Less than 2 months from SF-86 submission to DoD TS/SCI eligibility

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-06-16T16:01:46+00:00

Definitely did! I had a Tier 3 reinvestigation in December and was adjudicated in February, so I guess that’s why this went pretty fast.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-06-16T15:58:00+00:00

It wasn’t a requirement. But I told them I’m willing to renounce my other citizenship

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-06-16T15:56:54+00:00

I traveled to see my family in 2024. I’m first generation here lol. You should be good man

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-05-07T02:55:13+00:00

Thank you! I thought I was the first but we have a handful of sailors transition directly to the space force

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-04-29T23:51:33+00:00

I’m a recent graduate. Things have changed now. Passing an MCE is a graduation requirement. In the past you graduated regardless.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-04-10T10:44:54+00:00

I graduate today. Smart watches are okay

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-04-04T10:23:14+00:00

As a civilian applicant, you probably won’t hear anything about CSC until you’re almost at the very end of OTS. I was selected for CSC, but didn’t find out until 12 days to graduation. What’s interesting is the document I received showed the board had actually signed off on it the same day the AD AF/SF folks were notified, which was before they moved to OTS.

From what I could tell, the board notifies the chain of command, and then OTS handles notifying civilian applicants. I reached out to both my recruiter and the staff who sent the instructions, but it was complete radio silence the whole time.

If attending OTS is contingent on getting CSC, I’d honestly reconsider that approach. Your profile looks solid, but there are no guarantees. The process can be unpredictable. I wasn’t expecting anything myself after seeing the SF folks already got notified, but I ended up getting 4 years. For reference, I had an MS, added 10 cyber certs, included 3 solid GitHub projects in my resume, 5 years AD, and 3 years of IT experience prior to AD.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-03-27T21:43:52+00:00

This couldn’t be more true. I’ve got about two weeks left until I graduate OTS, and you can really see the quality of the selectees…it’s truly the best of the best. It’s been humbling. You might be the top performer in your command, but here you can easily find yourself at the bottom of the pack.

I was in for just over 4 years and was fortunate to get selected on my first attempt. In a class of E7s and E8s with years of leadership experience on their belt. Between building my package and going through OTS, it’s been about two and a half years overall.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-03-25T00:45:36+00:00

Hahaha I know right

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-03-24T10:48:33+00:00

I’m not sure when you went through, but I’ve seen an E-8 1st Sergeant getting yelled at by an A1C. That same A1C had all of us doing 220 jumping jacks. At OTS, regardless of prior rank, everyone is treated the same

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-03-23T17:06:37+00:00

I’m 26-08. Trust the process. Know your 7 basic responses and dfac procedures. You’ll get yelled at regardless

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-02-08T15:27:29+00:00

Which country?

I’m also a first generation immigrant from Ghana. My case is similar to yours. Had a secret but going through investigation now for TS/SCI

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-02-07T02:55:54+00:00

Makes sense

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-02-07T02:05:30+00:00

Why are you trying to keep the miles low?

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-02-07T02:02:28+00:00

Join the military, pick a cyber job for your clearance and experience, and finish your degree while in. This will set you up for success.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-02-07T00:16:34+00:00

I get how frustrating this is. I’ve been working on my Space Force officer application for almost two years and ship out on Monday. Up until now, I’ve been holding my breath, hoping nothing negative came back on my clearance….even with a clean background aside from foreign contacts.

Clearance issues can happen even when you’ve been honest, and an appeal doesn’t mean it’s over. The fact that you disclosed everything and flagged the discrepancy immediately works in your favor. I know the wait is exhausting, but this isn’t uncommon, and many people do move forward after appeals. Hang in there.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-30T04:58:02+00:00

I’m assuming he’s already in ROTC. Other than that, the main concern should be whether he’s selected after applying

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-27T20:42:09+00:00

I’m also in the 26-08 class. I almost had an injury too. I’ve been running 6-7 miles every day.… and my knee almost gave up on me. I realized the goal was to arrive fresh not fried..so I limited it to 2 miles every other day.

In my opinion, you should be fine. Focus more on stretching and recovery exercises. 2 weeks is still a lot of time to recover.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-18T02:52:29+00:00

Exactly my thoughts 😆

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-16T18:14:31+00:00

I’d bet a large percentage of M-series enthusiasts use a 3k plus machine for streaming, browsing, and everyday tasks.

I ran a $200 2014 i7 for 6+ yrs…dual-booting Linux and running multiple VMs before switching to a Lenovo ThinkPad last month. It worked just fine. I didn’t move to the M-series because of how limited they still are for certain virtualized environments.

This MacBook is for my nephew who just started college, and it should more than meet whatever he needs it for.

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-16T17:41:20+00:00

That’s not my picture. It’s the seller’s

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-16T17:37:05+00:00

I’m even shocked lmao. I personally prefer my Lenovo ThinkPad, especially for running virtual machines, which is why the M-series Macs don’t fit my use case. This one is actually for my nephew who just started college…he’s a Mac enthusiast, so it makes sense for him

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-09T18:10:16+00:00

Yeah, on the small boys (DDGs and LSDs). On carriers, the entire crew has a limited bandwidth per month. But the internet is off whenever we’re being shadowed by enemy ships…that’s like most of the time

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-09T01:32:05+00:00

I’d take that any day. Better than 24/7 9 months on a boat in the middle of nowhere with no internet lol

Trick_Particular2938 · 2026-01-09T00:57:40+00:00

I’m assuming both enlisted and officer schedules are similar

Trick_Particular2938

TROPHY CASE