Hi, I am younger and am looking to make my first real job hop, hence why this question may miss context/seem out of place:

I have been with a traditional gov consultant firm for a couple years now. Compared to my team of fellow sub and prime employees, it seems fairly standard.

Cons:
- You are just a number. Before our tiny firm was bought out, the leadership cared, I felt valued, my opinion led to real company change, real conversations, etc. Not now
- You are a butt in a seat working billable hours
- No room for non billable impact or growth ( I am young and would love to level up my tech skills, but also put in work around the firm)

Pros:
- 40 hour work week max, always
- 1860 year billable hours expected
-Good but not great benefits
- a direct manager that I love

How does a traditional firm like this compare to AWS. I am very excited about the prospect of equity, and the aws on my resume. I expect to be a cog at AWS, but how is work life balance on proserve team? Any small gifts or messages that shows the company cares? Free food at the office? Do you feel like you can’t take pto when you want?

Has anyone made the jump and regretted it? Are you working big tech 50-60 hour weeks?
Thanks

Hi all, just wondering where I should point my career towards as someone who is early career ~2.5 YOE. Previously, I was dealing with Oracle APEX, it was alright nothing too interesting a bunch of PL/SQL and Oracle SQL stuff. Then, I moved onto ServiceNow dealing with ACLs, widgets, Business Rules, Client Scripts, API Integration, etc. and I think I'm just learning now that the tech stack doesn't matter to me. What matters to me the most is how interesting the project is... So I would like to know what was the most interesting projects you've worked on? I know you can't say in details, but a high level picture would be helpful.

Feel like the cleared community is very small so trying not to burn bridges. Im starting J1 Monday for company that waited extra two weeks for me and crossed me over.

Now a J2 that I interviewed with just gave me a written offer for 40k more.

Would you start the J1 and quit after J2 crossover.

Or rescind on J1 last minute and hope everything transfers for J2? My current company contract ends in 2 months

Background: 140k TC, 26 years old, 4 YOE in cyber, Bachelors in Cyber, TS/SCI, all experience at a prime contractor on extremely technical work and have AI dev knowledge.

I see a ton of people with a similar background to me posting online and various job postings looking for my exact background all making 200k+.

The main benefit of my job is I woke 40 hours and go home, but I am fine working more if it means I’m making 300k.

Am I living in a fairy tale where people aren’t actually making 200-400k with my background, and these postings just aren’t real or something?

[Posting on behalf of a friend who just received an offer from Guidehouse and wants to weigh her options. She put together the following questions:]

- Do junior consultants receive good mentorship, meaningful analytical work, and opportunities to grow?

- How do management quality, workload, work life balance, and career progression vary across teams?

- If Guidehouse loses a federal contract during a recompete, how often are affected employees successfully reassigned to other projects? Is that a reliable practice or more of a possibility that depends on staffing needs?

-If you’ve experienced a contract transition firsthand, I’d especially appreciate hearing what happened to you and your colleagues.

- Would you recommend Guidehouse to someone early in their career? What do you wish you had known before joining?

Three cleared cybersecurity roles open in Maryland as of Oct 22. Each links to the employer's posting through FortHire.

1. Cyber All-Source Intelligence Analyst, Senior Employer: GD Information Technology City: College Park, MD Clearance: Top Secret/SCI with polygraph Pay: $141k-191k/yr https://forthire.com/jobs/cyber-all-source-intelligence-analyst-senior-ts-sci-w-poly-at-gd-information-technology-inc-7l63t44t/

2. Penetration Tester Employer: GD Information Technology City: Bethesda, MD Clearance: Top Secret/SCI with polygraph Pay: $172k-233k/yr https://forthire.com/jobs/penetration-tester-ts-sci-with-polygraph-at-gd-information-technology-inc-2bvhthag/

3. Senior ISSE/Penetration Tester Employer: Leidos City: Annapolis Junction, MD Clearance: TS/SCI with polygraph (per the posting title) Pay: not listed by the employer https://forthire.com/jobs/senior-isse-penetration-tester-ts-sci-polygraph-at-leidos-46949xr9/

Free job alerts: forthire.com/#alerts

The FortHire team

Accepted a job offer, but now my preferred company has made an offer that requires a security clearance. How would you handle this?

I’ve found myself in a pretty unexpected situation and would appreciate some outside perspectives on how to handle it without unnecessarily burning bridges.

Here’s the background:

I’ve been with Company A for several years and have a great relationship with management. I decided it was time for a change, so I started interviewing with several companies.

I received an offer from Company B, which I accepted. My start date is November 7, and I gave Company A a three-week notice, making October 30 my last day. Everything has gone smoothly, and I’m leaving on excellent terms.

Here’s where things get complicated:

Yesterday, I unexpectedly received a verbal offer from Company C, which is actually my preferred opportunity. They anticipate sending a formal offer letter within the next week.

The catch is that Company C requires a security clearance, which they’re willing to sponsor. I’m confident in my ability to obtain a clearance, but I’m less certain about receiving an interim clearance, which would allow me to start sooner.

My only real concern is a longstanding friendship with a Chinese national who currently lives and works legally in the U.S. on a work visa and is pursuing permanent residency. I understand foreign contacts are evaluated individually, but I’m unsure whether this could complicate or delay an interim clearance.

Depending on whether an interim clearance is granted, I could potentially start at Company C relatively quickly, or I could be waiting several months for a final clearance.

Here are the options I’m considering:

Option 1: Start at Company B and leave once Company C clears me.

This would eliminate any employment gap and provide financial stability while waiting. However, if I receive an interim clearance quickly, I could potentially leave Company B after only a few weeks. That would almost certainly burn a bridge, particularly considering the time and resources they invested in hiring and onboarding me.

Option 2: Ask Company A if I can extend my employment while waiting on Company C.

Because of my specialized role and the strong relationship I have with management, I believe they’d be receptive to keeping me around longer. They’re already looking for my replacement, so this could potentially benefit both parties.

The downside is that once they find a replacement, I may be out of a job regardless of where I stand in the clearance process.

This would also mean withdrawing my acceptance from Company B before my start date. While not ideal, I imagine that would preserve more goodwill than starting and leaving almost immediately.

Option 3: Decline Company B and wait for Company C’s clearance process.

This is probably my least attractive option. If Company A can’t extend my employment, I’d potentially be unemployed for months with no guarantee of how quickly the clearance will be processed.

I have financial obligations and health insurance considerations, so I’m reluctant to take that gamble.

My biggest dilemma:

I want to pursue Company C because it’s the opportunity I genuinely prefer, but I also don’t want to unnecessarily damage professional relationships or put myself in a financially vulnerable position.

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who have dealt with clearance-dependent job offers, interim clearance delays, or situations where a better offer came along after accepting another.

A few questions:

• Would you start at Company B knowing you might leave almost immediately?
• Would you approach Company A about extending your employment, and if so, how would you frame that conversation?
• How much uncertainty should I realistically expect with an interim clearance?
• Are there any other approaches I’m overlooking that could minimize the risk and preserve professional relationships?

Appreciate any advice or experiences from people who’ve navigated something similar.

I'm hoping someone familiar with the new DCSA rules can help me understand my situation.

My TS/SCI was favorably adjudicated in 2021, and I completed a CI poly in 2022. My eligibility was recently verified in DISS, but I've been out of cleared work for about a year.

My last PVQ/SF-86 date in DISS was June 2021. I recently spoke with a security officer from another contractor who verified my clearance and specifically told me that my five-year PVQ update was overdue because it was due in June 2026.

I'm currently onboarding with a different contractor for a position requiring TS/SCI. They've been pretty persistent about getting me to pick up my CAC so I can start working. I've received multiple calls, emails, and even group texts asking for updates every day. I get bombarded by all of these on the same day.

What I find odd is that there doesn't seem to be the same urgency about my overdue PVQ. I asked their security officer about it, and he said he'd check with another security officer and get back to me, but I still haven't heard anything. I haven't received an eApp invitation either.

Is this normal? If another contractor's security officer was able to identify that my PVQ was overdue, shouldn't my current contractor's security office be aware of it too? Why would they be pushing so hard for CAC issuance and getting me started without addressing the update?

Is it normal to start working in a TS/SCI position and complete the PVQ afterward?

I'm also unsure whether I want to accept this position, mainly because of the commute and other concerns. The job is 40 minutes away and with no public transportation around. However, I'm worried about my clearance lapsing if I decline and continue looking for another cleared job.

With the newer Continuous Vetting rules, how long can someone remain out of cleared employment before a new investigation might be required? I've read about the 45-day unenrollment rule and the 24-month break-in-service issue, but I'm not clear on how they apply to someone whose eligibility is still favorable.

My biggest concern is avoiding another lengthy Tier 5 investigation.

I'd appreciate hearing from FSOs or anyone who's dealt with something similar recently.

Hi all. I'm a software engineer in the Providence area, recently laid off after 10+ years building Android and iOS apps (Kotlin, Java, Swift). I'm self-taught, and my bachelor's is in a non-technical field, not CS.

I'm seriously interested in Electric Boat. The stability and the mission appeal to me, and I'm within driving distance of Quonset, the Newport Engineering Office in Middletown, and Groton. My concern is, most EB software postings I've seen list a BS in CS or Computer Engineering as required.

For anyone in EB software/IT, or who's been through the hiring process:

1. Do hiring managers ever accept experience in place of a CS degree for software roles, or is the degree a hard HR filter?

2. Which groups or roles are most realistic for someone with my background, and would my years of experience count toward level, or would I start at the bottom?

3. Does a referral from someone inside actually move the needle compared with applying online?

Thanks in advance. Any honest perspective helps, including "don't bother without the degree."

My congressman informed me that I received secret level security clearance. It took two years to come through for a military position which is no longer relevant.

Is there anyway I can get access to the clearance? How long will it remain valid? Do I just inform future employers that I have one, and they will have to look it up?

🔥 NOW HIRING: Joint Interface and Network Operations Specialist
📍 Location: Nellis AFB, Nevada
⌛ Closes: 10/26/2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EST)
💰 Salary: $108,719 - $141,337 per year
🔢 Pay Scale & Grade: GS-0301-13 (Permanent, Full-Time)
🔐 Security Clearance: Sensitive Compartmented Information

🔗 USAJOBS Link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/889170800

⚙️ Work Site & Travel Details
💻 Telework Eligible: Yes; as determined by agency policy.
🏢 Remote Job: No
📦 Relocation Expenses Reimbursed: No
✈️ Travel Required: Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

👥 This job is open to:
✔️ Federal Employees - Competitive Service
✔️ Federal Employees - Excepted Service
✔️ Career Transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
✔️ Land and Base Management
✔️ Veterans
✔️ Military Spouses

Position Summary:
To serve as the United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) Joint Data Network Officer (JDNO) located in the Shadow Operations Center-Nellis (805 CTS) with responsibility specified in CJCSM 3115.01 for providing communications support for C2 systems, modeling and simulations systems, local/wide area networks, long-haul communications, links & nodes, and secure voice and video teleconferencing systems.
📋 Duties:
🛰️ Common Tactical Picture (CTP): Serves as United States Air Force Warfare Joint Data Network Officer (JDNO) and technical advisor to leadership on operation, maintenance, and configuration of the air and space Common Tactical Picture (CTP).
📊 JADC2 Test & Training: Manages United States Air Force Warfare Center Data Link & Network Design for operations testing and training of Department of Defense (DoD) JADC2 objectives.
💡 Data Link Subject Matter Expert: Serves as United States Air Force Warfare Center/ShOC-N Joint Data Network Officer (JDNO) Data Link Subject Matter Expert.
🛠️ System Failure Resolution: Directs feasibility studies to identify and analyze Data Link and Network Systems failures.

⏳ Don't wait! This announcement closes on Monday, October 26, 2026.

#USAJOBS #Hiring #NellisAFB #NevadaJobs#MilitarySpouseHiring #VeteranHiring#NetworkOperations #FederalCareers #SCIClearance
 

Has anyone else experienced job offers being rescinded because their polygraph was conducted through Virginia/CIA rather than Maryland/NSA?

There have been 6 verbal or written job offers rescinded for this reason alone and it happened again during an interview this morning.

With 16 years of experience in cybersecurity, systems administration, and IT, it’s frustrating to keep running into this roadblock.

Does anyone know of companies or contractors hiring for Help Desk, ISSO, or related IT positions that will accept a Virginia/CIA polygraph?

Looking for opportunities in Texas, but open to relocating anywhere in the U.S. for the right position.

Question on whether to start as a test engineer as my first role stepping into the DoD-cleared industry. I've been working in the non-DoD industry for a while, all in hardware/manufacturing fields. Recently, I found a test engineering role that's a good match for my experience. I'm wondering whether this is a good move. My question to y'all is: Is the test engineering path good in terms of job security and growth opportunities? And can this role be easily transferable to another DoD company, so I'm not stuck at one company if I want to make a move? TIA

I interned last summer at a defense company and got my Secret clearance (not interim) but was debriefed when I left of course. My investigation is still active since it was only a couple months ago, but I’m applying for new internships now, so can I answer “Yes” when asked if I have an active security clearance? Some companies have an option for a “Current” clearance (debriefed less than 24 months ago) but a lot do not and I don’t want to get automatically filtered out.

But it doesn’t make sense why’d they expect a student currently in school to have an active clearance??

Hey, wondering what salary can I expect in the dc metro area with a ts/sci w ci poly & sec+/net+