Alright, my claude review, so apparently I already have the projects, so I will be diving into the systems deeply through the study. This is what Claude had to say (strongest tool in mankind btw):
Hunt for Cleared Defense Roles
- Hunt for cleared defense roles. I have a secret clearance because I am trying to go active duty OCS program, and am simultaneously going for the OAR exam. I have a lot on my plate. Also, hunt for Security+ program, which is strong for clearance roles.
- My portfolio projects, and 4 mo at Cinestar make me qualified enough to start applying.
- Certs, keep in mind government cleared roles love educational prowess. Security+ AWS solutions associate, Terraform associate, and Certified Kubernetes Administrator
- ClearanceJobs, cleared job fairs, such as AFCEA San Diego, and SDSU Handshake
- Notable companies: NIWC, NAVWAR, General Atomics, Leidos, GDIT, SAIC, Northrop, BAE, and Booz Allen all have San Diego DevSecOps footprints.
Study Routine
- Docker & Kubernetes, learn deployments, services, ingress, ConfigMaps, RBAC, Helm, and troubleshooting. Managed Kubernetes (EKS) is a plus.
- IaC, Terraform, and Ansible
- CI/CD: GitLab CI and Jenkins especially, plus GitHub Actions.
- Monitoring/observability: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch, Splunk (Splunk shows up constantly on cleared postings).
- DoD-specific familiarity: Platform One, Iron Bank (hardened containers), Big Bang, OSCAL/RMF/ATO, STIGs, container scanning (Anchore, Prisma/Twistlock).
- Scripting: Python and Bash are table stakes; you have these.
- AWS depth
Company Portals to Apply For
- clearancejobs.com
- clearedjobs.net
- Direct contractor career portals
- Cleared job fairs: ClearanceJobs Career Events (DHI, 30+ events/year), ClearedJobs.Net Cleared Job Fairs, and TECHEXPO Top Secret.
- SDSU channels: handshake
San Diego Defense Networking
- Join AFCEA San Diego Chapter
- TechNet, NAML (Naval Applications of Machine Learning)
- Tech Talks that put you in the room with NIWC/NAVWAR
- NDIA San Diego and the annual WEST conference are prime networking.
- WEST 2026 was the 36th annual conference (Feb 10–12, 2026, co-hosted by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute); per USNI
- Referrals are very strong
Month 1: Security+ Sprint + Foundation
- Study for and schedule Security+
- Create/refresh ClearanceJobs and ClearedJobs.Net profiles (set to Active).
- Start applying to cleared junior DevOps/DevSecOps roles on the contractor portals: 5–8 quality, tailored applications per week.
- Register for the next cleared job fair and the next AFCEA San Diego event.
Month 2: Pass Security+, Resume AWS SAA
- Sit Security+.
- Immediately update every profile/resume to show it (this flips you to “8570 IAT II compliant” a huge screen-passer).
- Resume AWS Solutions Architect Associate study.
- Attend a cleared job fair or AFCEA event in person.
- Keep applications at 6–8/week. Begin a Kubernetes learning track (KodeKloud/CKA path or similar) in parallel hands-on, not passive.
Month 3: AWS SAA + Kubernetes Build
- Finish and pass AWS SAA-C03.
- Portfolio milestone: add a GitLab CI pipeline version of one project (speaks the DoD dialect) and containerize an app with Docker + deploy to a small Kubernetes cluster.
- Start interview prep in earnest
- Applications 6–8/week; begin asking for referrals from anyone you’ve met.
Month 4: Kubernetes Depth + Monitoring
- Deepen Kubernetes (deploy a 2–3 microservice app, add health probes, resource limits, network policies, then deliberately break and fix it, this is exactly what makes CKA and interviews click).
- Add a monitoring stack (Prometheus + Grafana) to your flagship project. Consider knocking out Terraform Associate this month (short prep given your existing Terraform work). Ramp interviews, you should be getting screens by now.
Month 5: Terraform Associate + Interview Intensity
- Pass Terraform Associate if not already done.
- Do 2–3 mock interviews (Pramp/interviewing.io or peers).
- Rehearse 5 STAR stories from CineStar + your projects.
- Keep applying and now prioritize responding fast to inbound recruiter interest. Attend another job fair/AFCEA event.
Months 6–9: CKA + Close
- Study for and pass CKA (the capstone).
- By now you should be deep in interview loops and, realistically, fielding offers cleared juniors with your profile don’t usually stay on the market this long once Security+ and SAA are in hand.
- Use CKA progress as a talking point even before you pass.
- If you have an offer in hand, you can defer CKA. Negotiate using the clearance premium and your cert stack as leverage; the San Diego cleared band supports $80K–$120K+ at entry.
Months 9–12: Buffer / Level Up
- If still searching (unlikely if you execute the above), this is a buffer for CKA, more networking, and widening geography (many cleared DevSecOps roles are national).
- If employed, start on-the-job 8140 alignment and eye GCSA down the road.
Recommendations
Do This Week
- Book the Security+ exam ~5–6 weeks out and start studying today. It’s the compliance gate, nothing you do matters as much for hireability.
- Rebuild your resume with clearance in the top third, CineStar as a real contract role, and ATO-in-a-Pipeline foregrounded. One page, categorized skills, GitHub linked.
- Set up complete “Active” profiles on ClearanceJobs and ClearedJobs.Net, and start applying (5–8 tailored apps/week) to junior cleared DevOps/DevSecOps roles on Leidos, GDIT, SAIC, Booz Allen, and General Atomics portals.
- Register for the next San Diego cleared job fair (ClearanceJobs Career Events / ClearedJobs.Net / TECHEXPO) and the next AFCEA San Diego event.
Lets get this baby started!