Moving to Fullerton, CA worried about cost of living.

[cyberangel99]

Thank you all for responding! After reading these posts about the cost of living in Cali, I am willing to go back and get my degree first then move out there. Living in a low income apartment around bad neighborhoods is not my choice of living, and I don't want to go thru that while trying to obtain a degree in Cali.

I want to believe AkgirlinCA about trying to find an affordable place to stay would be diffcult...especially when I read the other posts. I don't want to take that chance of trying to find a place like that and end up nowhere. I really appreciate your time and information to help me.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by cyberangel99

Thank you all for responding! After reading these posts about the cost of living in Cali, I am willing to go back and get my degree first then move out there. Living in a low income apartment around bad neighborhoods is not my choice of living, and I don't want to go thru that while trying to obtain a degree in Cali.

I want to believe AkgirlinCA about trying to find an affordable place to stay would be diffcult...especially when I read the other posts. I don't want to take that chance of trying to find a place like that and end up nowhere. I really appreciate your time and information to help me.

good luck to you!
One other option,though,is to work in CA for a year [get a DL,etc] and then you obtain residency for tution purposes. You may end up with a scholarship in part,not just loands,and state tuition is quite low. You could also go the path of community college to 4 yr,and in CA there is not a huge stigma associated with this,as there is in some other parts of the country.

The community college system in CA has an agreement with the UC/CSU system;you are guaranteed placement if you complete an A.A. or A.S.
Also,many jr. colleges in CA are top notch-as in well repsected and known outside of CA,and the training programs at these schools are sometimes enough for someone's career-without the need for a B.A.
If you have illustrator/artistic abilities already,you may not need a B.A. This industry,to my knowledge,is not yet 'set' on BA as the minimum. Yet.

CA is a less traditional state than most.
There are other options,besides fullerton,is what I wanted to mention.
You might also check out community colleges in San Diego,as well as rates for LVN's. Cost of living is slightly less,and SD is IMO safer and better quality for living than fullerton.
You could find less for rent than you mentioned for fullerton,and certainly could open yourself up to a roomate situation-for less than the rent you mentioned,or around 700,you could live in a complex with amenities,clean,quiet,safe (this sometimes means pool,sometimes tennis courts,hot tub,clubhouse,etc.)living,etc. but have access to all of SD,and LA is 2 hrs away.
I do not know what the LVN market is like in SD at the moment.
Schools to consider,though,for A.A.,once you obtain residency,would be:
Grossmont
Mesa College
SD City College
Southwestern in chula vista [south bay of SD county].
Mira Costa College-Oceanside-north county coastal area.

And tuition at community colleges in CA is currently $26/unit. Or,$78 for a 3 unit class. Used to be free! [This is considerably less than other jr. colleges in the other states I've lived in.] You could actually pay out of pocket while working,and get two years of coursework out of the way,along with an AA in illustration.



It's true,a car is really ideal. Though SD,compared to fullerton,gives an option to go carless...people do it,and you simply need to set up your life so that you don't need one. [research the threads for more info]. If you do come and buy a car,simply buy an older model honda or toyota,requiring much less maintenance than most others,and going for 2-300k miles. And be sure to purchase the car in CA,and purchase a CA car-so cal in particular,b/c you will not find rust or salt erosion,and the mild climate is kinder to vehicles. We drive 17 and 19 yr old japanese cars in my family,with well over 200k. The maintenance is minimal,insurance runs us $68/month,total,for both (Liberty Mutual,in case anyone is wondering)[though it just went down $8,prob. b/c they are another year older-lol],and registration is $68/year for one,and $47/yr for the other. We have excellent mechanics who are cheap,too. Don't believe everything you hear that it will always be more expensive in CA than other places.(:




Check out posts on the SD forum for much more info.
I don't know why I often suggest SD to people-lol-it's not like we should be encouraging more people to move here....
but it just seems like a much more viable/desireable option than fullerton,should you decide to look at CA again,before going back to school in OH.

Good luck,either way!(:

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by cyberangel99

I need help about moving to Fullerton, CA. First off, I am a 24 year old, black female, single, unmarried, no children. I live in northwest, Ohio and I am an LPN/LVN nurse graduate. I got into nursing because I wanted a job to take with me when I moved. My true dream is to be an illustrator and work for a video game company and draw comic books. My college of choice is the California State Fullerton to get a bachelor's degree in illustration. I have looked at apartments in the Fullerton area and most of them are about $700-$900 a month. I estimated my budget to be about $2,000 a month as a LVN nurse. I am not sure how much an LVN makes in California. I will probably need a car if I move down there and the cost of paying back my loans, along with paying for an apartment, I am worried about staying financial stable to complete my illustration degree.

I have been debating if I should go back to school and complete my associate degree RN to increase my salary before I move to California. But I am not really sure about that, if I can survive as an LVN in Fullerton, CA then I won't go back to achieve my RN, just my bachelor's in illustration. I need advice from anyone in this area, on an LVN budget, will I be able to survive staying in Fullerton as a single person? Are there any cheaper apartments in this area? I really need your help, everyday I worry about this because I have always dreamed of becoming an illustrator.

Thanks

ps-in addition to the rest of my post about San Diego-you know comicon is held in SD every year?