Hello all,
I’m currently 19 years old and I’m looking at the next steps I need to take in terms of choosing a career. My highest interest is working in the IC for analysis or targeting. I plan on doing that by transferring to a 4 year university for international relations and applying for internships in the IC However, I have a few issues in my background that I am nervous about when it comes to obtaining clearance and I wanted some opinions on if this is a path I should pursue or not because of these issues.
First is drug use. In 2018 I experimented with oxycontin on a single occasion. Later in 2018 I had a prescription for a codeine cough syrup and used it in attempts to get high after I no longer had a medical need for it. Both of these were one time incidents and I have had no painkillers since then.
With that is also marijuana usage. Since 2020 I have used no more than twice in a single year and only ever did so to experiment with the different forms of use. Flower, edibles, and wax. The last usage was August of 2022. I do not plan on using anymore in the future.
Secondly is mental health/behavioral health. In 2018 I had an attempted suicide and after opening up to my family a couple months later after their discovery of my self harm, I voluntarily went to the hospital to seek treatment and evaluation. I spoke of my regret of my actions as well as my willingness to seek help.I had a meeting with a crisis counselor and was deemed to not be a threat to myself. About 5 hours after being admitted, I was released. This was not a full on “mental hospital” but it was the psych wing for my local hospital. The social worker stated I had an “unspecified mood disorder” but did not give any other specifics. My self harm stopped and I attended counseling for 10 months. Throughout that time it was noted I had good progress and my counselor had no objections to me ending the sessions.
This past year in June of 2022 I had hopes of joining the military, first I spoke with an Air Force recruiter where I was very upfront with all the problems I had states before. We filled out paperwork for my MEPS pre-screening and I was denied for MEPS because of suicidal ideations. I did not want to give up, so I scheduled an evaluation with a local psychologist where after testing I was not diagnosed with any conditions and was deemed not a threat to myself or others. I then attempted to join the Army, was upfront with my issues, and was still denied for the same reason, even with the recent evaluation. I understand of course, as it is a high risk from the perspective from the military with the use of weaponry and all.
To my knowledge, based on what I’ve read about mitigating factors, I may meet the requirements for them. But based on the whole person concept, because it is not just one major issue in the past, I am worried that I will not be able to obtain clearance .
Tldr timeline
2018 oxycontin and codeine 1x usage
2018 suicide attempt and self harm
2018-19 counseling, good progress, no issues
2020-2022 marijuana usage 1-2x a year
2022 Psych eval clearing me of mental illness and personal risk
2022 Rejection from USAF and Army based on suicide attempt.
With all that said I’m curious as to your thoughts as to the likelihood of me obtaining a TS/SCI clearance and wether or not this this is a career path is worth pursuing despite my past problems. Thank you