I’m currently in Air Force DEP and recently booked 1A8X2 (Airborne ISR Operator). I’m scheduled to ship to BMT in November.
At the same time, I’ve been going through the NSA hiring process for a Software Engineer position. I just received a CJO for a Software Engineer. I have a BS in Computer Science, and software engineering is ultimately the career field I want to work in long term.
Obviously, this is only a CJO and I still have to go through the NSA clearance/suitability process before potentially receiving an FJO. Because my BMT date is only a few months away, I’m not sure whether NSA processing would even finish before I ship.
I’m planning to accept the CJO and continue both processes for now, but I had a few questions for anyone familiar with NSA/IC hiring, Air Force DEP, or USERRA:
- What happens if I receive an NSA FJO before I ship to BMT?
- What happens if I receive the FJO after I've already shipped/entered active duty?
- If I were able to EOD with NSA before leaving for BMT, would USERRA potentially protect the civilian position during my initial active-duty enlistment?
- Has anyone dealt with NSA or another federal agency while simultaneously entering active-duty military service?
- Should I tell my NSA recruiter about my November BMT date now, or wait until I'm further into the clearance process?
- Career-wise, would you choose an NSA SWE position over going through with 1A8X2 if the long-term goal is software/defense/IC work?
I’m not planning to drop my Air Force contract just because I received a CJO. I mainly want to understand my options in case the NSA process moves quickly enough that I have two real choices before November.
Any insight from people who have dealt with NSA hiring, federal employment + active duty, USERRA, or a similar situation would be appreciated.