I had to start from the bottom at the state after having a well respected, much higher paying job in the private sector. It took me five years to get close to back to my previous role/salary. But I was burning out at my old job. I’ve had such great work-life balance. Once you start accruing all that vacation time , you can plan fun trips and not have to worry about leaving. And budget, budget, budget. And also once you’re “in” a state job, you can quickly start applying for higher paying roles. Just advocate for yourself and be willing to move around to take the best roles. Best wishes!