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Return to Article: Salaries for jobs requiring Top Secret security clearances on the rise, survey says

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  Iagree, looks more like a press release / content filler than a real survey.

  Intel Officer Posted June 8, 2009 3:01 PM
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  I whole heartedly believe this article because I earn a six figure salary as a contractor. I haven't even earned a BA degree and was blessed with a much higher salary that I did as a government employee. So, there are lots of opportunities in the contracting industry.

  Blessed Posted March 3, 2009 12:54 PM
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  Something should have long been done regarding obtaining and retaining employees and contractor security clearances. There are too many jobs that require them. The high salaries that the author mentions in this piece must be for the IT and engineering jobs. I have a TOP SECRET clearance and work in administative support and do not see where my salary would be any different with or without a clearance. I also feel that it is best to work in the federal government with a clearance under the GS schedule because in the long run the benefits are better and when the fiscal year rolls around you probably will not be contemplating looking for another job.

  Frustrated Contractor Posted May 7, 2008 9:35 AM
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  Agreed, the "author" of this article should have done some research and talked to those in charge of the survey to get deeper info. Copying a press release isn't an article.

  If you view the survey at clearancejobs.com/salary you can view their methodolgy. It is solid.

  The problem with polling employers for salaries is twofold: First, they are reluctant to give up data. And second, they skew numbers depending on who they talk to. I've done a survey like this in the past and came across this.

  Since there are no others out there like it, I'll take the survey for what its worth.

  Daniel Posted April 1, 2008 9:37 AM
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  Sure wish you would proof your copy before publishing. Depending on which version of the clearancejob(s).com site url I enter will depend on whether or not I go to the correct site. And yes, this reads like a dot com press release not a news article.

  J.P. Huber Posted March 31, 2008 2:06 PM
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  This article reads like a two page ClearanceJobs.com press release that's been Auto-summarized. This is the sort of lazy "reporting" we usually only see from Brittany Ballenstedt on NSPS stories. GovExec I am a loyal reader but you have let me down again on a topic that is very important to me.

  The H-Man Posted March 31, 2008 1:35 PM
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  This is not a legitimate salary survey -- it's a clever marketing package for ClearanceJobs.com. Genuine, valid market pay surveys query companies, not individual employees; and they base their analyses on benchmark rates for defined job categories and levels, not personal salaries. Otherwise, you have no way of accounting for differences in respondents' level of experience/expertise, actual job responsibilities (not just titles), size and sector of company, etc. So while this data is eye-catching, it really doesn't mean much of anything. It's comparing apples to oranges to bananas to lemons to pears to pineapples.

  Particularly egregious is the comparison of contractor to government staff salaries. Again, who are we talking about here? Could it be that the govies trolling this job board are mostly GS-11's and 12's, weighing their options before committing to a Federal career? Whereas the contractors represent a broader range of career levels, looking around for the next good move? There's no way to tell from the data presented, although anyone with a passing familiarity with the GS schedule can reasonably infer what level the Feds in this sample likely are. But again, the purpose of this "survey" is not to inform, it's to incite - and to encourage Federal employees to cruise this website and sign up with ClearanceJobs.com. I'm betting the PR flack who placed this item with GovExec is collecting high five's all over the office this week!

  Come on, girls and boys: reformatting press releases - whether from companies or from the NSPS program office - is NOT journalism. Put your critical thinking caps on, take nothing at face value, and ask a few questions before you fire up the laptop. Your readers deserve better than this.

  Skepticus Posted March 31, 2008 12:34 PM
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  It begs the question is this really necessary or they just padding the books to justify higher salaries

  dan ketter Posted March 31, 2008 10:30 AM
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  I have a top secret sci and don't get paid top salary working for the government.

  Doris Weaver Posted March 31, 2008 9:42 AM
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  I, along with several of my coworkers, told our supervisor that this would cost more to replace civil servants with contractors. You make kids take history so why dont we look at the past and realize that, for the most part, contractors are very expensive.

  Larry Oaks Posted March 31, 2008 9:34 AM
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  I am a retiring Navy Captain (Chaplain) retiring 1 October with a TS/SCI. How can you use me?

  Donald F. Lerow Posted March 31, 2008 9:14 AM