<p>Ok, so I am a junior in college (I have 102 credits, but most are upper division math courses) and recently applied to UF and CU Boulder for aerospace engineering as a transfer student.
I have been accepted in the latter school, and I am still waiting to hear back from UF.</p>
<p>Here's the problem:
I have been lurking through some websites and have noticed that a great portion of the jobs found in the aerospace industry require a security clearance. I really don't want to be working under supervision of the government, and even if I did, I don't think I will qualify for such clearance since I have been arrested in the past (charges have been dropped, though). </p>
<p>So do any aerospace engineering grads have some advice?
Can one be successful in this field without the clearance?</p>
<p>I was beginning to think this was the perfect career for me since it's not as abstract as theoretical math, and the physics involved is something I really like.
I was looking for a career that combined math, physics, and space; and figured that working with spacecraft must be the closest one can get (other than perhaps astronomy).</p>
<p>I don’t see why dropped charges from your past would lead to you getting denied a security clearance. Not being able/willing to get one will close a TON of doors to you in the industry though.</p>
<p>You obviously don’t know much about clearances then. Even a bad credit score can keep you from getting a clearance sometimes. Then again, they may clear someone with dropped charges anyway. There isn’t much of a way to know for sure.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s question, there are tons of jobs in aerospace that don’t require a clearance, its just that a lot of them won’t deal directly with the government.</p>
<p>You will have to report the arrest on your SF-86 and will be given the opportunity to explain the circumstances. I can’t say for sure, but I expect it will be only an issue for the top levels of clearance for special-access programs.</p>
<p>My senior year (2 wks before graduation), I was arrested for criminal mischief(all charges dropped after community service). Divulging this information during my security clearance interview delayed things by a couple weeks but didn’t prevent my eventual clearance. A word of advice, if you haven’t smoked pot in a long time, just say you’ve never smoked it.</p>
<p>Depends on what kind of clearance my PL tried to get one for our section during our OIF deployment. He only succeeded in getting 2 people cleared out of 15 guys.</p>
<p>By the way, the charges were dropped and subsequently expunged, so I maybe it won’t be such a big deal obtaining a security clearance. </p>
<p>My concern is that by obtaining a clerance, the government will be tapping my phone calls, and know who my friends are and what they are doing. Or is this just a myth?</p>
<p>I think they do.
If you are dealing with classified information, I bet they routinely check your phone calls to make sure you are not disclosing any secret information…</p>
<p>But, then again, I am not 100% sure. That’s why I’m asking.</p>
<p>It is a good thing you are not 100% sure because you are absolutely wrong. The government doesn’t tap your phone calls to check up on you for a clearance. They don’t need to. They can get all the dirt they want on you without it.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’m absolutely wrong. If the governement taps random calls from US residents, why wouldn’t they tap the phones of people who know secret information about this country?</p>
<p>You yourself have no idea whether they do or not.</p>
<p>And please don’t say the government doesn’t tap calls to get dirt on you. A guy I know got three years in jail because the f***ing feds tapped his phone. He was charged with conspiracy even though the FBI never managed to obtain concrete evidence.</p>
<p>I bet you live in California, don’t you. Paranoid much? That isn’t what the PATRIOT Act is. The government is not spying on you. Besides, if what you say is true, then they already tap your phones and so they already know it all so what is the big deal if they do it again for the clearance?</p>
<p>So some guy you know got in trouble? It wasn’t random. Chances are, he did something that gave them a reason to tap them. Despite what you think, they DO need just cause. Just because some internet kid thinks the government is spying is not going to convince me that they are.</p>
<p>Ok ok the government doesn’t tap random calls and the Patriot Act does not allow the FBI to search telephone lines without a warrant.</p>
<p>You win.</p>
<p>Boneh3ad, in your spare time you should read how the Patriot Act expanded the use of National Security Letters. Maybe you come to the conclusion that someone here is being rather illogical.</p>
<p>The fact remains that to tap the phone line of an American citizen, the FBI needs a warrant and a judge won’t sign a warrant without probable cause.</p>
<p>eddy, I think you might be worrying just a little too much about the security clearance issue. Be honest–and if you are qualified and it is meant for you to obtain the job/clearance, it will happen. I am a big believer in honesty. And, by the way, boneh3ad is correct, according to spouse who is an atty, tapping phone lines requires a warrant–probable cause. But, I can tell you that based on experience of a parent that had security clearance, they will go as far back as possible to check on relatives, friends, teachers, coworkers, etc. for verification. If you still have concerns about a security clearance, I suggest you speak with an attorney.</p>