...the beau said I should sue him for all the back overtime he owes me. I think it's a bad idea. FL ain't labor friendly. it's a gamble. If I go
into business for myself, he could sink me b/c we'd be traveling in the same industry circles.
Also, if anyone has experience with this, can you take a look at the letter of rec and tell me if I should tweak them in certain ways. You know, there was a code in academia for letters of rec. I'm not certain what it is in corporate world. If anyone has experience with this, i'll send you a copy of the letter or give you access to a Web site where you can view it (sans identifying company info).
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I'd be happy to look at the letter and offer an opinion.
Regarding crying havoc and unleashing the legal dogs of war...
In this, as in all temporal things, the cost/benefit scales must be weighed. Your beau is looking (rightly) for justice but I think your instincts are sharp: the outcome of legal action is uncertain and in an environment in which your prospects to work could be ruined by pursuing a case discretion may be the better part.
In a different state, or a larger market this might not be an issue (I wouldn't hesitate to sue my employer in a similar situation but I'm in the midst of the N.E. corridor's megalopolis of big, medium and small enterprises who wouldn't know or care). But for you, keeping your sword sheathed (at least, for now) seems wise.
A friend of mine who recently moved to the Tampa area is doing exceptionally well by focusing on the IT needs of the offices of doctors, dentists and real estate appraisers. He's set up a remote control command center in his home (using simple tools like Linksys routers configured to port forward terminal service calls to an office situated management server) from which he troubleshoots and maintains several locations for a monthly fee.
He cut his teeth in the big time (global scale enterprises) and is now using his considerable skills to help small biz. There's a big need out there for highly skilled people who focus on under-served segments. Your own biz might do very well indeed.
.d.