With all of the talk about "the great walkout" and waves of resignations going on basically everywhere in the US for the past month or so, I'm beginning to wonder if geos are in a similar situation. I've worked in oil and gas as a logging geo, and I made great money like all industry roles, but I left on account of the encroaching EV and renewables market, AND because I wanted to do more science focused work that was environmentally responsible. I now work for the government as a hydrologist, and I enjoy the work, but the pay is unsurprisingly low compared to my industry job. What I'm wondering is if this is a result of being underpaid (46k before taxes since it's public info) or am I expecting too much? I see a lot of people currently talking about how they left their job because they feel the market right now is open enough for them to find one that will pay them what they feel they deserve, and I'm curious how true that is for jobs relating to geology.

Are geos able to strike out for greener pastures, or are things currently decent for us in terms of compensation? If I decide to set out for a better job how much more money could I really expect to be making versus what I am now? I like the security and retirement potential of being with the government, as well as the grades/steps for promotion, but if there's more money on the table for work that isint in oil and gas then I'd at least like to know about it. Sorry if this is a kind of long post, but I'm curious what everyone else thinks.