So a bunch of my 1st tour colleagues at my command are trying to go to NSA/CSS next. Their reasoning is because they plan on leaving the Navy and are under the impression that having the NSA thing in their resumes will hook them up with lucrative civilian jobs. Is there any truth to this? I've heard a lot of negative things about working at the agency.
I have never worked at the Puzzle Palace but have worked with many people who have. Right now, if you are in the DC area and get out of the military with a TS SCI clearance (the polygraph stuff from NSA really helps too) you will almost certainly be able to get a well paying intelligence/security/military related job in the DC area. That said, the vast majority of intelligence related jobs are in the DC area, though there is oportunity elsewhere, and that comes with a lot of goods and bads. So, if you want to make a career in intelligence or national security then there reasoning is not too bad, if that is all they want to do........
Personally, I think there is a lot more value to someone who has been there and done that in many areas (though not all) of the intelligence profession than someone who has sat in DC their whole careers. If your Navy career consists of one tour at the Fort then I feel sorry for them.......
And one other thing that you have to keep in mind, but it is very important........All of the above about getting jobs in the intelligence arena here in DC with a clearance has held very true in the last 5-6 years, though I believe NSA has a hiring freeze right now. A lot of people have made a lot of money working contracting gigs and doing intelligence work for the Intelligence Community and the military. I don't think that will be as true in the next few years, especiall with the coming change in administrations. I don't think things will return to the non-hiring days of the 90's but the growing consensus among civilians and contractors where I work right now is that the fat and happy days of contractors are coming to an end in the next 2-3 years. I have already seen evidence of that in cut contracts and some contractors signing up for GS/GG jobs.
Just like Naval Aviation and every other proession out there, the job cycles in intelligence are very cyclical and what is true today may not be true tomorrow, and probably won't be in a few years.
. As I understand it part of the clearance checks are that you arent a drug user, your not likely to do underhanded things like sell B-52s to the Russians, your not involved in a DC sex scandel, etc. The logic being if your trusted to handle the countries nuclear secrets its a safe bet you can handle the payroll for a company's employees.