<p>how do you get a security clearance?</p>
<p>usually being in the Military and other governmental related organizations.</p>
<p>My mothers boss is a dentist and he owns his own practice he rings in about 1.5 Million a year after expenses. But this is because he owns his own pratice. if he were employed he would make much much less.
Same with doctors.</p>
<p>becoming a doctor is not worth the amount of education and cost, Its just not worth it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
usually being in the Military and other governmental related organizations.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If you work for a company that does classified work, they will work with the appropriate governmental agencies to get your clearance. As long as you are a US citizen with no criminal record and no risk factors (ask the FBI -- I don't know what they are), a clearance is no big deal. In engineering, though, you start off with a restricted pool (college-trained engineers), who are US citizens, and meet all the other restrictions. My wife has had different clearances over the years, including time spent on a black program. She is an easier hire in the aerospace business because she is -- in effect -- pre-cleared for nearly any level of security. (She takes it very seriously, too. There are times in her life when I really still have no idea what she was doing.) I don't know how much this adds in salary, but I know a person who has had a clearance before will win out over someone with similar skills who has never gone through the process before.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you work for a company that does classified work, they will work with the appropriate governmental agencies to get your clearance. As long as you are a US citizen with no criminal record and no risk factors (ask the FBI -- I don't know what they are), a clearance is no big deal.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The major stumbling block is that you first have to get hired by such a company, and only then might they decide to sponsor you for a clearance. But if you don't have a clearance to start out with, then you become a less desirable candidate to hire in the first place, as it is more efficient for the company to hire somebody who already has a clearance and thus won't have to wait for the process (which can take years, depending on the level of clearance) to finish. Not only is the process time-consuming, but is also expensive for the company, and there is always the chance that you will fail to pass, i.e., it is discovered that you've visited Afghanistan every year in the last few years. Of course, you can always SAY that you are risk-free and so will get your clearance without issue, but how would the company know that? The company is taking a risk in putting you on the payroll while waiting for you to clear, and then finding out that you didn't. It's simply safer for the company to just hire somebody else who already has their clearance so there are no issues. </p>
<p>I say this simply because I want to disabuse anybody here of the notion that getting a clearance is a trivial thing. It is not.</p>
<p>becoming a doctor is not worth the amount of education and cost, Its just not worth it.</p>
<p>I disagree with this. While I understand that becoming a doctor is no walk in the park, I also believe that it is unfair to simply say that it is not worth it. While "worth it" is a relative term, here is what being a doctor entails:</p>
<ol>
<li>Ability to make a <em>confortable living</em>.</li>
<li>Ability to help people everyday.</li>
<li>Ability to choose which field to work in (more of a chance of "finding your nitch").</li>
<li>Job security.</li>
</ol>
<p>Becoming a doctor is still one of the most secure ways to make a significant amount of money.</p>
<p>''Becoming a doctor is still one of the most secure ways to make a significant amount of money.''</p>
<p>Thats true.
Unfortunately, its not an easy thing.
and some people aren't meant to be one.</p>
<p>I am actually in the process of getting clearance for a major contractor in the DC area, I won't give any more details then that because this security thing is intense. I'm an engineer at Cornell, I got recruited for a summer internship (I told them up front I planned on doing a Masters of Engineering). After the M. Eng I plan on working for them full time (If I get the clearance that is). So far It hasn't been particularly difficult, I have good credentials I guess. But the clearance process is no joke, it's downright scary spy movie ****. Don't even bother if you have a history of substance use or any sort of a criminal record, or if you have any skeletons/are nervous about sharing intimate details of your life with strangers. </p>
<p>But the work is exciting (I think?) and the pay is great.</p>
<p>'' Don't even bother if you have a history of substance use or any sort of a criminal record, or if you have any skeletons/are nervous about sharing intimate details of your life with strangers''</p>
<p>I don't think I am involved in any of this stuff.</p>
<p>anyway, what's your branch?
EE I assume.</p>
<p>I'm actually an operations research & industrial engineer, will be doing systems engineering for the contractor.</p>
<p>wow, thats awesome!</p>
<p>I'm a freshman in college, planning to go for Industrial Eng.</p>