I believe you are correct; only the NSA and CIA require the life-style, or full-scope poly. The NRO, and any special access programs, require the CI poly (check out Lockheed Martin's jobs database and search on "special access"). Having taken many polys, your anxiety attacks won't help the process. The companies that you are looking at, especially if you are in the software development, or EE business, should pay considerably more for a TS/SCI/poly clearance. The salaries for these positions are demanding 90 - 110K. I was at the NSA, but they put me in adjudication limbo, so I went to another Intel agency. I got a small raise, and a nice sign-on bonus, but I plan on leaving, after a year, to increase my salary. Companies are desperate for TS/SCI cleared people. I would try the larger companies, to see if they would bring you on in an uncleared position, then put you in for a secret/top secret position. In order to get an SCI access clearance, all of your immediate family members have to be U.S. citizens. The DoD secret/top secret clearances do not require a poly, unless they are "special access" programs, and are easy to get unless you have significant issues (e.g., drugs, crimes, etc.). Any cleared positions, in the private sector, are always contracting positions, to the federal government. If you decide to go the NSA/CIA route, beware of what you admit to during the polys, because any adverse information will be sent to the DoD/DSS, for your DoD clearance. If you fail to get through the polys, or adjudication process, it could affect you getting a DoD clearance. This little tidbit, will not be volunteered by your security department. In any case, there are a lot of just secret positions, at least in the Washington, D.C. area.
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