Defence Sence


Here's a reasonably interesting description of interview and clearance process at the NSA. Sorry, it's a PDF. One of my proudest possessions is my NSA mug. It has a secret code on it. When filled with a hot liquid, the answer is revealed. It rules.

I found that PDF at Cryptome. By the way, when you click on that link, it will set off all sorts of alarms in the Carnivore boxes installed at your ISP. (the FBI considers Cryptome a source of information that could harm the United States)

One time I interviewed at a big defense contractor. The interview process was crazy. They would say stuff like "This position involves Unix, and... a database. I think that's all I can say. You'll have lots of fun, but never be able to tell anybody what you do." They told me if I started work there, the clearance process would take 6 months to a year. During that time, I'd be paid to sit in a room called "the leper colony" and do nothing. I did get a job offer from there, to work in their "SPACE SYSTEMS" division (how cool is that!) But, I turned it down. I didn't want to move to Texas. I probably missed an oppurtunity to work on the EXOATMOSPHERIC KILL VEHICLE or something.

Instead I went to Pratt and worked on everything from their coolest stuff all the way down to the bottom of the barrel: the mainframe based payroll system. Y2K was coming, you know. That COBOL wasn't about to remediate itself.
from that mortal over at messy-78