moving to boston w/ no degree. (Orange: sales, sublets, apartments)

[bighurley]

hey thanks for checking this out everyone. Im 25 from syracuse ny. Its no secret the job market is not so great esp in the rust belt cities. All of my good friends have left syracuse for boston and are doing pretty good. I want to get out too and do well. I go to school nights and am a freshman right now. my question, is boston too expensive to live if i dont have a college degree? I am in sales and do my best here in the cuse and i think with my skills i could do very well there while still going to class twice a week. I figure i could find somone on craigslist who sublets thier place and i would leave my car here to save money, let me know what you guys think. thanks.

[goyguy]

Go for it! I haven't finished college either, but have talked my way into some decent gigs over the years. Most job postings call for "degree or equivalent experience." There are literally dozens of colleges in and around Boston where you could continue your studies, online as well as on campus.

Just like in NYC, if having a "good address" doesn't matter to you rents are comparatively less harsh. And a lot of 2-BR and larger apartments have so much space that many people don't think twice about having roommates. Going that route would easily bring your share of the tab down to under a grand a month.

I didn't get a new car after totaling the last one in '98, and rarely miss having wheels. The occasional inconvenience is outweighed by: No auto insurance, no excise taxes, no inspection fees, no needing to move the vehicle on street cleaning or snow emergency days, etc! Boston's mass transit system has its flaws, but does cover a wide-ranging area.

You can always go back to the Carrierdome et al to cheer on the Orangepeople - and what other reason is there to be in Syracuse?

[xS☺B☺s]

Yeah, I did it, you can do it. They actually have too many white collar applicants so blue collar jobs go unfilled. You can get $15/hr just for showing up. And you can look to share an apartment with college kids or kids your age. I did it by myself in a Park Drive shoebox until a female moved in. Probably about 400 sq ft efficiency, but it was sparkling. Those go for like $900 now I'd guess.

Oh yeah, and if you live in downtown like I did you don't need a car so that axes a lot of expenses.

[NotAPrincess]

Boston has a lot of small start-up companies which often have more lax hiring rules. I have a good friend who never graduated from college but does computer systems and has had no trouble finding work at small companies. He could never get hired by a big corporation or university because they often have requirements for certain positions, but that's not been a problem for him. Good luck!

[shiraziman]

Do it! Boston has a good community that supports start ups and small businesses.
There are at least 60+ universities and colleges within 50 mile radius of Boston, you have plenty of choices to finish and build a strong network for your future.

[rranger]

Don't move here without a degree. You'll be sorry. It's awful for the unemployed here too, and the kinds of jobs available in Boston now mostly require a college degree if not a masters. Sorry, wish I could be "positive" for you, but those are the sad facts.

[bostonguy1960]

I'm not so sure that sublet's on CL or elsewhere are easy to get.

One often needs to apply thru the landlord just like a regular applicant, from what I understand.

So, you'd need good credit, references and most likely a job here before applying...and sometimes a job already established locally for a certain time.

That's just my inference from reading many CL sublet ads in recent years.

But perhaps I'm simply misunderstanding a normally easy sublet process.