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

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.