Re: Is Infosec for me?

["J. Oquendo" <sil () infiltrated net>]

On Tue, 02 Jun 2009, Bob Smith wrote:

> When I was young I did some real stupid things. I had a bad drug habit
> which landed me in prison for a felony sales charge. Now I have a
> felony for life. I have long since passed that stage in my life and
> have not even gotten a speeding ticket since then. I know it was
> stupid but I cannot take it back now and ultimately that problem got
> me off drugs so something good came out of it. In the above mentioned
> book it basically said pretty bluntly that if you have a felony you
> can forget ever having a job in this field. My question to all of you
> is what is your experience with this if any? Can any of you in the
> field attest to or deny the relevance of that statement?

It all boils down to what you have done and how you've progressed
in life. In the United States we practice what's called "The Power
to Punish" where most HR recruiters will follow the practice of
filtering out candidates who have records. Although even illegal
in some states, it would be a difficult case for you to prove -
you were discriminated on based on your record.

So as others have told you, seek to get a pardon or your records
sealed. Regardless if someone does a criminal background check,
those records are sealed. You legally DO NOT HAVE TO disclose
that you were convicted once those records are sealed. For anyone
who'd want to dispute this with me please provide factual info
for the list to learn from. I've been down this road and am too
tired to dig into bookmarks to support this. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO
DISCLOSE you have a record if they've been sealed. In MA search
CORI, NY - N.Y. Crim. Proc. Law ?? 720.15, etc. (Again if
you want to dispute this provide fact not rumor.)

Seek to have your records sealed. It's a fight and not a simple
one. You'd have to show reasons why you'd like them sealed and
show a lot of progress in your life. So if things are as you
state, you ran with the wrong crowd, you did some wrong things,
seek to have those records sealed. In the interim, choke it up
and always bring it to the table. In fact, better to bring it
to the table beforehand. Employers will actually respect it
more than finding out after wasting their time. You'd be
surprised how things pan out. Depending on who you are, what
you've done as far as progression, you'd still be qualified.

Define qualified... Well it's no secret that 1 in 100 Americans
are in prison and I believe its 1 in every 57 or so have been
in some shape form or fashion arrested, imprisoned, sentenced
to probation, etc. For the solid statistics on the 1 in 100
see http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/8015PCTS_Prison08_FINAL_2-1-1_FORWEB.pdf

Moving on... For those who think contrary to "OMFG a record
will leave me scarred for life" I suggest looking at the
following:

Commencing while he was in high school, Applicant was a substance
abuser whose choice of substances was alcohol, marijuana, and
methamphetamines. He was convicted on three occasions between
1993 and 2001. He has abstained from drug abuse since 2003, and
also substantially decreased his alcohol consumption. In 2007, he
completed an e-QIP and omitted at least one arrest, but his
omissions were not deliberate falsifications. Applicant has turned
his back on the old crowd and shed his bad habits, and developed
a new life and lifestyle. The changes have brought about a positive
attitude and outlook. There is significant rehabilitation and other
pertinent behavioral changes, and recurrence is unlikely. Applicant
has, through evidence of extenuation and explanation,
successfully mitigated and overcome the government's case.
Clearance is granted. 

http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/07-13240.h1.pdf

---

Applicant is 26 years old and used marijuana infrequently while in
college and once in 2007. He also used a prescription drug for pain
and later for recreation. His last use was in 2007. He no longer
uses any illegal drugs or prescription drugs illegally. He is
committed to a drug-free future. He did not initially divulge his
prescription drug use on his security clearance application, but
later provided the information before being confronted. Applicant
has successfully mitigated the Drug Involvement and Personal
Conduct security concerns. Clearance is granted. 

http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/08-06488.h1.pdf

---

In 2004, Applicant exercised very poor judgment by misusing his
employer's credit card for personal items. He was caught and
fired ... Eligibility for access to classified information is granted. 

http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/08-09646.h1.pdf

---

Applicant's two arrests for Driving While Under the Influence
in 2004 and 2007 raised concerns under alcohol consumption
and criminal conduct. After her second arrest, Applicant
attended in-patient treatment where she was diagnosed as
alcohol dependent by a physician. Applicant successfully
completed the terms of her probation for the second DUI
offense. While it has been a struggle, she has attended
counseling and AA meetings to maintain her sobriety.
Security concerns are mitigated. Clearance is granted. 

http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/08-04055.h1.pdf

---------------------- / Enough?

Anyhow, you're the only one holding yourself back. Now
that you see that - sure its a struggle - but you can
get your life together. Much kudos to you for keeping
your head-up and trying to progress. Don't let anyone
tell you anything different.



=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
J. Oquendo
SGFA, SGFE, C|EH, CNDA, CHFI, OSCP

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to
ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things
differently." - Warren Buffett

227C 5D35 7DCB 0893 95AA  4771 1DCE 1FD1 5CCD 6B5E
http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x5CCD6B5E


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