I'm thankful to work in for the federal govt. where mid 30s to 60s is the age range. Also, the pay for fed govt work is comparably to what engineers in Silicon Valley make, but the cost of living is way lower in this Mid-Atlantic city/area.
Though if your single and like to mingle with co-workers and make friends your not going to find that working for the fed; most are married and or recently arrived in the US.
It's good that you're satisfied, but saying that the federal government is comparable to what engineers make in Silicon Valley tells me you don't actually know what engineers make in Silicon Valley.
Can you make similar in the fed on the low level... Sure(though I don't make that myself) based on your negotiation skills. The higher salaries Seen you can if your a Java developer vs a web developer.
Also if your on a long term hourly contract no benefits as a web dev for the fed and with today's climate/demand you definitely can make just about anything in that range.
not sure why i was down voted I was just saying ageism isn't found in the fed, the money can be just as good as it is in the valley and the cost of living is incredibly less.
Though if your single and like to mingle with co-workers and make friends your not going to find that working for the fed; most are married and or recently arrived in the US.