Re: So many jobs want CURRENT security clearances

["Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- editors-writers -dot- info>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Plato" <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: August 13, 2003 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: So many jobs want CURRENT security clearances


>
> "Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- editors-writers -dot- info> wrote in message
> news:209075 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
> > No, you are right. If I am excluded from 80% of the existing technical
> writing
> > and editing jobs right now (which is what I judge the situation to be), I
> > cannot be the only one, and the exclusion of people like me from the pool
of
> > people who can be hired surely is negatively affecting the already high
> > unemployment rate.
>
> Security clearance is only required for defense department and national
> security related work. While security work is common right now, I think your
> 80% assessment is inaccurate. Just because you see 8 jobs out of 10 in one
week
> requiring security clearance, does not mean 80% of the jobs on the common
> market require such clearance. I do security work, and I've done numerous
> information security jobs and did not need to get security clearance.
>

I am basing my judgment on the ads I have seen, yes, so that may not reflect
the actual rate in the field, but it seems to describe the current situation.


> The high unemployment rate is due to numerous factors, the least of which is
> things like security clearance. The overall economic conditions and the
> commoditization of skills is driving unemployment way more than security
> requirements.
>

I did not say the high unemployment rate was due to security-clearance
requirements. I said it was making a bad situation worse for unemployed people
like me.

> If you don't have the skills that employers are demanding, then acquire
those
> skills. You can't expect employers to lower their requirements, just to
"fill
> slots."
>

Who said anything about not having the skills?  Even a quick reading of my
initial post and subsequent comments will show that I am talking about
security clearances, not skills.
Bonnie Granat
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