<human>: Could you distill the essence of the text into 1-3 sentences?

I am considering a slight career change, but I'm not sure if it is a good financial decision.

I [42/m] am a software developer.  I work for the government so I make an ok wage and (in theory) I will get a pension.  If I put in 30 years, which would put me around 68 years old at retirement, I should revieve 45% of my final income annually.  This combined with my current savings and SS would be a comfortable retirement for my wife and I.

However, I am considering changing my career slightly.  The resulting salary would be about a 50% raise, but this particular discipline is not found in government, so I would have to go to the private sector so no pension.

My current 401k & IRA savings are very low, just a few thousand.  So if I make this change, I would be starting over on saving for retirement and altough my income would jump, most of it would have to go to retirement savings to replace the lost pension.  

I love the work I do and can easily see myself doing it for the rest of my career. My thinking for the career shift is an interest in this other area, but mainly because I feel there is no guarantee the pension and SS will be there in 25 to 50 years.  I know a 401k is not a 'for sure' thing either, but at least I own it, unlike a pension which can go away at any point. But my current job is super stable, which can't be said for many IT jobs in the private sector.
<bot>: I work for he 'Man' but I fear the pension is unstable, so I am thinking of taking a higher paying job in the private sector.