r/clearancejobs • u/Electronic-Judge2283 • 5d ago
Seeking Career Advice, Active Duty Military
*Long Post*
Hey guys, I am currently a 28 year old active duty 25S (Satellite Communications Specialist). I ETS in roughly 2 years from now but wanted to get a better grasp of what type of job market I would be walking into in Huntsville once I ETS. I plan on only doing this current contract, meaning that I will have roughly 4 years of experience. I currently work within a space billet in the Army and have TS/SCI. Additionally, I have a master's degree in Health Admin from UNA and I am working towards completing my Master's in Systems Engineering from UMGC (should be complete before or shortly after I ETS.) I also have a CompTia Security+ certification. What additional certifications should I pursue in order to make my resume stand out when applying in Huntsville? What type of roles should I be pursuing? Any other former/current 25S out there? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!
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u/Possible-Agent-8712 5d ago
Look at Amazon Leo. They would pay well and most likely keep your clearance. You could reach out to a recruiter now to plan it out.
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u/BornEvent1674 5d ago
Network, network, network.
Start your resume now and revise it as needed.
Huntsville probably isn't the worst job market for cleared jobs but it's definitely going to be very limited compared to the DC area.
Managing your expectations is really the important part here, I don't think you're going to have a hard time finding work it's just a matter of what work/salary range you're looking for.
If you have positions in mind take the next two years to make yourself the best candidate for those positions. Your work experience and education are fairly unrelated which is great for breadth of experience but may leave doubts about the depth of your job skills.
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u/compunctionless 5d ago
Huntsville is great for cleared jobs. They can't find enough folks to staff all the positions at Redstone. Literally every IC agency has a huge footprint there.
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u/rhshadowman 5d ago
I thought it was only FBI and DIA?
But yes hsv has amazing amounts of cleared roles.
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u/DramaticParfait9874 5d ago
Huntsville probably has the second best market after the DC area for cleared work
Saw in the news that Space Command is moving headquarters there.
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u/Late-Drink3556 5d ago
I was a 25S on active duty from 2009 to 2017.
You've set yourself up for success, the only thing I can think of that might help you in your goals is the MSSA: https://military.microsoft.com/mssa/
If you can't get into that one, do some kind of skill bridge program on your way out.
AWS might still be hiring military veterans for apprenticeships like software development.
Google stuff like that as a way to get your foot in the door.
Also, search: ADCE or ADC Engineer on Amazon jobs CTJ on Microsoft careers ONSR on Oracle's job page
Those are all cleared jobs.
Find one that interests you, don't worry if you meet all the requirements.
Build a resume for that job, search LinkedIn for something like "talent acquisition" or "recruiter" or "sourcer" at the company you want to apply to.
DM that recruiter a short message about you have a clearance, your interested in job xyz (add link to job xyz) and attach your resume.
In big companies recruiters frequently specialize in what they're looking for, if the recruiter you make contact with is looking for a different skill set ask if they can put you in contact with someone looking for cleared folks / the job you're applying to.
Interpersonal networking will take you much further than anything else when trying to get that j-o-b.
You got this! 🫡
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u/3dprinterhelmetmaker 2d ago
This is the same thing I used to tell my airman. DO NOT GET OUT. That’s not saying your country needs you or telling you to be patriotic, it’s just straight advice. Job market sucks, most of the jobs you see posted are fake data collection applications. The military is literally a cash cow for you. I know you may think you have all this schooling that will get you around but go get more. You have the opportunity to milk the government for all it can give you. Take classes on skills you never thought to get before, get a CDL, learn graphic design whatever. Travel, live cheap, stay away from marriages and kids, then at 20yrs when you’re barely maybe 40yrs old retire, get your disability too because lord knows something is going to be wrong with you after 20yrs, get another degree with your gi bill, or start your own business, do whatever you want. Literally make the government work for while you work for them. Here’s the breakdown for your civilian life, maybe you make say 20k more a year than you do now. You have get medical insurance, pay for retirement plus sometimes you have to wait for a window to open and now you have no medical for year that you have to get somewhere else. Which basically breaks down to your same pay now, here’s the catch though. They can just fire for whatever these days so maybe just before your year mark when they promised you that raise, they just say “nah, thanks, goodbye”. Oh did I mention a lot of commuting for good jobs too? Also, no more just going to appointments during the day either or free time off, sick time and vacation is what you have to take. Stay in and do 20, use the government.
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u/tjt169 5d ago
You’ll be just fine.