anyone have a TS/SCI + polygraph clearance?

[purbeast0]

if so, how much has it increased your salary and opportunities?

i live around the dc metro area and am searching for jobs a bit, and have 2 opportunities where they will sponsor it. i don't have the job or anything yet but i'm in the beginning process with the phone interviews and stuff.

i know it is extremely valuable to have in this area and that having one can increase your salary greatly.

i'm just curious if anyone actually has one, and if so, how much it has impacted their career, both salary wise and opportunity wise.

 

[TallBill]

I have a TS, but now I'm a bartender lol

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

TS is a dime a dozen in D.C. In my experience, it has impacted my life beneficially in that I learned never to work for an organization that required it.

 

[Deeko]

I have SCI. However, I've since moved out of the industry that requires it, so I don't know how much its helped me at this point. The process was pretty miserable, though.

 

[ichy]

TS/SCI is pretty valuable although the opportunities it opens are for jobs with companies where the work can be pretty miserable. Booze Allen or someone like that will find some way to use you if you have a high-end clearance.

Just an FYI, if you end up going through the process be honest about EVERYTHING. You can get a clearance if you smoked some pot when you were younger or got arrested for something dumb once upon a time, but they absolutely will not forgive lying.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The level that a clearance is needed is usually inflated.

And since I no longer have needed one; I have become jaded with the overall process on how it is used and manipulated by contractors and the government.

To many (Gov & civ) take the responsibility as a joke and the government rules can make it difficult for a small company to get into the DOD/government contracting system.

As an example with the TS; it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get one. In that time; you can not work on such projects; even if you never need access to any classified info.

But a company pays dearly for TS people and can not have one sitting around at the rate they are paying them. But they have no unclassified work to justify their existence. Companies make the profits off of the classified contracts.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

TS/SCI is pretty valuable although the opportunities it opens are for jobs with companies where the work can be pretty miserable. Booze Allen or someone like that will find some way to use you if you have a high-end clearance.

Just an FYI, if you end up going through the process be honest about EVERYTHING. You can get a clearance if you smoked some pot when you were younger or got arrested for something dumb once upon a time, but they absolutely will not forgive lying.

Yup, pretty much. I'll try to put it in a context that more may be familiar with. Imagine working for BestBuy, Taco Bell, the IRS or, Foxconn. Feel the misery and the pity/condemnation from your friends? You say to yourself, "Hey, I can live with that. I earn pretty good money and I'm doing a job that needs doing."

Then, something happens that makes it impossible for anyone with vertebrae to continue working for said company. No problem, I'll just go to work for one of the other big 'companies,' right? Nope, get more than midway with any of the companies and none of the others will hire you, ever.

 

[purbeast0]

The level that a clearance is needed is usually inflated.

And since I no longer have needed one; I have become jaded with the overall process on how it is used and manipulated by contractors and the government.

To many (Gov & civ) take the responsibility as a joke and the government rules can make it difficult for a small company to get into the DOD/government contracting system.

As an example with the TS; it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get one. In that time; you can not work on such projects; even if you never need access to any classified info.

But a company pays dearly for TS people and can not have one sitting around at the rate they are paying them. But they have no unclassified work to justify their existence. Companies make the profits off of the classified contracts.

the ones i'm interested in told me i can come on board and be productive while the process is going through. so i think that varies from job to job.

 

[ichy]

Then, something happens that makes it impossible for anyone with vertebrae to continue working for said company. No problem, I'll just go to work for one of the other big 'companies,' right? Nope, get more than midway with any of the companies and none of the others will hire you, ever.

I'm not so sure I'd agree about that part. People seem to bounce around between the big contractors (Booze Allen, SAIC, CACI, Northrop Grumman, etc etc) pretty frequently although I admit to not being super-familiar with how things work in top-secret world.

Re: EagleKeeper's comments, agree 100%. The one thing that small businesses sometimes have on their side when breaking into that sort of business is favorable treatment if they're owned by veterans, women, minorities, etc. Doesn't do much for a small company owned by a non-veteran white guy though.

It can even be tough for big companies to hire top-tier talent. I knew a guy coming out of college back in 2005 who was really smart (did a BS and master's in computer science in five years, graduated with honors, etc etc) who had competing job offers from CACI and a money market fund in NYC. The problem with the CACI job is that the offer was contingent on making it through the clearance process which could have taken a year or more. Guess whose offer he ended up taking? Too many times in secret contracting clearances matter more than qualifications.

Re: clearance inflation, also agree on that one. I know a guy who has a TS/SCI with lifestyle poly who does SharePoint development. Seriously?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Engineers and other talent are not "more than midway."
The OP shouldn't pay any attention to this old geezer though, I'm just disillusioned from first hand contact with our government.

 

[purbeast0]

fwiw this is for a JAVA senior level development position.

 

[Pens1566]

Is it DoD or DoJ??? DoD and DoJ are entirely different separate processes, latter being much more unpleasant and DoJ will not "accept" a similar level DoD clearance without additional workups. Like has already been mentioned, be completely honest. The one thing that isn't allowed is dishonesty. Drug/alcohol use as long as not in the last X years is acceptable in most cases as long as you're forthcoming about it. In some cases, you will be allowed to work while the process is ongoing. It varies from contract to contract if Interim Clearances are permitted and Interim is granted typically quite quickly.

 

[ussfletcher]

Is it DoD or DoJ??? DoD and DoJ are entirely different separate processes, latter being much more unpleasant and DoJ will not "accept" a similar level DoD clearance without additional workups. Like has already been mentioned, be completely honest. The one thing that isn't allowed is dishonesty. Drug/alcohol use as long as not in the last X years is acceptable in most cases as long as you're forthcoming about it. In some cases, you will be allowed to work while the process is ongoing. It varies from contract to contract if Interim Clearances are permitted and Interim is granted typically quite quickly.

As long as you are not an alcoholic and you don't drive drunk, this doesn't matter.

Drug use, yes, admit you used them.

 

[purbeast0]

Is it DoD or DoJ??? DoD and DoJ are entirely different separate processes, latter being much more unpleasant and DoJ will not "accept" a similar level DoD clearance without additional workups. Like has already been mentioned, be completely honest. The one thing that isn't allowed is dishonesty. Drug/alcohol use as long as not in the last X years is acceptable in most cases as long as you're forthcoming about it. In some cases, you will be allowed to work while the process is ongoing. It varies from contract to contract if Interim Clearances are permitted and Interim is granted typically quite quickly.

im not 100% certain on this as far as true clearances go, but i thought actual clearances, like secret, top secret, poly, etc, ... doesn't matter what branch you are working in and they transfer fine.

the ones that DO matter, and i know this first hand because it is what i have, are the public trusts. i have a DOJ public trust, and I know that won't transfer to the DOD public trust. additionally, if you have a secret clearance, you still need to go through the DOJ public trust process. there are a few people here who have had to do that, even though a secret is worth more and takes longer to get than a trust.

 

[Printer Bandit]

 

[Pens1566]

im not 100% certain on this as far as true clearances go, but i thought actual clearances, like secret, top secret, poly, etc, ... doesn't matter what branch you are working in and they transfer fine.

the ones that DO matter, and i know this first hand because it is what i have, are the public trusts. i have a DOJ public trust, and I know that won't transfer to the DOD public trust. additionally, if you have a secret clearance, you still need to go through the DOJ public trust process. there are a few people here who have had to do that, even though a secret is worth more and takes longer to get than a trust.

I've had DoD TS for years. No poly required. DoJ sites DO NOT recognize that as TS and require extra work to "transfer". Going through it right now.

 

[ichy]

im not 100% certain on this as far as true clearances go, but i thought actual clearances, like secret, top secret, poly, etc, ... doesn't matter what branch you are working in and they transfer fine.

the ones that DO matter, and i know this first hand because it is what i have, are the public trusts. i have a DOJ public trust, and I know that won't transfer to the DOD public trust. additionally, if you have a secret clearance, you still need to go through the DOJ public trust process. there are a few people here who have had to do that, even though a secret is worth more and takes longer to get than a trust.

Public trust clearances are a joke (basically show that you aren't a felon or a deadbeat) but they sometimes won't even transfer within a department. I've done work for two different Treasury agencies, both of them wanted to do their own clearance. It was absurd.

 

[purbeast0]

I've had DoD TS for years. No poly required. DoJ sites DO NOT recognize that as TS and require extra work to "transfer". Going through it right now.

ah okay, i was unaware of this. thanks for the info.

 

[purbeast0]

Public trust clearances are a joke (basically show that you aren't a felon or a deadbeat) but they sometimes won't even transfer within a department. I've done work for two different Treasury agencies, both of them wanted to do their own clearance. It was absurd.

yea i can't believe how long it is taking some of these new people to get on board here. it has taken MONTHS to get people in the door here with a trust, not even their interim. and we're extremely short staffed. and going to be even more if i roll out!

 

[ichy]

Last time I checked DoJ could be stricter on drug use. This was seven years ago, but back then if you were fresh out of college and had smoked some weed when you were in school you could still get a DoD clearance as long as you were honest. FBI was an instant rejection if you'd touched pot in the last seven years.

 

[Pens1566]

Last time I checked DoJ could be stricter on drug use. This was seven years ago, but back then if you were fresh out of college and had smoked some weed when you were in school you could still get a DoD clearance as long as you were honest. FBI was an instant rejection if you'd touched pot in the last seven years.

DoJ isn't instant rejection, but they are more strict with it. Being law enforcement (technically) and all ...

 

[Firetower]

I dont believe a SCI/Poly is transferable. If you were required by the customer for a Poly for one program and you went to another company and their customer required a Poly you would need another one. Also there are different poly's. Lifestyle etc..

Having the ability to tell the future employer that you have previously required SCI W/ poly and successfully passed is worth something but not more $$

 

[lupi]

while required to be able to take a poly at any time, I never did with my sci.

 

[Nintendesert]

The more you lie on your poly the more fun you'll have.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

if so, how much has it increased your salary and opportunities?

i live around the dc metro area and am searching for jobs a bit, and have 2 opportunities where they will sponsor it. i don't have the job or anything yet but i'm in the beginning process with the phone interviews and stuff.

i know it is extremely valuable to have in this area and that having one can increase your salary greatly.

i'm just curious if anyone actually has one, and if so, how much it has impacted their career, both salary wise and opportunity wise.

I used to have TS/SCI+Poly when I worked for the Naval research Lab, but that was 10+ years ago. Some of my friends who continued to work for DOD and ONR (Office of Naval Research) are doing very, very well, and said that their clearance opened some doors. It cost ~$75k-100k to get that clearance back in 1999, so already having it can give you an edge up on competition in the job market.