluate the goals and motivations of foreign governments and entities. They look at culture, values, society and ideologies to aid and inform U.S. policy makers.

“Political analysts at the CIA work within the Directorate of Intelligence,” said Chris Jones, assistant chair and director of undergraduate studies in political science and a U.S. foreign and defense policy expert. “[It] is the most academically oriented of the organization’s four bureaucratic divisions. They assist U.S. policy-makers by assessing the goals and capabilities of foreign threats to U.S. interests.”

The CIA Web site suggests an applicant possess a degree in “foreign area study, international relations, political science, history or national security studies, demography, anthropology, geography, comparative politics, media studies and more, combined with an international focus.” They also stress applicants should have a strong knowledge of the English language and be capable of executing regular writing assignments.

“To secure a position as a political analyst, individuals must have excellent research, writing, analytical and oral communication skills,” Jones said. “They must also be able to work in a fast-paced environment. In addition, a competitive candidate will have solid foreign language skills in one or more ‘critical need’ languages.”

These “critical need” languages include Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Urdu and some central and southeastern Asian languages.

“From the CIA’s perspective,” Jones said, “speakers of Russian, Spanish, French and German are not going be very helpful in the post-Sept. 11 era.”

Whichever language and topic you choose to master, make sure you study hard. The minimum requirement for political analyst applicants includes a grade point average of 3.2 or better on a 4.0 scale.

Jones said education beyond a four-year college might be necessary.

“The agency will hire talented undergraduates, but the prospect for employment as a political analyst is much better for individuals with a master’s degree,” Jones said. “Study abroad, foreign travel, quantitative skills, computer skills, double majors in two relevant areas, military service or other relevant work experience are definite advantages in the employment process. Undergraduate and graduate students who complete CIA internships have a very good chance of securing future employment.”

For employment information, visit www.cia.gov/employment/index.html.