Worth the wait

Security clearances take more than a year to obtain, but federal IT work pays well.

If you're looking for job security, consider working on a top-secret IT project under development by the federal government. Government contractors have thousands of unfilled IT jobs, including network design, engineering and management positions. These positions let you support the wartime effort, use the latest technology and earn high pay.

Even better, government work offers protection against offshoring. Only qualified U.S. citizens can pursue these posts, which must remain here in the U.S.

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If you're looking for job security, consider working on a top-secret IT project under development by the federal government. Government contractors have thousands of unfilled IT jobs, including network design, engineering and management positions. These positions let you support the wartime effort, use the latest technology and earn high pay.

Even better, government work offers protection against offshoring. Only qualified U.S. citizens can pursue these posts, which must remain here in the U.S.

The only hitch is that you'll need a security clearance, and getting a security clearance takes a year or longer.

Nonetheless, more unemployed IT workers are making the switch to government contracting as a wise career move in these uncertain times.

Consider Anthony Campbell, a network engineer who holds Cisco and security  certifications. After working in the private sector for several years, Campbell joined a government contractor in 2001 and renewed a security clearance he received in 1991 during a stint with the U.S. Army.

Campbell finds the government work more challenging than the work he did in the commercial sector. "Most civilian companies are nowhere near as security-conscious. It's just not something they put a priority on," he says. "I happen to think more about security when it comes to, say, how a network is structured."

Secure IT, a Rockville, Md., government contractor that specializes in staffing classified projects, hired Campbell to work on a multimillion-dollar LAN and WAN upgrade at the FBI. He earned an immediate boost in pay even though it took eight months to renew his top-secret clearance.

With the FBI project nearing completion, Campbell is in demand. "I get calls from recruiters every couple of days," says Campbell, who is based in Dacula, Ga. "There's always work available. Getting a security clearance is a good career move."

For example, contractor Wamnet Government Services plans to hire 150 people this year, including network designers, architects and technicians. Most of the company's 665 employees have security clearances.

"Virtually all of the hires we are making require security clearances," says Mike Barbee, president of Wamnet Government Services in Herndon, Va. "From our perspective, it's easier if we hire people with active clearances. But we hire lots and lots of people from the commercial world and sponsor them for a clearance."