MS Letters of Rec From Employer

[PMechS]

I'm applying to several MS programs during for fall '06 and I am at the point where I'm making letters of recommendation requests. I'm in my second year of employment after my BS, and out of the three letters each school requires I'd like to have one from my employer. Unfortunately I work for a government agency and the chance of having grad school paid for is next to none. Along with the desire to relocate, I'm lead to seek education out of state.

I feel that if I request a letter of recommendation from my employer, the cat will be out of the bag and I will essentially be putting in my 2 weeks, except it's 9 months! My fear is not that I will be fired (gov't don't forget) but that I will begin to be assigned less and less projects as the months go by and receive resentment.

Any thoughts?

 

[wes616]

you can't get fired like that from a govt job... at least in the US



Wes C.
------------------------------
There are no engineers in the hottest parts of hell, because the existence of a 'hottest part' implies a temperature difference, and any marginally competent engineer would immediately use this to run a heat engine and make some other part of hell comfortably cool. This is obviously impossible.

 

[bioengr82]

Wes-
I believe that is why he said "my fear is not that I will be fired (gov't don't forget)."

PMechS-
If this continuing education is a sure thing, even if they start to reduce your work load what's wrong with that? I'm thinking about my job, and nine months would be a good spot to start phasing out my involvment (2-weeks would be a joke). Be professional and don't burn bridges, if they resent you for persuing your goals and bettering yourself, you shouldn't want to work there anyway.

 

[mechj]

I was always under the impression that goverment agencies were very willing to pay for continuing education. I have even heard of people working for goverment research institutions getting there PhD. at a school away from were they work while still recieving there salary. I did several internships at NASA Glenn in Cleveland, and have some friends working there. They are going to grad school and NASA is paying for it. It might be something to look into.


jason m.


"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." Albert Einstein