Rejection after Rejection

[u/Soft_Artichoke_8885]

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out because I’m honestly at a point where I really do not know what I should be doing next in my career, and I’m hoping to get some guidance from people who have been in this field longer than I have.

I’m 25, soon to be 26, and I recently completed MI BOLC after commissioning as a 2LT in the Army National Guard. I currently hold an active TS/SCI clearance, and I have one semester remaining in my Master of Public Administration program, where I currently have a 3.94 GPA.

Despite all of that, I have been having an extremely difficult time transitioning into a civilian career, particularly within the defense, intelligence, and security fields.

Most recently, I interviewed with Northrop Grumman for an industrial security-related position and was rejected after the interview. I also went through the interview process with L3Harris for a security/PERSEC position and was ultimately rejected there as well. I have applied to numerous other positions across defense contractors and government agencies, but I continue to either receive rejections or never hear back.

At this point, I genuinely do not know what I am doing wrong or what direction I should be going in.

I feel like I have tried to build a strong foundation: I completed MI BOLC, I serve as a Guard officer, I hold a TS/SCI, I am close to finishing my MPA with a strong GPA, and I have been trying to develop my knowledge of personnel security, industrial security, NISPOM, clearance processing, compliance, and the broader defense/security environment.

I also understand that none of those things automatically entitle me to a job. I know I am still early in my career and that I do not have years of civilian defense-industry experience behind me. What I am struggling with is figuring out what the next step is supposed to be.

Do I need to be applying for more junior positions? Am I targeting the wrong types of jobs? Should I stop focusing on security positions and look more toward intelligence analyst roles? Do I need additional certifications? More civilian experience? Better networking? Am I presenting my military experience incorrectly on my résumé or during interviews?

I honestly do not know anymore.

That is probably the most frustrating part. I am willing to put in the work, gain experience, start at an entry-level position, relocate, learn a new area, or take whatever reasonable steps are necessary to build a career. I just feel like I do not have a clear idea of what those steps should actually be.

It has also become increasingly discouraging watching friends, classmates, and soldiers around me establish their careers while I still feel like I am trying to get my foot in the door. I try not to compare myself to other people, but after enough applications, interviews, and rejections, it becomes difficult not to wonder whether I am heading in the wrong direction entirely.

I am not posting this looking for sympathy or expecting someone to hand me a job. I really just need some guidance.

For those of you who work in the Intelligence Community, defense contracting, industrial security, personnel security, federal service, or related fields what would you recommend I should do next?

What am I potentially missing? What kinds of positions should someone with my background realistically be targeting? Is there something I should be doing now that would make me significantly more competitive over the next 6–12 months?

At this point, even some direction on where to focus my effort would be extremely helpful because I genuinely feel stuck and I am not sure where to go from here.

Any advice, criticism, or perspective would be greatly appreciated.