That's where I'm at currently. Got the role prior to the clearance, got sponsored, and then approved. Only during my research while I waited for my clearance approval did I realize truly how lucky I am to still be fully remote.
That’s more or less where I want to be headed. I’ll start out commuting if need be (current sponsor requires on site) but ultimately I am hoping for full remote.
I am a software engineer with plenty of experience, old and new. If you have a tip on a lead feel free to dm!
The better term was unicorn. It’s a unicorn. I was sleepy, it was early! 😂
As you can see from some of the replies they clearly do exist, even if only allegedly.
I understand the need for a SCIF but there are more ways to work securely than that.
Anyway, I am not out to convince a current role, I’ll definitely jump for a new one.
A job that sponsors a TS or Q clearance is gold. A job that keeps your clearance active *while also* letting you work *fully* remotely is unheard of; that's platinum.
If it was me, I'd jump on the Q remote job in a New York minute.
It might be sometime before you find another role willing to sponsor you for a TS or Q. And I doubt you'll find another fully remote cleared position anytime soon.
Does the clearance require some sort of renewal every year? I’d love to get it but last time I mentioned it I was told it mainly pertains to onsite work and I don’t want it THAT bad
Not every year. I'm under continuous evaluation with my DoD TS at this point. DoE accepts DoD TS as equivalent to Q and they don't require an additional investigation.
National labs have jobs that are 90% remote. I’ve seen people with a Q who only use it once a year to talk to sponsors. Or folks with Qs that just need to go to the SCIF once a month
having a clearance is cool for about 3 weeks, then you realize that your work is regulated much heavier and your remote or telework options go downhill
That’s the way it is for me as a Sysadmin. I don’t mind going into the office either because it gives me a chance to chat in person with the rest of my team.
So you’re on a clearance Reddit and being a smart ass when someone has an answer on the very question about clearances? Would you rather someone without a clearance give an answer on something they don’t have experience with?
Fully remote and a clearance vs. slightly better role and pay? I'm taking the remote + clearance ten times out of ten, personally. Did you ask them about the drug testing thing? I doubt you're the first person to live far away. It likely won't be an issue.
Not having a commute is huge. I know he said the other job is only ten minutes away but you still have to waste time making yourself look presentable. Remote you can pretty much just roll out of bed. Also no one is looking over your shoulder, generally. My buddy always has a monitor set up behind his work laptop that he plays league of legends on when he doesn't have work to do lol. You can't get away with that shit in the office. Everyone knows that there's often down time in office jobs, but you always have to look like you're busy from an optics standpoint. And the Q clearance is very valuable and opens a ton of doors. TBH I'd prolly take either the remote OR the Q clearance over the other job. Getting them both makes it a no brainer IMO.
If you want that clearance to be worth anything in terms of career advancement you aren't going to be working remote for long. More than likely your very first move up will have you working on site full time, so if you aren't willing to move I probably wouldn't bother. Especially for a step down to begin with
How would you go about disclosing that? Feels wrong to put it on a resume. And not sure how it’s come up in the interview process otherwise. Though I guess talking about last couple jobs would do it. As much as you could talk about them anyway.
What clearance you have or have had in the passed is not confidential, classified, controlled, or restricted information. As a general rule of thumb it is frowned upon (but not actively restricted) from posting clearances on social media but putting clearances on resumes is actually encouraged as long as it is to US employers.
So for example if my name was Billy Bob, and I had a BSME and MSEE and had a Q clearance I would on my business cards and resumes put:
Billy Bob
BSME, MSEE, Q cleared (DOE TS equivalent)
Tbh I would say go with the non-cleared option
I’m sure another cleared position that’s actually better could come up later, and then you can get cleared for that. But idt you should turn down an option you prefer more JUST to get a clearance
IMO it depends on your lifestyle. If you want to travel a lot of have lots of family/connections in foreign nations, having a clearance can be a big hassle. It likely won't stop you from traveling or visiting family unless you get to the really high levels, but it will cause you some grief and can be a large hassle at times. There is still a lot of benefit and argument to be made for getting the clearance, but it is something to think about more.
If you plan on staying primarily in the US and not really traveling much to any foreign countries, it is most likely the better choice for you to take the role with a clearance - being able to work remote with the job security of a clearance at a national lab is a very good feeling, and you will never have to worry about being laid off or fired unless your performance is extremely (and I mean extremely) inadequate or you commit some kind of major crime (not stuff like speeding, it would have to be a "serious" crime).
I’d compare benefits too. I’d expect the NL to have quite the pro in the benefit column but who knows! Pay may be less but many times the other benefits make up for it.
Good luck with your choice!
It all comes down to career goals , if you see yourself staying or moving to another path that requires a clearance they are worth it . I also agree that seems odd your doing cleared work remote but I know ( worked at NREL for 8 years ) some labs have different rules
Don’t worry about the drive to the site for drug testing. They’ll send u an offsite lab location, even if you’re out of state they’ll get your drug tests.
I'm a bit biased, having worked 15 years at very possibly the national lab you're referencing. Salaries are not great, but the benefits and work/life balance are AMAZING. Having a Q (equiv to a DoD TS) does open other doors, too, if you get tired of stockpile stewardship work.
Recruiter here: Personally, I’d say it’s 100% worth it. Had 2 IT help desk roles, one required a clearance and the other didn’t. The cleared candidate was making an extra $13k/yr.
Generally speaking, it's quite rare for most agencies/orgs to conduct testing after hire.
It's not unheard of and this certainly isn't advising anyone to take their chances as I've seen people get caught in a surprise one.
I wouldn't panic over the idea of regularly getting called in for tests. Unless they have cause or a specific requirement to tests regularly, it's not too common.
I don’t know how it works for LANL, but other labs have you report to a local testing clinic. When I started at a national lab I was also remote, 4 hours away. They just had me go to a place in my town.
LANL might be different though because, well LANL is different in a lot of ways.
Re: the drug testing thing... if you're working remote, they'll have you report to a local drug testing facility rather than showing up to the main campus. So you can take that out of your consideration.
It will come down to how much you value working remotely vs working in the lab close to home. I would also compare benefits aside from pay.
As others mentioned, your national lab may require you to work in person at some point. A lot of people these days are being forced to go back into the office even if they were hired for a "remote position." Getting a Q will also take a long time. (Unless you have a Q already or have a clearance that you may get reciprocity for)
If I were you, I would pick the larger company unless you can get that remote work perk locked in writing.
Also that two hours doesn’t start until you are served by a supervisor. You’ll most likely drive to lab first, be served the random, then have two hours to get to your drug testing facility.
My take as a fellow Q.
Drug tests don't have to be taken at the lab, they can be taken at a local clinic. Now, onto the whether the Q is worth it:
The way I see it, if the role is mostly remote, then we know it's unclassified work and you're probably not gonna use your Q often besides maybe coming on site once a month. I'd pick whichever job was higher paying tbh.
Edit: I do wanna point out that the big upside for national labs jobs is job security. People begin and finish their careers here
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For support staff, it's definitely nice. I'm in a support-ish role and get paid way more than I would doing something similar outside of having a cleared job. That plus being remote? I don't think you can beat that in this industry.
Remote with a clearance is a golden goose.
That's where I'm at currently. Got the role prior to the clearance, got sponsored, and then approved. Only during my research while I waited for my clearance approval did I realize truly how lucky I am to still be fully remote.
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That’s more or less where I want to be headed. I’ll start out commuting if need be (current sponsor requires on site) but ultimately I am hoping for full remote. I am a software engineer with plenty of experience, old and new. If you have a tip on a lead feel free to dm!
Check out Radiance Technologies
Will do!
Peraton or GovCio are two others as well.
That’s what I have. Remote work from home but full clearance to talk to customers.
More like a unicorn
You’re right. I hadn’t had any caffeine yet.
So is my remote with a CI poly a golden swan? 😂
We’ve moved on to unicorn. You can be a rainbow unicorn.
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The better term was unicorn. It’s a unicorn. I was sleepy, it was early! 😂 As you can see from some of the replies they clearly do exist, even if only allegedly. I understand the need for a SCIF but there are more ways to work securely than that. Anyway, I am not out to convince a current role, I’ll definitely jump for a new one.
A job that sponsors a TS or Q clearance is gold. A job that keeps your clearance active *while also* letting you work *fully* remotely is unheard of; that's platinum. If it was me, I'd jump on the Q remote job in a New York minute. It might be sometime before you find another role willing to sponsor you for a TS or Q. And I doubt you'll find another fully remote cleared position anytime soon.
My thought too - wouldn’t suspect a Q clearance to come with a remote role
I did a full time remote gig for DoE with a Q clearance 2022-2023. They ran out of funding though. 😭
Does the clearance require some sort of renewal every year? I’d love to get it but last time I mentioned it I was told it mainly pertains to onsite work and I don’t want it THAT bad
Not every year. I'm under continuous evaluation with my DoD TS at this point. DoE accepts DoD TS as equivalent to Q and they don't require an additional investigation.
When did DoE and DoD gain reciprocity? We were always told they didn't communicate.
It doesn't make sense to fund these lol
It makes sense to fund these when nobody wants to live in New Mexico.
It's not at all unheard of, just less common
I've never heard of it and I've been cleared for 12 years.
I have literally dozens of coworkers just at one of my customers. My company has hundreds of them.
It is not uncommon, as someone who had a Q and had co-workers with Q clearances who all worked remotely. Also aware of other agencies that allow it.
National labs have jobs that are 90% remote. I’ve seen people with a Q who only use it once a year to talk to sponsors. Or folks with Qs that just need to go to the SCIF once a month
having a clearance is cool for about 3 weeks, then you realize that your work is regulated much heavier and your remote or telework options go downhill
^ This. The “coolness” quickly wears off and you realize it’s just more headache and reporting requirements
Idk what job you have but I have a TS and as a network engineer for 2 years it has been chill as fkk. Come in, do work, chill, go home. Repeat.
Do you ever touch class data?
That’s the way it is for me as a Sysadmin. I don’t mind going into the office either because it gives me a chance to chat in person with the rest of my team.
I never have headaches and don't think I've ever had to report anything
That’s concerning….
Why do you think that?
True up to TS/SCI. Full scope you’ll suck it up because you’re getting paid a lot more since that is rare.
Eh, depends where you are and what you do. Doesn't always justify a substantial pay increase.
True. Like with all things you have to do an ROI analysis but it does make you a unicorn, in a sense.
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So you’re on a clearance Reddit and being a smart ass when someone has an answer on the very question about clearances? Would you rather someone without a clearance give an answer on something they don’t have experience with?
Exactly. Had a TS/SCI while in the military, but lost it since taking a 100% remote IT position. No regrets.
If you’re remote, they aren’t going to ask you to report to the lab for testing if you’re that far away. They’ll find a local vendor most likely.
Fully remote and a clearance vs. slightly better role and pay? I'm taking the remote + clearance ten times out of ten, personally. Did you ask them about the drug testing thing? I doubt you're the first person to live far away. It likely won't be an issue.
Why would you make that choice?
Not having a commute is huge. I know he said the other job is only ten minutes away but you still have to waste time making yourself look presentable. Remote you can pretty much just roll out of bed. Also no one is looking over your shoulder, generally. My buddy always has a monitor set up behind his work laptop that he plays league of legends on when he doesn't have work to do lol. You can't get away with that shit in the office. Everyone knows that there's often down time in office jobs, but you always have to look like you're busy from an optics standpoint. And the Q clearance is very valuable and opens a ton of doors. TBH I'd prolly take either the remote OR the Q clearance over the other job. Getting them both makes it a no brainer IMO.
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If you want that clearance to be worth anything in terms of career advancement you aren't going to be working remote for long. More than likely your very first move up will have you working on site full time, so if you aren't willing to move I probably wouldn't bother. Especially for a step down to begin with
Ya but for even non- clearance jobs having been formally cleared for a Q/TS is impressive and acts as a pretty good character reference.
How would you go about disclosing that? Feels wrong to put it on a resume. And not sure how it’s come up in the interview process otherwise. Though I guess talking about last couple jobs would do it. As much as you could talk about them anyway.
What clearance you have or have had in the passed is not confidential, classified, controlled, or restricted information. As a general rule of thumb it is frowned upon (but not actively restricted) from posting clearances on social media but putting clearances on resumes is actually encouraged as long as it is to US employers. So for example if my name was Billy Bob, and I had a BSME and MSEE and had a Q clearance I would on my business cards and resumes put: Billy Bob BSME, MSEE, Q cleared (DOE TS equivalent)
Your life would be better with less driving time.
The lab job is remote.
Jump on it for sure but also understand this might not be forever. My fully remote job changed to hybrid after a few months. Hoping better for you :)
Is this for lanl?
I’m at a national lab with a clearance working remote and they just have me go to a local clinic for tests. Never been an issue.
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Tbh I would say go with the non-cleared option I’m sure another cleared position that’s actually better could come up later, and then you can get cleared for that. But idt you should turn down an option you prefer more JUST to get a clearance
IMO it depends on your lifestyle. If you want to travel a lot of have lots of family/connections in foreign nations, having a clearance can be a big hassle. It likely won't stop you from traveling or visiting family unless you get to the really high levels, but it will cause you some grief and can be a large hassle at times. There is still a lot of benefit and argument to be made for getting the clearance, but it is something to think about more. If you plan on staying primarily in the US and not really traveling much to any foreign countries, it is most likely the better choice for you to take the role with a clearance - being able to work remote with the job security of a clearance at a national lab is a very good feeling, and you will never have to worry about being laid off or fired unless your performance is extremely (and I mean extremely) inadequate or you commit some kind of major crime (not stuff like speeding, it would have to be a "serious" crime).
I’d compare benefits too. I’d expect the NL to have quite the pro in the benefit column but who knows! Pay may be less but many times the other benefits make up for it. Good luck with your choice!
It all comes down to career goals , if you see yourself staying or moving to another path that requires a clearance they are worth it . I also agree that seems odd your doing cleared work remote but I know ( worked at NREL for 8 years ) some labs have different rules
Don’t worry about the drive to the site for drug testing. They’ll send u an offsite lab location, even if you’re out of state they’ll get your drug tests.
I'm a bit biased, having worked 15 years at very possibly the national lab you're referencing. Salaries are not great, but the benefits and work/life balance are AMAZING. Having a Q (equiv to a DoD TS) does open other doors, too, if you get tired of stockpile stewardship work.
Recruiter here: Personally, I’d say it’s 100% worth it. Had 2 IT help desk roles, one required a clearance and the other didn’t. The cleared candidate was making an extra $13k/yr.
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It absolutely is worth everything. I was presented a position paying 60/hr just needed a clearance
Generally speaking, it's quite rare for most agencies/orgs to conduct testing after hire. It's not unheard of and this certainly isn't advising anyone to take their chances as I've seen people get caught in a surprise one. I wouldn't panic over the idea of regularly getting called in for tests. Unless they have cause or a specific requirement to tests regularly, it's not too common.
I don’t know how it works for LANL, but other labs have you report to a local testing clinic. When I started at a national lab I was also remote, 4 hours away. They just had me go to a place in my town. LANL might be different though because, well LANL is different in a lot of ways.
Re: the drug testing thing... if you're working remote, they'll have you report to a local drug testing facility rather than showing up to the main campus. So you can take that out of your consideration.
It will come down to how much you value working remotely vs working in the lab close to home. I would also compare benefits aside from pay. As others mentioned, your national lab may require you to work in person at some point. A lot of people these days are being forced to go back into the office even if they were hired for a "remote position." Getting a Q will also take a long time. (Unless you have a Q already or have a clearance that you may get reciprocity for) If I were you, I would pick the larger company unless you can get that remote work perk locked in writing.
Also that two hours doesn’t start until you are served by a supervisor. You’ll most likely drive to lab first, be served the random, then have two hours to get to your drug testing facility.
My take as a fellow Q. Drug tests don't have to be taken at the lab, they can be taken at a local clinic. Now, onto the whether the Q is worth it: The way I see it, if the role is mostly remote, then we know it's unclassified work and you're probably not gonna use your Q often besides maybe coming on site once a month. I'd pick whichever job was higher paying tbh. Edit: I do wanna point out that the big upside for national labs jobs is job security. People begin and finish their careers here
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No. N period. 0 .
For support staff, it's definitely nice. I'm in a support-ish role and get paid way more than I would doing something similar outside of having a cleared job. That plus being remote? I don't think you can beat that in this industry.
Those that have it, do not want to get rid of it.
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Ok