[wludavid]

I'm at a DoD lab in Virginia. We're on a "demo" system that's pay for performance, in theory. Some of the salaries are locked into grades, but movement within the grades are based on performance appraisal, just like in the real world (ie, private sector).

It's a 9-5 gig, low stress mostly.

Supe, 85k in the DC metro area isn't that much. Many (most?) civil servants in DC who are more than clerks are making that within 10 years of starting with the gov't.

dvreed, I'd do it. If I were offered a similar jump in salary, I'd take in a heartbeat. 15 years is a long time to retirement. Your time with the gov't is cumulative, so you can always leave for a few years, then jump back in at a higher level, like GS-14, 15 or SES. That way you'd make bank and end up with a sweet pension.