Hello,
I recently got an offer from a defense contractor that requires an interim security clearance for secret prior to the start date (around end of June). As far as I understand from many reddit posts, interim is not guaranteed. I'm a bit worried because I've made some bad finance choice by gambling. I currently have a credit utilization around 80% (I know it's a stupid decision), which is about 35K in credit card debt, but I never missed a single payment on credit cards, auto and student loan. I currently do have a stable engineering job that can eventually pay off all of my debt. If I do get the security clearance, the sign on bonus and stocks I have can pay off the debt.
To quickly talk about my background, I NEVER have done any drugs, minimal foreign contact (monthly talk with missionary), didn't travel outside of US in the past 10 years, paid all taxes on time, no criminal offenses, and held a dual citizenship but given up in 2018. Lastly, I have up to master's degree with 2 years of experience in the industry.
I've seen many posts about interim not getting granted because of financial issues, but some still get granted. I always had a good finance, just recently made a bad decision and I really regret it. What are my odds of getting interim granted?
Thanks