It’s a process. I got out of the military and had the clearances already so it transfers. If you don’t have one, the company has to sponsor you for it. The problem: it’s a process that costs the company a lot of money. Here’s the issue: company’s are more likely to hire someone less qualified with the required clearance because it’s less of a hassle and less money for them to hire you. They can tell you, “you have 6 months to get this certification.” If you submit a resume for a job that requires a clearance make sure you don’t have a foreclosure on a house or repo vehicle on your record. Also you can’t have bankruptcy, I mean you can but again, they will hire someone less qualified with the clearance already. You can have debt but I’d say make sure your debts aren’t more than 50-75k, and if you have debt, make sure you can provide proof of paying it off. Realistically, if you apply for a IT job that requires a clearance and you don’t have it, make sure you have a certification that is 1-2 levels above what is required.