> So if your job isn't rewarding financially

I don't know where you are, but some of the highest paid public employees in my state are police. In fact, median salaries for cops are higher than those of software engineers.

Add the fact that they get generous pensions + benefits, and can retire at 45 and draw from that pension until they die, they have it better than most of the people they police.

It's one of the only professions where you can make north of $250k+ a year doing overtime by sitting in your car playing Candy Crush all night.