Did you ever think you'd actually live to see the day where federal employment was actually considered, dare we say it, sexy? When you combine the current rate of private sector job growth with the fact that by this time next week the federal government will be headed up by a guy who sells more magazines than Brangelina, getting a government job might just be on the cusp of a coolness revival. Not only does federal employment offer relative stability in these tough times, but the wages might be a lot more competitive than you think.

Most folks looking for employment in the federal ranks probably aren't shooting for the slots of President or Vice President, positions that pay $400,000 and $208,000 a year, respectively. But there are plenty of  private sector jobs that pay a lot more than that for the work involved. Then again, that $400,000 also gives you access to your own jet, helicopter, bowling alley, and a vacation home in Camp David, not to mention the fact you'll never wait in traffic again.

But if being the decider is too heady a task, maybe the Legislative Branch is more your speed. Who doesn't dream of one day being publicly browbeaten live on C-Span by the likes of David Obey or Adam Putnam? After giving themselves a $4,700 raise in 2008, members of Congress now pull in $169,300 a year. However, the president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders of Congress are paid $188,100, while the House Speaker makes $217,400. That kind of money can buy you plenty of Amtrak monthly passes to Wilmington, or at the very least reserve you a spot in Capitol Hill's answer to Delta House.

Of course, $169,300 doesn't go as far as it used to, which can be a contributing factor to the recent legal woes of people like Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. One has to wonder if someone like Stevens, who was convicted this past October of failing to properly report gifts that he had received while in office, would have so easily given into temptation and ruined his career if his salary had been a little higher.

For those who are drowning in a sea of advanced degrees and student loan debt, taking a look at government employment might be an attractive option. According to www.payscale.com, physicians working for the Department of Veteran's Affairs had an average salary of $149,845 in 2008. But salaries for VA doctors can reach as high as $400,000, and include incentives for retention, location, and performance.

"The range of the pay is very flexible," said Clara Trapnell, a VA human resource consultant. "You can have someone who earns $90,000, which is the lowest amount of pay that you can pay a physician, up to our highest rate, which is $275,000. There [are] mechanisms for exceeding that through incentive pay, recruitment incentives paid in a lump sum, retention incentives, and a number of different ways. Performance pay is an add-on to that maximum pay, and you can get exceptions from the Under Secretary's office. And our highest rate of pay can go up to $400,000.

Meanwhile, attorneys employed at the Department of Justice brought home an average of $120,332, although they can earn up to $153,000 per year under the General Schedule Pay Scale, including locality pay for DC living. However, lawyers with skills in high demand and low supply may be paid more under the Administratively Determined (AD) pay scale, which isn't so much an actual predetermined scale so much as it is a bag of tricks used to lure in talent with salaries well above the General Schedule pay.

Private practice might offer more money (at the outset at least), but the relative security and benefits of a government position must be taken into account. And then there's the added personal satisfaction of using your professional expertise to defend the constitution or work with wounded veterans.

Finally, there are "the suits," of government - the executive management time, referred to as the Senior Executive Service. According to the Office of Personnel Management, "Members of the SES serve in the key positions just below the top Presidential appointees. SES members are the major link between these appointees and the rest of the Federal work force. They operate and oversee nearly every government activity in approximately 75 Federal agencies."

These positions at the top of the pyramid are usually the toughest to land, being filled through longevity, merit, and a little networking, with the top slots turning over with every successive administration. There are only 6,000 such positions in government and the job doesn't pay too badly. SESers make between $117,787 and $177,000 a year, and of course enjoy the kind of access that only working in some of the more elite sectors of government can afford you.

So there you have it. When you combine the competitive wages with the stability and, in some cases, access that a federal position uniquely offers, these jobs can suddenly start looking a lot more attractive. Of course, in boom times, government employment can certainly be looked down upon, but these are most definitely not boom times, which might make prospective public servants slightly more receptive to the idea of government employment - even if you don't get to use the White House bowling alley. But hey, everybodyhas to make sacrifices.

Also Interesting:

[+] Undergraduates see government as ideal employer

[+] Federal workers happier than private sector employees

[+] The 2009 Federal Leave Calculator

[+] New survey shows feds love their jobs...mostly

[+] Muffling Obama's call to service

[+] How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job

[+] Federal Pay Outpaces Private Sector?