tell them AFTER you get accepted, but i think they would be supportive. everyone is allowed to change their mind.

shit i am busting a move out of a job i have had for less than 1 month and half...

? I want to have him write my recommendations, so he'll have to know before. This wouldnt be as hard if i didnt need one from him.

Tell him ASAP, so he can plan for you not being there. He probably will be disappointed, but if he's a good boss he'll understand that having an chronically unhappy employee is worse than you quitting. If the job in in arhcitecture, you could even throw in something about coming back when you finish.

if he fires you.... do you really want him to write your recommendation?

Its not that im unhappy about my job, its just that I want to finish my studies, instead of waiting until im in my 40's. My job is in construction management, which can pay pretty good, and is something i can fall back on if Architecture doesnt work out. And I would like suggestions on HOW i can break it to him in a way that wouldnt piss someone off, something other than, "Hey, im going to go back to school, so write me a rec". And take into account that I probably wont need a rec until november-december and I'll have until next june thru august to keep working.

It normally helps to relay your thoughtfulness or that you are a deep thinker. What I mean is, express how working there has made you realize how interested in architecture and design you are. It had "enlightened" you or changed you drastically by working there. It helps to look dumbfounded like it just bit you in the ass while then following it with a perplexed look which shows that you are "really struggling" with these thoughts at the same time. Make sure you act funny around the time you tell him, before and after. Also make sure you make little hints toward the importance of an architecture degree before as well. It works... I think it is the whole idea of being young and struggling with your identity and knowing what is important to you. No one can deny that from you.

what do you mean by 'act funny'? also, working there really did make me realize how interested in architecture i really was, so i guess its not going to be bs'ing.

I am referring to subtle visual cues that something is up. Its great that you're interested but you are asking for something other than the straightforward method which everyone respects more to begin with. How can you not do "a convincing job" when it is the truth. You should have no problems to begin with and neither should he. You aren't leaving for another job, your pursuing a better education. What's not to respect?

ya, there's some wisdom to JdesP's suggestions...good luck, surely it should be alright though.

ok, now WHEN should I bring this up? The sooner the better? should i wait until my application is sent and ready?

so you've been with this firm for what a year and you want a letter of recommendation? a recommendation for what? the masters program? future jobs? did he graduate from any of the places you are applying? even if he did write one for a future employer, what value do think that will have to you or the prospective employer?? i can think of little reason to ask for that kind of letter unless it's a starchitect or graduate in high standing, other than that it's a waste of yours and his time.

beta, why would admissions people (im planning on applying to a march program) place little/no value on my boss' rec? is it because he isnt a famous architect or some alumn, or is it because i've only worked there for over a year? I dont think every applicant would have to work for gehry or whoever in order to get into school, that seems really shallow. The only thing I can expect him to write about me is what he thought of my work and if I could be successful in school, etc.

out of curiosity, why a waste of time? only thom mayne's recommendation is useful in applications to grad school?

as for the question, best way to go is to be honest. your boss is a business man and must have gone through similar situations any number of times, no? this whole business about acting funny and so on sounds rather off-putting to me. just talk like you normally do, cuz it really ain't a big deal.

when i left my job to return to school i waited til i was accepted to the school i wanted, then gave notice a few months before moving; wasn't an issue and the boss was supportive. some 7 years later we still do projects together now and again. since i is more educated it works better for him anyway cuz he can include me on rfp's as part of his professional workpool. makes his office look more qualified by far.

What Beta is saying is that the opinion of a non-academic who has known you for only about a year and is on the periphery of the profession is not going to hold as much weight as a letter from a professor who you worked with, an architect with connections to the school, or a previous student of/with members of the admissions committee.

All of the schools I applied to last year required letters which could attest to ACADEMIC aptitude and maturity, specifically former professors. Just something to keep in mind. Where are you applying?

.mm

Well, I have my professors who could write recs attesting to my academic abilities, but I thought that a rec from an employer (in construction in my case) would show that I i can bring more to the table than just architecture/design, so to speak. I'm looking at parsons, ucla, and harvard (really reaching there), and contemplating michigan and pratt, though I havent really looked at those two.

citizen, you've got it easy on this one. here's why: you are giving him plenty of notice to find other people, he has to respect that. you are going for all the right reasons as well.

i was about to start another job search in hopes of getting on in a place where i fit in more. we had one person quit last week, and now the only other person doing actual drawing except me is resigning on monday. if she goes and i am the only one doing drawings, what do you think my boss would say if i found something new? i'm still putting my things together, but i don't think he'll like it too much if i was to put in my 2 weeks. anyone have any suggestions about this situation?

Sounds like an ideal time to ask for a huge raise.

again people. i advise doing this a few times a year. show up wearin a suit on say a wednesday and tell the boss you have to leave early for a "doctor's appointment" this will make them stop and think about just how much you mean to them. see how nice they treat you on thursday.

I usually dont have to tell my boss if i have a dr's appt. we're pretty lax about that sort of thing. plus, i've been working on site for the past few months, and i'd probably get my ass kicked if i came in wearing a suit.

momentum,

crazy situation. everyone is quitting because the office is awful, or just bad timing?

maybe now is the time to ask for a role in the way the office is run, you know as a suggestion on how to keep staff...and of course ask for the better pay.

alternatively, if the boss is not worth working for might as well bugger off...

jump,

the boss is a bit of a monster at times, and treats many employees like they know nothing. he also constantly badgers you about time spent, laying down simple yet worrysome remarks dealing with wether or not you should get paid for what you are doing. he also schedules no time in his budget for wether or not you are someone who has been trained to do the task you have been given (the two i spoke about were just out of school for the most part, he was asking them to do things they had never done before, and he would want it right away, giving them no time to instruct them how to properly complete the task).

he is the only one in the office like that, but since we are a small office, and he is the head honcho, it permeates into all of our psyches at some level.

i want to go for different reasons such as i need more experience in different areas i probably wont get here, and that i simply don't fit in. (that and i don't agree with some of the things he is willing to bring into the office just to make money; i feel these items are a waste of our time, and i don't like working on them).

we have one project that if it comes through will ensure me staying for awhile, but if we don't get that, i will leave given the right opportunity.


as for the money thing, i would hate to kick him while he's down, because he will remember that, and he will make me pay for it later. it's not bad suggestion though, and one i wouldn't have thought of on my own. thanks for the input.

why would asking for more money after all the other employees left be "kicking him while he's down?" his payroll just got a lot lighter so there should be no problem throwing a little more your way. if he's "down" because all the other employees left, that's really not your problem.