I'm a MSc student in the final leg of my program. Supposed to defend by August. A job was posted near me that I'm very interested in and I think I'd be a good fit for.

I'm going to apply for it, but I'm hesitant to ask my advisor to be a reference. We have a good relationship, but I haven't exactly been as research focused as they would like. I'm doing my work, but nothing extra [for the lab]. I've audited and taken more courses than is required for my program. I view those courses as essential to building my skill and knowledge base outside my research project (since my project isn't exactly what I want to do post-grad). I also worked part-time throughout the program in an unrelated field to financially support myself, which they also didn't approve of. While I'm on-track for an August defense, December (at the latest) might be a little more realistic.

Being considered for the job is not contingent on having a masters. But it would probably start before August and would make finishing by August more of a challenge if I were to be hired.

I have other people who can be my references, though not anyone in my current field.

So I'm wondering... should I just ask my advisor to be a reference at the expense of creating more tension that I'm not solely committed to focusing on my thesis.

-or-

Get references outside the field.

-or-

Should I ask my advisor what he thinks? Like I said we have a pretty good relationship, so I don't think asking for advise would cause trouble... but I do see being told something I don't want to hear (e.g. stop job-hunting and focus on thesis-writing).

-or (my least favorite option)- Let the opportunity go.

Thoughts and experiences?