I mentioned pay as well for that reason. Personally I think I'd rather be in the private sector making more net income but paying for benefits. When you are young your risk factor is very low, you don't need a fancy insurance plan. We have a marketplace system at my company and bronze plans are between $10-$40 per pay check, very cheap, yet I'm not burdened by PS vesting rules and hiring practices in the event I want to change jobs. I do not believe that in the current system, the PS can possibly beat the income you'd gain by changing jobs every 3-5 years which is becoming more common now vs. stay at one company for life.