[jyl]

Am not close to the aerospace industry but do watch it from a distance. So here goes and sorry if I have my facts wrong -

If you've only been at the company for 1.5 years, you've probably been there through a sharp and severe industry downcycle, during which raises and promotions would logically be hard to come by. Simply keeping your job in this downcycle may be an achievement in itself. Getting lots better pay, satisfaction, and stability by jumping to a different industry this exact moment, especially one as troubled as commercial construction, seems like a low-odds bet.

In general, I agree that in many companies/industries, switching companies is the primary way to advance. Stupid really, but there you are. And making false promises to employees is terrible management. So I can certainly see the wisdom of job-switching. But whether 2009 is the best time to do it, is another story.

From 30,000 feet, neither aerospace nor commercial construction look to me like growth industries over the next several years.