Which job offer would you choose??
Posted by ModeAccomplished@reddit | linuxadmin | View on Reddit | 54 comments
I have a tough choice to make for two linux admin offers I got. 1. Is a job that will pay me 92k full time salary and will sponsor me for a secret clearance BUT I have to move from MD to Ohio as it fully on site position which will cost me a good amount of money to break my apartment lease and move my stuff down there (only being offered 2k relocation assistance).
The second offer is for a company that can pay me 107k full time salary AND it is fully remote 100%. This would save me money because I wouldn’t have to move since it’s fully remote and the base pay is 15k higher. Which one would you choose? The chance to get a secret clearance for long term job security?? OR sacrifice that to make more now and be remote fully.
P.S. This is my first linux admin position so it’s a chance for me to get experience as well.
elonfutz@reddit
There are benefits to working closely with other admins on site especially if you're not a seasoned expert already. You learn more in that environment. Job stability is probably better on site as well.
For me it would come down to the nature of the work, companies, and how interesting the mission is.
Lennox1314@reddit
As a Linux admin with ts/sci I think a clearance is worth its weight in gold. If I want a different job, I just make an active clearance jobs account and recruiters hound you. Downsides do sound rough but my gov job has been the best job I've ever had by a long shot.
ModeAccomplished@reddit (OP)
Thats the TS but what about just the secret?
MeanTato@reddit
I would not relocate for a job tied to the federal government during this Administration. Federal contracts are less stable this year. Budgets are tight and many agencies are cutting back costs. There are some Agencies that got more money this year, like ICE. They are on a hiring spree, but I’d expect them to get cut after the next presidential election. Gives you a couple years of stability in those cases.
LazlowsBAWSAQ@reddit
Fully remote the secret clearance is not as valuable at you think. Do not move from MD to Dayton, OH.
smokebudda11@reddit
I’d take the remote job. Getting your secret is not a big deal. TS/SCI would ensure more job security and opportunity.
johnrock001@reddit
For me its always remote over on site. Much better focus and ease of managing work without constant nagging and chatting from people, make me loose focus :D. Lastly the bloody commute I cannot just handle, what a time waste if the area is full of traffic.
deacon91@reddit
Do you want to work in the gov sector? Also is there a difference in terms of job responsibilities and opportunities between the roles?
ModeAccomplished@reddit (OP)
I have nothing against the government sector but the main reason I’d do it is for long term job security with that secret clearance. The responsibilities look similar tbh of course the on site one would require me working with physical hardware and servers
pnutjam@reddit
I'd take the higher pay. I've held plenty of public trust clearances, but never bothered w/ TS. If this is your first Linux job, getting experience outside the TS / gov bubble can be very helpful.
Gov is not as stable as it was in the past, who knows about the future. I'd take the higher pay.
Hotshot55@reddit
Public trust barely counts as a clearance tbh
pnutjam@reddit
very true, but that also depends on the dept. Some are very invasive.
Hotshot55@reddit
All clearance investigations are handled by DCSA, individual departments aren't going to change the scope of it.
pnutjam@reddit
I've had some that take months and some that take weeks. There is also variability in how they in whether they do in person interviews and follow up with friends and neighbors.
skat_in_the_hat@reddit
And lets say you have an ex-wife who talks shit about you. Or you've ever been arrested. Or you get pulled over and the cop gets a little loud, so you tell him where to shove it, and you end up with a charge, that will fall off. But you got a charge... You're whole fucking career is balanced on that. IMO take the private sector unless the gov job makes itself convenient.
shulemaker@reddit
The only job security you have is your own skills. Schlepping around hardware isn’t going to give you a competitive edge.
eman0821@reddit
Clearances doesn't guarantee job security. There are plenty of people with them that's been laid off.
deacon91@reddit
The second one would be better IMO. Much of the opportunity lives in the software layer, not hardware for linux admins.
Runnergeek@reddit
To me the secret clearance isn’t exciting enough to cover the negatives compared to the other position.
ModeAccomplished@reddit (OP)
Is the secret clearance really as clutch as everyone says it is for linux admins?? I’ve always heard that it makes looking for a job super easy when you have one
Hotshot55@reddit
Not really.
beanmachine-23@reddit
You can’t get secret clearance unless sponsored. I have been turned down for jobs just for not having it and they would not sponsor me. I would take that in a heartbeat because defense contractor jobs are always around in the US.
aaaaAaaaAaaARRRR@reddit
TS/SCI helps a lot if you’re looking for jobs with those. Which role would make you more hands-on and learn more?
I have a friend who got hired as a network engineer with a TS/SCI requirememt. His job to is deploy name badges for the gate…
Inevitable_Score1164@reddit
I'm assuming offer 1 is with the government? There are some huge drawbacks to being an admin in the public sector. Just my experience, but the bureaucracy is very real, and simple tasks constantly get sidetracked because someone is obsessed with a shiny policy or procedure object. Things as simple as a single firewall rule get dragged into pointless weeks-long discussions.
ModeAccomplished@reddit (OP)
The company I would be hired for is a IT services and consulting company that would have me working for Aerospace
MaToP4er@reddit
Well id get that opportunity then! Cuz 100% remote if you cant confirm is a legit company and everything isnt a scam
Sure_Stranger_6466@reddit
I am super jealous congrats OP.
MaToP4er@reddit
Id take 100% remote and 107k BUT!!!!! Confirm first its legit company and not a fucked up monkey scam shit so then you dont regret declining gov job!
Sure_Stranger_6466@reddit
Having just fallen for monkey scam shit myself can confirm. Thankfully it was only about $625 lost but it could have been much more.
skat_in_the_hat@reddit
Help a guy out, what do i need to look out for?
MaToP4er@reddit
Well if someone is asking for money to be sent ahead of time - its a scam; if you cannot find the company anywhere - scam…. Something like this
skat_in_the_hat@reddit
Thanks. I've also been told some companies will send things to work on, and that those little interview projects are actual projects they intend on using. Have you seen that happen? or is that just hearsay?
MaToP4er@reddit
Nope, but id still be cautious!
retro_grave@reddit
Have you been to Ohio? Their pittance relocation assistance screams they aren't serious. There was a ohio jobs program that would give companies $15k to relocate employees to Ohio.
Are you insane? Fully remote and more money?
You're over-valuing secret clearance. If future company wants you for a secure role, they will get it for you. Security clearance lapses like every other for-profit cert.
ModeAccomplished@reddit (OP)
Do you think I could still bring up the Ohio relocation program to them and see if they’d apply for it?
retro_grave@reddit
I think most companies expect at least one round of negotiations. I also wouldn't exactly approach it that way. I'd just ask straight up for a $10k signing bonus and a $10k relocation package (if you're renting) or $20k (if you're a homeowner).
Other things I didn't see you mention: 401k or TSP, annual bonus structure (base + performance?), continuing education stipend (certs?), PTO, any other ancillary benefits (gym stipend, internet stipend, phone stipend, etc.).
zootbot@reddit
You do not want to live in Ohio
ModeAccomplished@reddit (OP)
Why?
zootbot@reddit
Full disclosure I can only really speak for southern Ohio. Never really spent more than a few days in Detroit and really never much time in Cleveland. All my meanderings about in Ohio were generally Columbus and south.
Nothing happens, it’s kinda a dump. Cincinnati is neat but generously a second rate city. If you’re killing for cost of living you can hit pretty much the same with much better metro outside Atlanta and have a much better metro core to do stuff and explore.
There’s nothing that (southern) Ohio offers that you couldn’t find somewhere else that’s better. Maybe it’s a me thing but I feel like I’d love Maryland. In between multiple major metros you basically have access to anything you want to do. I didn’t love Baltimore but you’re just a jump away from Philadelphia/DC. That’s a lot of opportunity personally and professionally you could be leaving.
Either way hope you end up thriving in your new role and if you do end up Ohio I hope you love it.
skat_in_the_hat@reddit
And if you do all that, and dont get it? Take the remote job. Get the clearance when its more convenient. Those clearance jobs dont pay as well as you'd think. A lot of people there for the clout.
FlashFunk253@reddit
The clearance does have some value on the job market since some employers will give preference to a candidate that already has one (if it was required for the job).
But also, many positions that evolve around government contracts are more volatile.
My recommendation would be to take the money and WFH quality of life and work your ass off so that 1) you're less likely to have to look for a new job, and 2) you'll have significant experience-- which can be more valuable than that clearance.
Another benefit is that if you do change positions voluntarily, having higher base salary is a huge bargaining chip.
4mmun1s7@reddit
Secret clearance isn’t worth the problems, in my opinion.
thank_burdell@reddit
Fully remote with higher pay is hard to argue against.
DAsInDefeat@reddit
TS/SCI is not nearly as valuable as all the other benefits of the other position. take the remote one imo
Sure_Stranger_6466@reddit
Fully remote 100 percent. What even is there to do in Ohio outside of work?
green_handl3@reddit
move and its crap, then you have more to sort out. take the 107k and its crap, go back to the other sneeky beeky role, vise versa.
whatever you chose your have the other option again at some point. do what suits you now, because both are great opportunities. don't beat yourself taking either.
good kuck
ps I work in construction :/
motorik@reddit
An on-site position would have to be spectacular in every way for me to choose it over a fully-remote job, especially if a move to Ohio was involved.
BloodyIron@reddit
fully remote 107k, don't move for a job, they can drop you in an instant and you have zero recourse, then you have new problems to deal with that the "employer" won't lift a finger to help with.
moving for 92k is a bad idea any way you slice it, long before the other issues you raise.
secret clearance isn't going to be as impactful as you think it might, it can be worth it, but not moving for only 92k.
tiefling_psion@reddit
Take a step back from thinking about security clearances. Keep it in mind but consider the weight of some other factors in your life math. It will often give you a competitive advantage, as people here have said. But the truth is no job or sector is really a guaranteed "safe" bet in this world, especially in tech.
100% remote gives you unparalleled versatility in cost of living. Take the difference in salary and the amount you would save from not moving right now and find a way to invest it, and begin making a plan to own a home. Even if it's not the level of luxury or nice area you are led to believe befits a 92k salary.
Land will only get scarcer and more expensive and all tech jobs get laid off, replaced, downsized, or otherwise gutted eventually, it's just a matter of whether it happens before you have gotten everything you need from it. The housing market is as much a factor in your long term "security" as your job.
shulemaker@reddit
15% more pay? Be smart. Literally, do the math. Getting your salary up as fast as possible will set you up better in the long term. Forget the clearance, follow the money.
stonedbanana83@reddit
The government and its contractors are regularly looking for Linux admins, but so is the private sector. You want to stay constantly working? Choose the job with higher pay that's fully remote and that quality of life improvement will keep you from burning yourself out as quickly and make it easier to keep improving your skills and knowledge. Instead of commuting to what I presume would be Wright-Patterson AFB use that time to get your RHCSA, RHCE, and/or Oracle Certified Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator and you'll be better off.
Ytijhdoz54@reddit
If you’re getting offers like that without sec clearance I think you’ll be fine without it even in MD. Personally the juice isn’t worth the squeeze anymore, a lot of former service members and former DOD are already in that space so it’s far more competitive than it was 5-10 years ago when it was more rare to have the skills + clearance. Imo if it was me id jump on that full remote gig.
petra303@reddit
Secret is an easy thing to get if your job needs it. Like they others have said the TS is the real get. But it also limits you when you’re looking, because you will only look for more TS jobs so you don’t lose it in the future.
vonbonds@reddit
If they’re not covering your move and breaking your lease then the decision is easy. I will say though if you can get a secret clearance that opens up a whole new world of jobs with likely better job security and far fewer people going for the same roles. Getting a secret clearance is a good start. I had that many moons ago but when I left for another opportunity I eventually lost it obviously.