Promotion at work vs NASA civil servant offer?

Hi everyone, Really need advice. Before the gov shutdown I was offered an entry level direct hire position at NASA. Soon after, the government shut down and I of course did not expect to hear anything back until it reopened. Now that it has reopened and in lieu of the shutdown altogether, is it a good idea to accept a civil servant position? Some more things to consider

*I started my current job 6 months ago with a $5000 sign on bonus, $2000 relocation fee, and they paid for $5000 in tuition for my masters. If I leave I anticipate having to pay back the tuition reimbursement for sure, and possibly the sign on and relocation bonuses. There’s a possibility of this happening or not happening, unsure at this time.

*My current salary is 73k, with bonuses it ended up being 80k. This new position would be a 50% pay cut, my salary would be 45k.

*My fiancé signed on a new job so he won’t be able to move for at least a year

*NASA is my absolute dream job, I want to work in the space industry (currently I am not). I have had previous internships with them and my connections were a large part of why I got this offer. Would declining burn bridges?

• I will have to wait a few years on completing my masters

• at my current job there are huge opportunities for growth as an engineer. I am being trained for management type roles and already have a lot of influence in decisions. I feel most people do not have this opportunity in their first job. I am wondering whether I can grow further in this role and reapply to NASA as an even better candidate or for a more advanced position? What is growth and promotion within NASA like or is better to grow outside the company and reapply? What are the possibilities of getting a civil servant offer again.

Ultimately I want to work at NASA and if this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, there’s no way I would consider not accepting. What is the best route to take to be successful at NASA? Any and all thoughts ideas and opinions welcome!

Submitted February 01, 2019 at 12:06PM by WiseNegotiation http://bit.ly/2Be034W