My daughter with a Master's left a supportive non-profit complete with bonuses to work with a city planning department in a major CA city….She was happy where she was but had not received a raise in five years.. Salary at the city was a $20k raise.
When she got there she was literally doing The Office basement guy, moving her stapler from point a to b for 8 hours a day and reading all the regulations written for the past 20 years She had no work or assignments.
Her employment ended at a toxic Christmas party when a drunk boss of her boss informed her “some people interview well, some people have skills.”
She went back to the non-profit and makes $8k more than her dismal bureaucratic job. She didn't burn any bridges when she left her former job. She left a screen saver of the basement guy moving his stapler around for the ridiculous bureaucrats she worked with for 2 months
Not sure what the message is here. If you are passionate about what you do but are unhappy with the money do not be enticed by dull government jobs?