The level of compensation is not normal for engineers, that was the point I was making. There are a lot of talented engineers out there who A) have zero interes

The level of compensation is not normal for engineers, that was the point I was making. There are a lot of talented engineers out there who A) have zero interest in working for a FAANG, B) are perfectly talented, C) have jobs that pay just as well. Yes, that applies to those in government too. In terms of qualifications, people have different things that motivate them to work in certain fields/jobs. People value things other than money as well, such as power and influence, ability to impact change at scale few organizations can match, feelings they are contributing to a meaningful mission/cause, etc. It's not just about money and overqualification is many times because of the way career ladders work in government and the educational, training, internship opportunities the government pays/provides for that you are unlikely to experience in the private sector. Government will sponsor employees to work an internship in the U.S. Senate for 2+ years, or attend a postsecondary education at Georgetown/Harvard/GWU, etc. Not just for senior level employees, for mid-career ones.