I would imagine you can get setup here with 4k. I'd definitely prioritize things though and try to live as barebones as you can early on. The point is just get here and start getting a steady income stream coming in and then you can start buying things that you put off that weren't absolutely essential.

And yea agreed I wish there was some more prestige for federal workers. I don't think Americans realize just how much is done on their behalf that they don't know about. Their impressions come from their experience at the DMV or what they hear on the news. Michael Lewis wrote a good book, The Fifth Risk, that sort of highlights some of the unsung heroes in the federal government. I found it pretty interesting and it definitely rang true to me. If you're passionate about that sort of stuff it would probably be a good thing to bring up whenever you have an interview. I imagine they look for people like that.