[Pontiac]

Many actually are hired into ongoing multi-year developmental projects.

Oh, very true. Long term projects that nearly invariably miss their deadlines and are massively over budget (with little or no accountability).

You should check on how Department of Defense works sometime.

The Dept of Defense is huge but it is not the whole of the Federal Government.

I know of a half dozen people who left the private sector to get out of the rat race and in to a secure government job.

[muawiyah]

Good for the people you knew. My job was fairly high pressure ~ had a lot of public contact, and most of it involved people who didn't want to pay very large postage bills.

Still, there were good times ~ like when they got busted down to their ankles and dragged off to the hoosegow! Yeeha!