I am currently unemployed, and living in the metro DC area where there are a good number jobs that are doing a lot of hiring, but most all of the jobs require different levels of security clearance. Most of the job advertisements say, "Applicant must have, a security clearance or something like that. Why are all the jobs requiring a clearance even though they are not law enforcements agencies, and how can an average person obtain a security clearance with out being in an agency that offered them.

We've had questions of this nature before, and an HIV-positive person with a high level of security clearance wrote to tell us that, even at his level, there was no HIV test or specific question about HIV.

Go ahead and apply. During the interview, ask what they would require of you in terms of a security clearance, and how to obtain what they require. That will tell you what you need to know.