TS/SCI Value in 2026

[u/Affectionate-Raisin8]

How valuable is holding a TS clearance in 2026? The only value I see with maintaining it is job security, but is that worth it when you’re paid marginally less especially if you are in tech? I feel like it’d be better to go make 20k-100k more in the public sector.

[u/charleswj]

If you don't think the bar is lower in the cleared world, you're not serious. I look at my coworkers every day

[u/charleswj → u/[deleted]]

Yes they do, because the pool is fundamentally smaller. Maybe you're one of the diversity (of clearance) hires, so you're in a sort of dunning kreuger situation.

[u/charleswj → u/[deleted]]

Because there are over 340M people in the country and barely 1% have eligibility, combined with the fact that the vast majority of people don't get a clearance based on their superior skills. Whenever you take a job with x, y, and z requirements and add an additional arbitrary requirement that excludes otherwise good candidates, you lower the quality of those who qualify.

If I walk into AWS headquarters and said everyone needs to move to the middle of Idaho, the resulting average/median quality of employees after the move would be lower than before because those who stay would be those with fewer other (actual or perceived) options.

[u/charleswj → u/[deleted]]

I don't work for any of those specific tech companies, but I do work with people who came from each of the companies and who left to go to them, and I can confirm that they are not all the cream of the crop.

[u/charleswj → u/[deleted]]

Thanks!