Inside the CIA

Dreams do come true, and for Darryl they became reality as deputy group chief at the CIA. I've stood on the Great Wall of China and touched the Pyramids. You don't get that kind of opportunity anywhere else."

"I had never been on an airplane in my life before joining the CIA. I've now been on every continent except for Antarctica."

While the military wasn't the right fit for him, work at the CIA as a mid-level manager definitely has its rewards.

The seed for service was planted in him by, "The Missiles of October" a book about the Cuban Missile Crisis. "I was fascinated about how they found the missiles in Cuba, and 1 was also at the same time very interested in the military," Darryl said. "On five separate occasions, I looked at the military. I looked at the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marines, and in each case I turned them down after going through the process up to a point. I knew I wanted to serve my country, but 1 also knew I didn't want to get shot at."

Giving Back

The CIA offered the right opportunity to give back. "It fit my interests and my training as a geographer and geologist at the time," Darryl said. "I didn't really think about the opportunities to travel, but as I got closer to actually coming on board and spending my first summer here as a grad fellow, I knew I wanted to come back."

Today as a manager at the CIA, when he isn't traveling, Darryl reviews analytic production, which involves writing and reviewing papers that are read by senior U.S. foreign policy makers. After more than two decades at the Agency, and international travel, his work has hit closer to home. "I started my career working counter narcotics, which was very important to me. I came from a neighborhood that was rife with narcotics. My family still lives in that neighborhood and knowing that I had a direct impact on preventing narcotics from coming into this country gave that job special meaning," he said.

"I think sometimes, my community has a misperception of the Agency, especially on the issue of narcotics. But I feel good in knowing that I was involved in trying to prevent those drugs from coming into the country, and we were successful in many cases.

In addition to his daily duties, Darryl makes it a priority to coach and mentor his team - made up of several dozen analysts - who report to him. "I spend a lot of time mentoring new employees because that's very important to me."

With more than 20 years under his belt, Darryl still finds his work satisfying. He describes it this way, "It's knowing that the work that I've done in the past and the work I'm doing now have had an impact on the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, and helping to inform U.S. foreign policy makers. That's external, but I also get satisfaction having an opportunity to spend time mentoring the next generation of employees coming into the Agency. Sometimes you hear people talk in terms of being able to pull themselves up by their own boot straps, I don't believe in the boot strap theory. I am where I am because people have mentored me along the way and it's my responsibility to give back."

Mentoring others is a part of Darryl's way of giving back since he was taken under the wings of mentors when he began. "I've had both male and female mentors. I've had mentors of color and white mentors, people who were kind enough to give me both good guidance as well as the hard truth I needed to hear in order to succeed. Occasionally the literal "slap upside the head" from someone who told me, 'You need to think about doing this a different way.' "

Addressing Misconceptions

While he understands that there are those who have misperceptions about his work, he says his family is extremely proud.

"My mother likes to say she lives vicariously through me and she has managed to travel to parts of the world because of me. The training that you receive at the Agency is frankly something you won't get elsewhere. I just had an opportunity recently to attend a senior executive training course at Harvard."

Darryl advises students to take advantage of opportunities throughout the CIA, regardless of their major. And, he encourages students to do their best in any of their career endeavors.

"Whatever you're going to do, whatever you're going to study, do it well, try and get the best grades possible. We are at this point hiring the cream of the crop. CIA applicants typically have GPAs of 3.5 and higher. The individuals that we're hiring now, are the very best. We take a very small percentage of all the applications that we get. I know it's probably a simple answer, but just be the very best you can be."

Seeking the Best of the Best

While a high GPA is important, he added that students with a 3.9 GPA have been turned down because they weren't prepared for the interview.

He recommends that students not only work hard in college, but also do their homework before the interview. Among other things, you should be able to explain why you want the job.

Darryl also urges students to recognize that it is a competitive job market. "When I look at the talent of individuals coming in today, frankly I probably wouldn't be hired compared to these individuals. They are extremely talented, many of them have been overseas I had never been overseas. Many of them have language capabilities; I didn't have any language capabilities at the time. So, the bottom line here is the competition is stiff."