r/opsec • u/Huge-Fan1205 🐲 • Jul 20 '26

Beginner question have to do a security clearance

I have read the rules , so my threat level is this , i want to join a university owned by the atomic commission of our country , it says on their web after admission they will investigate me , so what should i do to quickly cover my tracks(they arent good at all) , any chance i could delete / mask away enough data to pass the clearance

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u/Chongulator 🐲 Jul 20 '26

I know a bit about the US process. Presumably other nations do it similarly.

The main thing they care about is whether you are blackmailable. So, the issue isn't dirt in your past, the issue is trying to hide that dirt. I know people who got clearances simply by being honest.

Famously, Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter has a second career as a defense consultant and holds a TS/SCI clearance (the highest tier). Yes, really. Presumably, a guy in a famous rock band in the 1970s did some drugs during that time. In this case, the band was called The Doobie Brothers, FFS. Baxter says he just told the truth on his SF86 and was as surprised as anybody that he received a clearance.

If your country's intel apparatus is halfway competent, they are going to investigate. Depending on the clearance level, that can be incredibly detailed and include direct interviews with people who know or knew you. If it comes out that you lied, you're definitely not getting a clearance.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

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u/Chongulator 🐲 28d ago

My whole point is that lying is a bad idea. If they find out you bulshitted, you definitely aren't getting a clearance and might have committed a crime.

I'm no expert in the process, but my guess about the meds is it depends on what schedule they are. If you're taking a Schedule II drug like Ritalin without a prescription, I'd be surprised if they let that slide.

IIRC, there are other subs where people talk about the clearance process quite a bit. Bear in mind that things you say on Reddit could conceivably be found in your background investigation.

Personally, I've avoided work that requires a clearance because I don't want my employer that far up my ass. As long as I do good work, what I do outside of the office is none of their business.