In government contracting, the jobs can be hit or miss. There's some really good ones and some stinkers. They usually pay based on experience. Jobs requiring

In government contracting, the jobs can be hit or miss. There's some really good ones and some stinkers. They usually pay based on experience. Jobs requiring 20+ years are of course more rare than ones requiring just a degree and no experience. A buddy of mine who's 60 decided he'd take an entry level Java job for a few years after being in a challenging senior architect role. The pay is less, but he loves it. Part of the challenge of getting a new job after 40 is deciding whether it really matters whether you're making the same or more $$ in the next job or not. Many people are unwilling to take a pay cut when they have 20 years of experience, even though the job only requires 5.