How valuable is a security clearance?

[Anonymous]

I was offered a job that is a promotion and pay raise, but the company would not continue to sponsor my security clearance. I’ve previously turned down jobs for this reason but am tempted here. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Why do you need one? Q is valuable but not enough to turn down a job, IMHO. I’d have taken the job for sure.

[Anonymous]

Well, I typically saw, as a CO, that contractors with a Secret clearance would earn maybe 5 to 8 % more than a person that wasn’t cleared. A contractor with TS earned 15% or more. It’s usually very expensive for companies to maintain clearances for their employees.

[Anonymous]

Having a clearance, especially a TS, is no fun.

[Anonymous]

If you need one you get one.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the level and what you plan to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a clearance, especially a TS, is no fun.

???
In what way? Spouse has a TS clearance.

[Anonymous]

Very. Don’t give it up.

[Anonymous]

When I lost my job this summer, I quickly found another, actually I had 4 offers a month later. I’m an IT generalist and past project manager so not a SME but I’ve held a TSI SCI with poly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a clearance, especially a TS, is no fun.

It’s not a particularly big deal. You have to report some stuff like foreign travel, but it’s not too much

[Anonymous]

$30,000

[Anonymous]

It doesn't just disappear. I've had jobs where my TS was not needed. When switching jobs to one that needed the TS it was a simple restart. Just stay within the timeliness.

Both times I have received big bonuses for my TS.

[Anonymous]

Now worthless

Alcohol Pete’s wife doesn’t have one and she sits in on all
His meetings

[Anonymous]

if you take a job that doesn't need it- your clearance goes into inactive status for 5 years and it is easy to get it out of that status. Take the new job and if you want to come back to a job with a needed clearance- you have a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a clearance, especially a TS, is no fun.

It’s not a particularly big deal. You have to report some stuff like foreign travel, but it’s not too much

If you have family overseas that you see often, it can be a huge hassle. DS finally got into a non-cleared field. He hated dealing with the travel paperwork. Not the only reason he changed jobs, but he said being able to just travel is so freeing.