as a result of their ability to pay more though Well, not really, not for maybe 10 years now. If you joined Goldman as a fresh graduate you would be an Analyst

as a result of their ability to pay more though Well, not really, not for maybe 10 years now. If you joined Goldman as a fresh graduate you would be an Analyst, which means 2-3 years of 80-100hr weeks for good but not amazing pay. At any big tech offering RSUs your overall compensation will be much, much better, as will your general quality of life. But Goldman still gets 4000 applicants for every opening because people figure it's worth it for the doors it opens down the line. Government simply can't afford to pay or select that much If the government could put together a programme that opened doors - not through corruption but by a reputation for producing capable, hard-working people - people would go there too. It's not dissimilar to why some (many?) people do a 4-year stint in the military - GI Bill and the prestige of being a veteran after.