Added: if you think I'm joking or being unfair, just look at the compensation tables for just about any government outfit. They top out around a salary that is considered average for software folks in some places.
I know that that is typical, but there are exceptions, and if you work for the right agency you can be paid well, so I don't want to make any assumptions.
If he's not paid well then I hope he realizes that by merely being aware of HN and GitHub puts him in the top 10% of developers and he can do a lot better than working at a place that restricts his ability to educate himself.
Oh, I'm a contractor and I'm paid decently, but the working conditions are terrible. I've been trying to find a job outside of defense/govt work for a long time, but either the pay isn't as good (the one or two times I managed to land an offer) or I'm not a "cultural fit." Not having a network outside of the govt bubble makes it hard.
Hi there, James. I'm a software engineer at Google. I've worked with many former government and defense contractors here whom I would consider some of the best engineers. Please send me your resume (or anyone else with a similar situation!); my email is in my profile. We have offices all over the US (but not Florida) so the bay area wouldn't be a requirement.
Man, I grew up in Brevard, and I wish I could work there, but unfortunately all the software jobs are for defense contractors. You'll probably have to work remote if you want to get out of the defense bubble.
