I randomly read this thread even though I'm not a fed. My DS is considering becoming a fed and more specifically doing foreign service if it lines up with his eventual degree. I was surprised to see there are so many foreign service people here! Would you recommend it in the present time?
I retired from the FS and loved my career, but different people have very different experiences.
I think one of the problems is that very few people really understand what they're getting into unless they've grown up in a Foreign Service family or have worked in an Embassy. Even talking at length to people you know in the Foreign Service only gives you a limited view. Trust me, it is not like anything you see in movies.
IMHO, the only reason to join the FS is because you want the lifestyle. The lifestyle means moving every two or three years and seeing the world (and the world doesn't just mean London, Paris, and Brussels). If you can't get genuinely excited about living in places like Astana, Bangkok, Nairobi, or Mexico City, it is not the life for you. Choosing the Foreign Service lifestyle means two-thirds of your career overseas, so you are making a choice that you aren't normally going to be in the US for things like holidays and to support elderly relatives, and that your kids are not going to have a "normal" US childhood and connections with their extended relatives. Foreign Service life usually means the spouse having to make some serious compromises on their own career. The work of the Foreign Service is usually not conducive to specializing in a topic or region. If you dream of being a specialist and spending a career in and about a single country like China, you will almost certainly be disappointed and unhappy. If you join because you have a great interest in foreign policy, you will likely be even more disappointed. Very few FSOs make foreign policy and for those few it usually comes late in the career. If you join because you have visions of being an Ambassador, good luck. Your chances (at least at the beginning) are as good as anyone's, but the opportunities are limited and the career cost will be high, with no guarantee of ultimate success.
Basically, you (and your family) have to want the lifestyle so much that it will counterbalance everything else. Trust me; If you really want the lifestyle, there's almost nothing else you can do to replicate it. If you don't love the lifestyle, nothing about the work will make it ok.
BTW, if you and your husband are interested in the State Department Foreign Service, you might not have to wait for it to "line up with his eventual degree." Having a specific degree has almost no relevance to getting into, or succeeding in, the Foreign Service as a generalist. Technically, Foreign Service Officers don't even require a college degree. State Foreign Service Specialists and USAID and Foreign Agricultural Service have different processes and requirements from State FSOs.
For State, if you and your husband are interested, I would suggest starting the highly competitive and time consuming examination process now. It commonly takes years from first taking the exam to onboarding for successful candidates, and you have nothing to lose by starting early.
I did a full career and loved it. I joined to see the world, meet interesting people, and have adventures, and I definitely got to do that. Professionally, I was recognized and rewarded. The job extracted some very high costs as well, but I have made my peace with them. I have never wished I had done anything else. YMMV.
I encourage you to get as many firsthand opinions on FS life and career as possible. I hope others on this thread will contribute, because their different experiences and views will give you a better perspective.
I wish you only success in whatever you choose to do!