Some of us, just love the city. You may like the idea of having something to do, somewhere to go, meeting people, and generally having a good time – any time. There are locations that offer numerous things to see and do, with tremendous nightlife. However, finding a defense contract position could prove challenging, unless you know where to look. If you dream of leaving the defense sector, this may be a steppingstone. Here are some top locations for urbanites looking to transition from the military, desiring a contract gig.
Washington, D.C.
If you are into seeing sites and enjoying some great nightlife, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland have it all. You can see many museums at little to know charge during the day and have some of the finest dining and clubbing experiences in the country at night. Some don’t like the rat race of D.C. – others find it appealing. For a single person, it does not get much better. You will never be bored.
We all know about the Pentagon, but there are numerous locations and facilities for defense contractors without ever stepping foot onto “ground zero”, the informal cold war name of this building. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Naval District Washington, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Joint Base Myer – Henderson Hall. All these locations and others like Fort Belvoir and Joint Base Andrews, are just a few of the major locations having contract positions, by every major defense organization. Many other local communities such as Reston, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandra, and Green Belt offer fantastic opportunities for defense contracting. No matter your background or military history and with over 26K jobs currently listed on ClearanceJobs.com, you can find work in the D.C. area. Almost every defense contractor organization has a presence in and around D.C.
Seattle Area
Seattle is consistently ranked among the 10 best places to live in the United States by numerous reports. The city is famous for being environmentally friendly and is surrounded by lush evergreen forests. Besides being beautiful, Seattle has great career opportunities, no state income tax, an incredible food scene and lots of night life. The weather is so mild, no air conditioning is necessary. And with the proximity to nature, you are never for a loss of things to do during your days off.
Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Air Force bases are found throughout the region. Joint Base Lewis-McChord is one of the region’s anchor installations located just a couple of miles south of Tacoma. Across the sound, you will find beautiful Bremerton, with Naval Base Kitsap and a Naval Hospital. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is in the northern eastern part of the region and Naval Station Everett to north of the city. Downtown you can find Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. All of these locations have current contract positions.
San Diego
If you are mobile, you should consider moving to San Diego! Considered by many as “America’s Finest City”, it is certainly one of the best places to live in California. It is also one of the best places for veterans to retire. However, it also has great employment opportunities for the defense contractor. With numerous beautiful beaches, fantastic cuisine, you will find the weather is phenomenal. Temperatures typically vary from 50°F to 77°F.
If you are former Navy or Marine, you know all about this place. However, numerous other veterans are living and working in the area. Check out ClearanceJobs.com locations such as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Camp Pendleton, Naval Bases at Coronado, Point Loma and San Diego. However, there are a tremendous number of defense contractor jobs within the region, not necessarily on the bases.
New York City
The Big Apple – what more can you say.
If you are interested in living and working here in the defense industry, there are a few facilities with defense contract companies scattered around the city. Check out Fort Hamilton in the city and Fort Dix 75 miles to the south. Picatinny Arsenal, NJ is 40 miles and generally, less than an hour away near the Catskills. You will find contract positions for all these locations on ClearanceJobs. However, there are lots of jobs just outside NYC in places like Hackensack, Newark, Flexwork, and Elizabeth, NJ with companies like AWS, SAIC, and PAE.
No matter the city, you can find a way to support national security. So, whether you want to land in the D.C. area with a lot of options, or you prefer to venture out, there are multiple cities to call home for cleared candidates.
