No chance someone who chose to work at Google for half a million is going to work at the NSA for $120k.
Then again, they probably both have lots of jobs where they do very little work.
Then again, they probably both have lots of jobs where they do very little work.
The other thing I have gleaned is that the work involves tech that no one else would ever invest in. For example, a former professor of mine worked on an integrated circuit VLSI design that was, at the time, at least 10-fold larger than any commercial chip. Entirely in secret, of course.
The salary may not be world-beating, but - from what I can glean - the work is rewarding and meaningful in ways that compensate for the difference in pay.
Sure there’s a chance, which is equal to the chance the NSA will coerce you into it by blackmailing you based on the info they have on you.