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Just a heads up that most of the interesting work will require a "current DOE security clearance". Many positions at places like LLL or any DOE lab really are

Just a heads up that most of the interesting work will require a "current DOE security clearance". Many positions at places like LLL or any DOE lab really are going to require the more intense Q clearance. Sometimes prior clearance can be negotiated and a well qualified candidate who is likely to clear might be accepted and placed in a holding pen until they clear but I'm not sure what the backlog is now or even if they do that anymore. At the very least you will almost certainly need to be a US citizen proper.

floren 4y ago
When I worked at Sandia, most of us were hired without any clearance but with the expectation that we would get one soon. It is not difficult to get a Q clearance, just annoying. You have to fill out a massive document listing everywhere you've lived in the last 10 years (a real hassle for a recent grad) and give all sorts of info about people you know. They will drive out and interview people. There was plenty of work that did not require a clearance, but so much of the sites are cleared-only that it just makes your life easier to have it. edit: oh yeah good point made in the dead comment below, if you've smoked weed in the last 7 (? something like that) years you're gonna have to tell them. Even if it was legal in the state where you did it. I've heard it's not a deal-killer these days, but they want to know and you will have to stop using it. There are not a ton of ways to lose your job at a National Lab but failing a drug test is one. Do not toy around with it.
- oppanoppen 4y ago
  > It is not difficult to get a Q clearance, just annoying. Will be if: you do drugs (including pot), have debt problems, have dual citizenship esp. if you have made use of it in some way. > You have to fill out a massive document SF-86. https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf
  - SoftTalker 4y ago
    These are the forms that the OPM leaked some years ago, BTW. So there's that risk also.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
justinzollars 4y ago
Is this something you can apply for prior to getting a job?
- hakkoru 4y ago
  No, a company or organization must sponsor your clearance. You cannot start the process on your own.
- dguest 4y ago
  Not that I've heard: it's not unusual to have the start of the job delayed by a year or so while someone checks in with everyone you've lived with / worked for for the last 10 years.
- actinium226 4y ago
  Certainly not. This is a government security clearance, not an industry certification. Zero need to distribute these to anyone who doesn't specifically require it. That said, it stays with you afterwards, so you can take another job that requires clearance at a different organization/company (provided you have the right level of clearance for the job). I think it expires after some time.
  - justinzollars 4y ago
    Lets say one wanted to start a defense startup. What do you do in this case?
    - rsj_hn 4y ago
      It depends on whether the tech is itself inherently sensitive or whether it will just be used for defense among other uses. A lot of defense stuff falls in the latter category in which case you can start by needing to hire some sales engineers with security clearances who meet with the defense customers -- mostly contractors themselves. The devs don't necessarily need clearance. If you are making something sensitive -- like a new nuke -- then you will have trouble going the start up route. IN-Q-Tel, DARPA, these programs were designed to fill the gaps. But if you are making an AI for drones, for example, or some new polymer that has good materials properties that would be useful on a tank, then you can ease into it as these have multiple applications and you just need your SEs to meet with the defense people and say "hey, we have this cool tech, are you interested in it?" and then if they are interested they will work with you on clearances by helping sponsor key employees and letting you know what their requirements are and how you can meet them. In many cases an acquisition by said contractor is your exit.
zhivota 4y ago
Oh yeah this is the other thing for sure. In my lab I didn't need a clearance for the work I was doing, but my boss had one and his later grants were going to require it. He asked me to come back and I declined because I didn't want a clearance. It's not just annoying to get it, it's kind of intrusive to keep it. You have to notify the government when you travel to foreign countries, if you have contacts with foreigners of certain nationalities when you are at conferences, you have to be careful with your social media presence (many people with clearances don't have one at all for this reason), no drug usage even if it's legal in your state, etc. I don't like the feeling of those kinds of restrictions so I said no to that lifestyle.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

floren 4y ago

When I worked at Sandia, most of us were hired without any clearance but with the expectation that we would get one soon. It is not difficult to get a Q clearance, just annoying. You have to fill out a massive document listing everywhere you've lived in the last 10 years (a real hassle for a recent grad) and give all sorts of info about people you know. They will drive out and interview people. There was plenty of work that did not require a clearance, but so much of the sites are cleared-only that it just makes your life easier to have it. edit: oh yeah good point made in the dead comment below, if you've smoked weed in the last 7 (? something like that) years you're gonna have to tell them. Even if it was legal in the state where you did it. I've heard it's not a deal-killer these days, but they want to know and you will have to stop using it. There are not a ton of ways to lose your job at a National Lab but failing a drug test is one. Do not toy around with it.

oppanoppen 4y ago
> It is not difficult to get a Q clearance, just annoying. Will be if: you do drugs (including pot), have debt problems, have dual citizenship esp. if you have made use of it in some way. > You have to fill out a massive document SF-86. https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf
- SoftTalker 4y ago
  These are the forms that the OPM leaked some years ago, BTW. So there's that risk also.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

justinzollars 4y ago

Is this something you can apply for prior to getting a job?

hakkoru 4y ago
No, a company or organization must sponsor your clearance. You cannot start the process on your own.
dguest 4y ago
Not that I've heard: it's not unusual to have the start of the job delayed by a year or so while someone checks in with everyone you've lived with / worked for for the last 10 years.
actinium226 4y ago
Certainly not. This is a government security clearance, not an industry certification. Zero need to distribute these to anyone who doesn't specifically require it. That said, it stays with you afterwards, so you can take another job that requires clearance at a different organization/company (provided you have the right level of clearance for the job). I think it expires after some time.
- justinzollars 4y ago
  Lets say one wanted to start a defense startup. What do you do in this case?
  - rsj_hn 4y ago
    It depends on whether the tech is itself inherently sensitive or whether it will just be used for defense among other uses. A lot of defense stuff falls in the latter category in which case you can start by needing to hire some sales engineers with security clearances who meet with the defense customers -- mostly contractors themselves. The devs don't necessarily need clearance. If you are making something sensitive -- like a new nuke -- then you will have trouble going the start up route. IN-Q-Tel, DARPA, these programs were designed to fill the gaps. But if you are making an AI for drones, for example, or some new polymer that has good materials properties that would be useful on a tank, then you can ease into it as these have multiple applications and you just need your SEs to meet with the defense people and say "hey, we have this cool tech, are you interested in it?" and then if they are interested they will work with you on clearances by helping sponsor key employees and letting you know what their requirements are and how you can meet them. In many cases an acquisition by said contractor is your exit.

zhivota 4y ago

Oh yeah this is the other thing for sure. In my lab I didn't need a clearance for the work I was doing, but my boss had one and his later grants were going to require it. He asked me to come back and I declined because I didn't want a clearance. It's not just annoying to get it, it's kind of intrusive to keep it. You have to notify the government when you travel to foreign countries, if you have contacts with foreigners of certain nationalities when you are at conferences, you have to be careful with your social media presence (many people with clearances don't have one at all for this reason), no drug usage even if it's legal in your state, etc. I don't like the feeling of those kinds of restrictions so I said no to that lifestyle.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]