Is the AF job still available? The reason I ask is despite the fact it is low pay, you still might want to do it for a little while, and I would imagine you could continue a side job as well. I wasn't sure if you meant expired as in, you're coming up on the investigation period, or the 2-year mark after you leave a billet/employment with the military. Either way, you get the clearance renewed for at least two more years, giving you more time to consider a better job requiring a clearance.

I am one year away from expiring my 2-year clock, and I'm trying to find work through my company to do a stint with the DoD so that I can renew my it (I had my reinvestigation not long before I left government work a year ago). I once considered signing up for any escort duty they might have for people with clearances as sort of a part time gig. Unfortunately, my company would not allow that.

Thank you so much for sharing.

I used to drive for Uber too, and while the flexibility was nice, I always felt like I was wasting my potential. It’s tough to make that leap, especially with something like a Secret clearance hanging over you. I’ve had friends in similar situations who’ve found good fits in physical security—especially after hours, which sounds like a great idea for keeping your clearance while you’re working toward your CompTIA certs. I’ve even read some cool advice about getting started in security on this Medium post https://medium.com/@WSMofficial/how-to-become-a-security-guard-in-ontario-canada-a-complete-guide-342aa97f1520 that I found helpful when I was looking into different job options. The part about working with a schedule you control really resonated with me—it’s a balance of independence without the stress of long shifts.