Actually, working for DOD programs has several advantages: 1) The pay is pretty good. It's not FAANG-level pay, but it's generally better than non-FAANG pay,

Actually, working for DOD programs has several advantages: 1) The pay is pretty good. It's not FAANG-level pay, but it's generally better than non-FAANG pay, without so much competition. 2) The work-life balance is excellent, as long as it's in a place you want to live. No 80-hour weeks, as overtime is generally prohibited unless approved by the customer (and then you get overtime pay). Time is tracked and paid by the government on an hourly basis, so they don't allow overtime unless necessary. No unpaid "exempt" overtime. 3) Generally stable employment. It's hard to find people with a security clearance, so it's hard to get fired unless you're a really poor performer. You probably don't have to worry about dealing with stack ranking unlike many regular jobs.