I was working for an aerospace company 2002-2006 before making the move to this more general defense contractor, and it seems (via anecdata from coworkers at both companies) that general defense contracting is not even close to as cyclical as aerospace. My friends in civilian land have a little more job uncertainty in the medium term (companies operating in the commercial realm seem to have layoffs more frequently, probably because they don’t have to get security clearances for new hires.) On the other hand, the fate of the commercial world isn’t as tightly tied to one customer as it is for us. Engineers who prioritize job security should probably try to avoid overspecializing in a field which can’t translate to a commercial position.

It was cool seeing the article give a shout-out to my alma mater.