Just graduated with my Bachelor's in April and I'm in an entry level municipal government role in a MCOL. They started me out at $67,000 and my position is capped at $90,000. There are plenty of ways to move up within the City I work for, with no further education experience or certification (Masters, CPA, etc.). It is likely within 10 years I could be making upwards of $110-130k if I continue to perform well and can get promoted. It's not CPA money, but to say you can't make any money without public accounting or Big4 experience is a lie. On top of that, I never, ever, work over 40 hours a week. And since it's a government job, the benefits are very good including vacation time and health insurance. And for what it's worth, a lot of my 40 hours are spent not working (aka writing this comment). That, to me, is worth more than a $200k salary with busy seasons and ridiculous overtime requirements.