[SeanBateman]

Private. Always private. Don't worry about salary increases, focus on trying to get equity which isn't a possibility in government work. Salaries and savings accounts are a surefire way to stay middle class forever. Use your salary for start-up capital and develop private sector relationships that will help you start your own company in one form or another. It takes a lot of work and a lot of risk to do something on your own, but that's the only way to build your own lifestyle. Government workers are losers with fat wives and boring lives.