Hi all, can anybody provide insight on transitioning out of the BI field into another career? There are a few places hiring security admin (DOD security tasks, NISPOM compliance, JPAS, etc) type jobs nearby. I was wondering if anybody has gone that direction and felt happy with the decision to put the BI life in the past.
Definitely go into industrial security or personnel security. Better pay, better hours.
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I was part of the final layoff at GDIT when they decided to not renew the contract. Went the route of 1099…but made poverty level money so I was collecting unemployment alongside the “income.” I started looking nationwide…not what I wanted to do but more what I had to do. I applied to several security related positions with government contractors and received several job offers out of state. Covid was at its height so I declined, but finally realized I needed to bite the bullet. When I received another job offer I accepted and moved over a 1000 miles away. It is a security related position with a specialized military unit and I am involved in Personnel, information and physical security along with document control. To say I make substantially more than I did after close to 2 decades conducting BI’s would be a vast understatement. It is a continual learning process, but it opens a lot of new doors once you get into the field. I have already had recruiters contact me and I have been in the field for less than a year. Stress…what stress? I can only speak to my specific position though so other similar positions to mine in different locations might not be the same. The best advice I can give is be willing to relocate.
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Have you reviewed the other threads on here that cover this topic? There was some good information posted by a number of users.
Several of my former BI colleagues (and myself included) transitioned into analyst positions. Everyone is happy.
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First of all smart move. The BI field is so specific that you will not be able to much else without relocating. I myself was RIF by GDIT but mine was a “business decision” based on low work loads last year. Get out while you can (10+ years in here) and look at analyst positions with “obtainable” clearances. I myself have been turned down because of the *active" status my clearance BI work does not carry (this is not new information though), including trying to relocate within GDIT. So with that being said expand your skills, also look at IT areas as well- several companies will take entry level folks.
Can you explain more on the “obtainable” vs “active” clearance? I was under the assumption BIs were active.
If you work alternate contracts you should be active.
That is incorrect, contract BI’s are not active as they have no need to handle classified material. This was a fact that hurt a lot of feelings when it was explained when I started my career because many people wanted “active” clearances to “get a foot in the door” (which allows for more mobility on the contract side).
With this being said unless something has changed investigators are investigated at the SSBI/T5 level but that is only a suitability investigation which means they are suitable for T5 level work. Investigators also do not or have not in the past showed up in JPAS due to this fact. Think about this fact - BI’s handle “SBU” material unless they are on a special contract - which in that case they should not be revealing that bit of information on any site such as this in the first place. Essentially, BI’s have no need for an “active” clearance, while a clearance can be activated for a period of time enter a secure location BI’s have no need for regular active status.
With regards about obtainable status. That means that a contractor is willing to sponsor you for active status. The best thing to do is look at the REQ ID and hope that someone within HR is willing to speak to outside people. In my experiences as an internal as well as external hire, HR reps do not field questions from non-employees about REQs and if they do all they do is regurgitate the REQ information, my suggestion is find someone within the hiring company that you know (if its possible) and as for the HR rep assigned to the REQ. If you are lucky enough to have a rep speak with you as an external hire (you’ll notice there is most likely no POC on the REQ) then ask them about the clearance and tell them about your current status/position.
“Investigators also do not or have not in the past showed up in JPAS due to this fact.”
Former team lead here. I’ve posted this before, but this changed roughly 3 years ago when clearance eligibility status (i.e. favorable SSBI / T5 and date of investigation) was migrated from CVS into JPAS. This was confirmed by an FSO on another program at one of the big ISP’s, and when I left the BI world to go into a different area of the national security sphere, my T5 (which was never active) was found in JPAS and pulled right over without issue.
I’ve also looked up BI’s as a part of my job duties in JPAS / DISS and have seen their clearance eligibility, even if they never had their clearances activated.
So the good news is that if a BI applies for a role requiring a DoD security clearance, there should not be an issue with their eligibility being visible.
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Are any of these positions remote? I am currently a remote case reviewer (dcsa and non- dcsa) and interested in finding more stable remote work in this field. Anyone have luck with that?
Not mine. There is some stuff you can do remote, but if you are working in certain environments it is simply not feasible or secure. We have “worked” remote at times, and because it was due to military orders we still received full pay. However, every situation is different.
@Mayday Perspecta I believe is still hiring 1099.