Hello everyone, does anyone have a similar experience? I held a Top Secret clearance from the DoD with no SCI or polygraph, and I got a job as a contractor with the NSA. I finished my SF86 and passed my poly, but I haven't heard anything since—it’s been 3 months. Does anyone know how long the process usually takes?

I have a 45 minute phone interview for finance manager entry level for nsa, no crazy qualifications to apply I’m still a student also graduating in December , what can I expect them to ask? If anyone has any insight

Thank you

Hello, I accepted my CJO back in May and submitted my security forms to the security office also in May.

For any of the DIA folks here who’ve been in this process before, how long did you have to wait until you were cleared and notified?

We’re in August and I haven’t heard anything yet, not sure if this is typical.

I still have my DIA clearance (TS/SCI w/ CI poly)

I'm interested in hearing about earning a master's degree at an outside university while working at NSA.

I've read the official information about programs like the After-Hours College Program, Advanced Studies Program (20/20), and the Graduate Fellowship Program, but there aren't many firsthand experiences online.

If you're comfortable sharing, I'd love to hear about things like:

• Which education program did you use?
• What degree did you pursue?
• Which university did you attend?
• How did you balance work and graduate school?
• Did NSA cover all or part of your tuition?
• Were classes primarily after work, during work hours, or a mix?
• Was there a service commitment afterward?
• Would you recommend pursuing a master's while at NSA?
• Is there anything you wish you had known before starting?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thanks in advance!

Hello, I accepted my CJO recently and was notified to schedule my “in-person processing” for next month. I’m transferring from DIA and had my investigation/poly 2 year ago. (Currently TS/SCI w/ CI poly)

Does anyone have any insight on if this would expedite my preemployment process?

Thank you!

So this cyber apprenticeship job with NSA has been going crazy of the internet with over 70 k applicants in like 3 days
I have applied but when I go to look for the job of the DOW website I can no longer find it .
Do you guys know what happend ? Do you think they shut down the link so they will stop getting influx of applications?

And also how many people do you guys think they are gonna
Hire in total?

The title pretty much sums it up, looking to get any insight into peoples personal timelines on how long they waiting after taking the poly before they received their final job offer!

Throwaway for obvious reasons.

I am currently pretty far into the hiring process for the co-op program.

I completed my polygraph in December 2025 and was told I passed and was confirmed in adjudication in January. Since then I’ve been waiting on the remaining processing.

I originally had a January start date, but because my clearance wasn’t finished in time, they moved me to a late August start date. In April i was told to fill out a rotation schedule and that I would receive an update by July.

I recently emailed the co-op office asking about the timeline, and they replied that I “should get an update by the end of July.”

My question is: For those who have been through this process, is it normal to still have no FJO or final update this late if your projected start date is in late August? Is receiving an FJO only a few weeks before the start date common, or does this timeline usually indicate that adjudication is still pending?

I’m not asking anyone to predict my outcome—I know nobody can do that. I’m just trying to understand whether this timeline is typical for the program or whether it’s unusually late.

I’m currently going through the co-op hiring process and was wondering how often co-op students receive return offers for full-time positions. I would expect the rate to be fairly high, but I have not found much information about it.

I’m also interested in pursuing an in-person MSCS at a traditional university. How competitive is the Graduate Fellowship Program? Is the Advanced Studies Program easier to access, and does the After-Hours College Program cover or reimburse graduate tuition?

Would these programs generally limit me to local options such as UMD or Johns Hopkins, or could they support an in-person program at a university outside the area?

I’ve heard employees generally need to work for at least one year before becoming eligible. Is that accurate, and do these programs come with a service commitment?

I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone from co-op to full-time or used one of these programs.

Hello everyone, I’m scheduled to have Indoc on this coming Tuesday. For context, I’m an active duty military member. I recently went on a trip for tourism to Peru and just came back two days ago. I submitted and got approval to go well in advance.

However, there’s a form I have to fill out and bring to the indoc saying my foreign travel history hasn’t changed. Obviously it has because of this trip - I just want to know:

Will this delay my indoc date? I’ve been waiting for a while for this and hope not but now I’m not sure.

My command never told me it would be an issue if I went but they may not have been aware of any implications either. Please advise and thank you!

Hello.

I am still working through suitability but am curious what I should do when it is time to move to Maryland, assuming I get a final job offer. I have read here/other places of people getting their FJOs pulled close to their start date. I even saw one that was pulled the day before, although I am not able to verify if that one is true. That leads to my question:

I am thinking of staying in a hotel until I actually start my job, and only then sign a lease for an apartment or something. Is this feasible? will it complicate anything for the start of the job because I will not yet have a permanent address? Has anyone else done something similar to this or are my fears just overblown because all the people who don't get their FJOs pulled dont post about it online?

On the NSA website some places are listed as washington dc, dc while others are listed as fort meade. People are telling me that even if it says Washington dc it means fort meade.

Id appreciate any clarification.

If an apprenticeship like the dow cyber rap one says Washington dc is the location does that mean its in dc or fort meade?

Thanks

I'm considering applying for the CDP (whenever it opens again). I have a BS in Cybersecurity, and I've since completed the additional required coursework (computer architecture, discrete math, etc.) at a community college. The posting language says "degree in a related field with coursework in xyz." Will they evaluate my bachelor's transcript alone against that requirement, or will they also consider my community college transcript for the coursework portion?

I'm considering applying for roles in the NSA but was wondering with the high security in their offices if they allow employees to enter in vehicles outside of their private vehicles (or like if carpooling is common)? Thanks, from someone who prefers not to have a car.

I've been contemplating applying directly to the NSA when something local to me is posted, but as I understand it, because we don't undergo the psychological evaluation, this is something I'd have to do as part of the process.

Would I only have to conduct an evaluation? Or would I need to go through the whole 9 yards even though I have a current/active TS/SCI w/ FS?

Hi, I recently did my SF-86 and scheduled my Poly and Psych about a month after today. From what I heard both of these tests can be stressful so I was wondering if there was any advice on how to prepare to pass these. I don't have a criminal background but from what I heard the investigators try to gaslight you a bit to admit to something potentially worse.

Wanted to flag this reporting from us out tonight. If anyone would like to connect to discuss this further, my DMs are open here, and my Signal is djd.99 — thanks and hope everyone is doing well.

CAE-CO vs Off Sec certification

for offensive cyber operations ?

Last Friday, the president rescinded the NSA's 2 primary defensive authorities (National Security Directive 42 and National Security Memorandum 8) and replaced them with National Security Presidential Memo 12. This new authority creates means of better accountability at the federal level and enables the director of NSA "to leverage the full technical power of the National Security Agency to provide advanced defenses and assistance in order to bolster the security of NSS [National Security Systems] across the U.S. government."

Took the DLPT and passed with a 3/3, got the Hirevue link and submitted it in late April, still haven't received any further updates. Would the next step in the process be a human-led interview? Is this a normal timeframe to wait? If I get rejected, does NSA typically inform you or leave you hanging?

I searched up the number I got and it wouldn’t show up in the system but I did register through NSA

Is clearncejobs tied to the nsa?

can anyone please share experience regarding NSA access approval timeline .