I would pick B myself but hey what the heck do I know?
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There's plenty of good advise here. I'd just echo that the liklihood of being in one job for 10 years is pretty slim these days. Take the job that offers you the best opportunity over a 3 year time span, and see where that takes you.
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Both of these job are two different trades in construction. With both jobs I feel I would be starting low enough that I would be moving up the pay scale at around the same rate. Just with job A as the company advances there would be more need for office positions where as job B there is not. The work part of both jobs I enjoy it is just that with job A there is a much high chance of having to travel. I guess it is just the chance that A could turn into something big that I am getting hung up on. Either way thanks for all the advice and for confirm everything I was leaning toward.
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Andrew: Either way, congrats! That's an enviable position to be in.

That being said, although I understand your dilemma, I'd think hard about the "both things I hate" issue. That could be a bad long-term position to be in, regardless of the potential upside. Good luck!
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I agree with this as well. At least for now, choose "B" brother.
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Greater the risk the greater the reward.
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Hard work, a solid work ethic and knowing your job front and back (subject matter expert, a real one) will help you advance and be valuable in any market job. Go with what you like, but don't do something because it is easy. Sometimes you have to work some hours you don't like or work harder than you think you should in the beginning. It will pay out in the end and, if you like what you are doing, it will be well worth it in the long run.

Oh, and the days of changing jobs every year in search of something better are over.
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Yes it certainly is, and this point most people are just happy to have a job full stop (at least that's my impression looking in from the outside since where I live hasn't been hit nearly as hard as the news portrays down south).

That said, unless you're in business for yourself, the odds of being with any company for any longer than 5 years, let alone 10, is still pretty slim. 5 years is a very long today in today's business world and the odds are that either you'll have outgrown your employer or vice versa and as a result you'll have moved on in that time. It might be the same job for a different employer, career advancement or a total change of career but for the most part the marketplace is so fluid that long term employer/employee relationships are a thing of the past.

Having a valuable and current skillset combined with a solid work ethic means you'll never be without options or opportunties :-)
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Hey Big A - if you think that you could parlay the experience in B into an advancement with a different company, then you nullify the benefit in job A that you are getting hung up on.

Afterall, there will be more than one company that is growing as we all come out of this mess.

Plus, you'll have a higher compensation package to negotiate off of - as much as you don't want to, your next employer will ask what you made, and will use that as a first step in deciding what to offer (assuming non-union here).

Either way, wish you the best! :-)
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I would pick B, but I hate traveling for work since I never really got to enjoy where I was in the past when I did so and I hate working at night although these days I find myself in front of a computer into the wee hours of the night more and more. The potential in growth at A sounds good but unfortunately in this economy, you may not be around long enough to take advantage of those opportunities. Just sayin'
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