Q&A ~ I’m 54 … Still time to get into intelligence?

Q&A with Bill Golden

CEO, IntelligenceCareers.com

Question:

I’m 54, prior military but no Veteran’s preference, have had a successful career in commercial IT management, and once held a TS/SCI clearance several years ago.

I’m looking to transition into an intel career – possibly with Fed law enforcement – either as a Fed or non-Fed employee.

I have no current clearance – are there agencies/companies that have programs or are more friendly toward qualified candidates who have lapsed security clearances, willing to get someone re-cleared?

Answer:

Dear 54, this will be challenging but not impossible.

You need to think differently about what the word intelligence means. Most government agencies are looking for someone that A) can step into a position already fully cleared and trained with experience, or B) someone that will still be with them after doing mundane stuff for 6-8 years before they finally reach a level of expertise that lets them work without supervision. The tradecraft in all of the various INTs (forms of intelligence) takes a while before you develop that all important gut feeling about what is happening, or not.

The realm of intelligence is far more comprehensive than working for a federal agency. Industry is full of various kinds of intelligence activities ~ which may or may not require a security clearance. At the mid and senior level, these private industry intelligence professionals often work with federal agencies in a wide variety of ways.

There are many kinds of intelligence: competitive intelligence, business intelligence, process reengineering, regional analysis, linguistic and cultural analysis, financial assurance and forensics … and much more. Where do you see yourself playing in this world?

Your core skillset is IT. Since you have had a successful career in commercial IT then you should consider seeking a company does IT in the defense world. You need to find something in common with your current skillset that the defense industry needs now. Finding an open door at this level will be challenging enough, but it is possible. I recommend starting your search for relevant defense IT companies by using Google to identify companies that need secret network engineers Tampa.

By searching for secret network engineers Tampa then you would find companies that need IT specialists with a secret or higher background within the area of Tampa, Florida. So just substitute your geographic area instead of using Tampa and you should find relevant organizations that need those skills.

Finding companies that use Secret clearances is important: Even though getting a Secret clearance can take six months, actually getting an interim Secret clearance can take as little as two weeks. That is your open door to the industry.

As for finding an open door in a national agency, forget the Feds. You are too old ~ you could retire within 12 months from federal service (they can’t make you stay past 55), so you’ll have no luck there … although never say never. If you currently had a security clearance then there is a chance that you could secure a position in a federal agency ~ but it would probably be a short term contract that barred both pay raises and advancement in rank; they would be bringing you onboard essentially as a consultant or independent contractor for a fixed period of time and your time would be limited to the agreed amount on the contract.

If going back into IT is not what you want then are essentially starting over. You may want to try breaking back into the cleared world as a background investigator. At 54 you are still young (I’m 55) but you’ve got to find a position that gets you a clearance ~ being a background investigator can help do that. As for being a background investigator: they don’t pay great money but they do get you a TS/SCI.

As for companies, your prior clearance shows that you did it once and could possibly do it again. But it doesn’t move you to the front of any lines in getting a new clearance.

Once you focus and put together a pitch on your skillset then you need to find friendly companies: you need to find companies that have dual service sectors and commercial market services like csc.com, saic.com, caci.com, bah.com, dell.com, verizonbusiness.com ~ if these companies need your skills then they could hire you for those skills, get you a clearance and you could then work on other programs.

Best regards,

Bill Golden

CEO, IntelligenceCareers.com

USADefenseIndustryJobs.com

USAJobZoo.com

===============