I'm currently at the US Digital Service so figured I'd add some color. There are many subtleties about how government hires that makes this a really interesting question.
We are brought in either under Intermittent Consultants or Schedule A hires. This means that in exchange for being able to hire you by name rather than going through a more structured process through USAjobs.gov, you can only work for 2 years. Therefore, no matter what the pay, it's probably not a viable long term career.
It's also important to note that this is probably a good thing - I've been at Healthcare.gov and USDS since Jan of 2014 and I'm finding that I'm getting adjusted to some of the bureaucracy. It's therefore actually key to balance experience with fresh perspectives.
I'd also say that the salary ranges - it's in part based on what you used to make in the private sector but has a hard ceiling. For everyone who comes, it's more than enough to survive but not a long term career move for anyone. And of course, there are no stock options or equity stakes :D.
Overall, it doesn't sound like you get strung out to dry in any particular way. Seems like it's mostly a "sacrifice" in the sense of putting your ordinary professional opportunities on pause for a little bit- although if the program becomes highly reputable, it could actually be good for you professionally.
Many of us move to DC. However, 18F also has teams in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Raleigh, Tuscon, Austin, Dayton, Philadelphia, Santa Barbara, Seattle, and Portland.
I had never lived in DC before joining USDS, but soon added a new favorite city to my list! I definitely never felt strung out to dry either.
I'm not certain about the exact intricacies of the Schedule A hiring authority so I may be corrected by someone later - but my understanding is that this would not be possible to be rehired under the same hiring authority. People have joked about doing both a Schedule A and an Intermittent Consultant[0], which would allow you to do 4 years (2x2) - as we've just hit our 1st birthday, no one has tried it yet!
[0] There are some slight differences in how pay, retirement, and some other benefits are distributed, so they are mostly but not entirely interchangeable.
Pensions have a 3 year cliff - but you're only allowed to work for 2 as a schedule A and you don't accrue years as an IC so one can conclude with very high confidence that I will not have a pension :D.
I'm not an expert (by any stretch of the imagination) on federal hiring policy, but my appointment is 2 years, with the opportunity to extend another 2 years. No clue what happens after that.
We are brought in either under Intermittent Consultants or Schedule A hires. This means that in exchange for being able to hire you by name rather than going through a more structured process through USAjobs.gov, you can only work for 2 years. Therefore, no matter what the pay, it's probably not a viable long term career.
It's also important to note that this is probably a good thing - I've been at Healthcare.gov and USDS since Jan of 2014 and I'm finding that I'm getting adjusted to some of the bureaucracy. It's therefore actually key to balance experience with fresh perspectives.
I'd also say that the salary ranges - it's in part based on what you used to make in the private sector but has a hard ceiling. For everyone who comes, it's more than enough to survive but not a long term career move for anyone. And of course, there are no stock options or equity stakes :D.