Help me choose - SCIF/ commute

[Anonymous]

Help me think through this
Option 1: boring work, 3 days in office with a 45 min commute each way, no travel, terrible management, but the 2 days at home helps.

Option 2: the work is in a SCIF, so 40 hrs in office, no option to telework, 15 min commute each way, challenging and interesting work, 25% travel, no idea how the management is.

For those who work in a SCIF, how terrible is it?

[Anonymous]

How do the pay and benefits compare? How do the two companies compare as employers in general?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Help me think through this
Option 1: boring work, 3 days in office with a 45 min commute each way, no travel, terrible management, but the 2 days at home helps.

Option 2: the work is in a SCIF, so 40 hrs in office, no option to telework, 15 min commute each way, challenging and interesting work, 25% travel, no idea how the management is.

For those who work in a SCIF, how terrible is it?

neither of these options are great. Stick with what are doing now. Terrible management makes life miserable. SCIF life is like really really minimum security prison. Management is probably terrible in option 2 anyway. For some reason, intel has a lot of young, egotistical, but not very well rounded 14s (I think this is the case because the IC had a hiring surge in the 2000s, began promoting quickly, and the folks hired in this time have only worked in one agency and have been promoted very quickly)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do the pay and benefits compare? How do the two companies compare as employers in general?

Same contractor company, different groups

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me think through this
Option 1: boring work, 3 days in office with a 45 min commute each way, no travel, terrible management, but the 2 days at home helps.

Option 2: the work is in a SCIF, so 40 hrs in office, no option to telework, 15 min commute each way, challenging and interesting work, 25% travel, no idea how the management is.

For those who work in a SCIF, how terrible is it?

neither of these options are great. Stick with what are doing now. Terrible management makes life miserable. SCIF life is like really really minimum security prison. Management is probably terrible in option 2 anyway. For some reason, intel has a lot of young, egotistical, but not very well rounded 14s (I think this is the case because the IC had a hiring surge in the 2000s, began promoting quickly, and the folks hired in this time have only worked in one agency and have been promoted very quickly)

Interesting observation, the lead is a young 14.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me think through this
Option 1: boring work, 3 days in office with a 45 min commute each way, no travel, terrible management, but the 2 days at home helps.

Option 2: the work is in a SCIF, so 40 hrs in office, no option to telework, 15 min commute each way, challenging and interesting work, 25% travel, no idea how the management is.

For those who work in a SCIF, how terrible is it?

neither of these options are great. Stick with what are doing now. Terrible management makes life miserable. SCIF life is like really really minimum security prison. Management is probably terrible in option 2 anyway. For some reason, intel has a lot of young, egotistical, but not very well rounded 14s (I think this is the case because the IC had a hiring surge in the 2000s, began promoting quickly, and the folks hired in this time have only worked in one agency and have been promoted very quickly)

Interesting observation, the lead is a young 14.

once you are in a SCIF, your company is not going to change you to a non SCIF position why waste an employee with a clearance? It is a myth that being a contractor provide an opportunity for mobility within a contracting company, it doesn't. Especially if you are TS//SCI, that SCI is generally speaking agency specific and it is not that you can get SCI access at another agency, but company doesn't have incentive to see that this move can be made for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me think through this
Option 1: boring work, 3 days in office with a 45 min commute each way, no travel, terrible management, but the 2 days at home helps.

Option 2: the work is in a SCIF, so 40 hrs in office, no option to telework, 15 min commute each way, challenging and interesting work, 25% travel, no idea how the management is.

For those who work in a SCIF, how terrible is it?

neither of these options are great. Stick with what are doing now. Terrible management makes life miserable. SCIF life is like really really minimum security prison. Management is probably terrible in option 2 anyway. For some reason, intel has a lot of young, egotistical, but not very well rounded 14s (I think this is the case because the IC had a hiring surge in the 2000s, began promoting quickly, and the folks hired in this time have only worked in one agency and have been promoted very quickly)

Interesting observation, the lead is a young 14.

once you are in a SCIF, your company is not going to change you to a non SCIF position why waste an employee with a clearance? It is a myth that being a contractor provide an opportunity for mobility within a contracting company, it doesn't. Especially if you are TS//SCI, that SCI is generally speaking agency specific and it is not that you can get SCI access at another agency, but company doesn't have incentive to see that this move can be made for you.

Not true.

I’d choose one.

[Anonymous]

I agree these aren’t the only two jobs in the world. Keep looking.

[Anonymous]

Neither

[Anonymous]

OP here: thanks for helping me think about this. Going to pass on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks for helping me think about this. Going to pass on this.

Did we hear about how the compensation compares though? Being in a SCIF is a lockdown experience, but everything else about Option 2 is better than Option 1. If the compensation is better than what you’re getting now, Option 2 sounds pretty good since it’s better work and better work/life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks for helping me think about this. Going to pass on this.

Did we hear about how the compensation compares though? Being in a SCIF is a lockdown experience, but everything else about Option 2 is better than Option 1. If the compensation is better than what you’re getting now, Option 2 sounds pretty good since it’s better work and better work/life balance.

Option 2 is not better work/life balance. No telework + 25% travel. How is that better for personal life?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks for helping me think about this. Going to pass on this.

Did we hear about how the compensation compares though? Being in a SCIF is a lockdown experience, but everything else about Option 2 is better than Option 1. If the compensation is better than what you’re getting now, Option 2 sounds pretty good since it’s better work and better work/life balance.

It’s the same DoD contractor I would be working for, just supporting a different contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks for helping me think about this. Going to pass on this.

Did we hear about how the compensation compares though? Being in a SCIF is a lockdown experience, but everything else about Option 2 is better than Option 1. If the compensation is better than what you’re getting now, Option 2 sounds pretty good since it’s better work and better work/life balance.

Option 2 is not better work/life balance. No telework + 25% travel. How is that better for personal life?

OP here: for me the lack of telework and flexibility is the deal killer. As a contractor I don’t get enough PTO to cover sick days, vacation and other school activities.

[Anonymous]

I absolutely hated working in SCIFs.