One of the reasons government work at lower pay used to be acceptable was that the work was steady, but that was then and this is now.
I know that was true back when my dad worked for city gov't, but not any longer, especially when paid benefits are factored in...
As of seven year ago when I left federal employment for the private sector, it was true. My federal salary was lower, and benefits (insurance, etc) cost me more then the private sector. But then again, I was a GS-12 engineer and IIRC, overtime was either not given or strongly discouraged. OTOH, I knew some of the shop technicians who were pushing six figures because of all the overtime they racked up.
Either way, getting back to my original question; Stockpile money in either fiat form or in precious materials as a precausion against hyperinflation.
EDIT: Researching my family history, I found that the 1917-1924 Russian hyperinflation cost my great-grandparents their considerable family fortune and turned them into refugees. Jewelry was used to pay for passage out.