Moving to Indianapolis on my own from Cali ...would like some advice (Bloomington: apartment)

[BawbM]

As the title says, I am a single male in his late twenties who will be moving from California to Indy in a month or month and a half. I feel like it is time for a change. While I do run a little business from home, I will be looking for full time employment or two part time jobs. I will also be looking to attend school.

So with that, I would like to get some tips.

I will probably resort to renting a room instead of finding my own apartment. I'd personally like to know what the best areas of the city to live in are? What are parts I should absolutely avoid as far as crime goes? Are there parts that are "quieter" than others?

As it refers to the job market ...basically, how rough is it in the city right now? I'm cool with doing almost anything starting out. Is there a lot of room for jobs as far as retail and hospitality go since those are my strengths given my past in the Disney corporation and other places? Basically, is it SUPER competitive, just competitive, or fairly easy to find work?

With school, I am still at the community college and am aware that as a non-resident, I'll be paying more. What are the community colleges in the area?

And finally, I have a pretty big tattoo on my right arm (the LOST numbers), how accepting is most of the city to ink? Like will it make me super alienated amongst EVERYONE or just a select few? I have ways of covering it up ...I just want to go in prepared?

Any hints from anyone? So far the city and state look great.

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by BawbM

As the title says, I am a single male in his late twenties who will be moving from California to Indy in a month or month and a half. I feel like it is time for a change. While I do run a little business from home, I will be looking for full time employment or two part time jobs. I will also be looking to attend school.

So with that, I would like to get some tips.

I will probably resort to renting a room instead of finding my own apartment. I'd personally like to know what the best areas of the city to live in are? What are parts I should absolutely avoid as far as crime goes? Are there parts that are "quieter" than others?

As it refers to the job market ...basically, how rough is it in the city right now? I'm cool with doing almost anything starting out. Is there a lot of room for jobs as far as retail and hospitality go since those are my strengths given my past in the Disney corporation and other places? Basically, is it SUPER competitive, just competitive, or fairly easy to find work?

With school, I am still at the community college and am aware that as a non-resident, I'll be paying more. What are the community colleges in the area?

And finally, I have a pretty big tattoo on my right arm (the LOST numbers), how accepting is most of the city to ink? Like will it make me super alienated amongst EVERYONE or just a select few? I have ways of covering it up ...I just want to go in prepared?

Any hints from anyone? So far the city and state look great.

Well the part of town would depend on your likes/dislikes. You can look on Craigslist to see who currently have rooms available for rent.

Indianapolis being a convention city will have hospitality positions open somewhere with someone. You'll just have to look. The local community college in Indianapolis is IvyTech. Two year degree in which all credits will transfer to a four year institution as long as it's in the state of Indiana as it is part of the Indiana community college network (IU Bloomington, IUPUI, Butler, Purdue, Ind State, Ball St. etc). Several buses go out to the main campus on Fall Creek just north of downtown, 2 buses go out to the Fairbanks campus in Lawrence and several go past the Automotive technology center on East Washington just East of downtown or you can drive. You can also just start out at a 4 year like IUPUI or U of I but IUPUI would definitely be the cheapest of the 4 years schools while Butler is the most expensive.

[blueturkey12]

As for where to live, I would probably look in the Broad Ripple/Meridian Kessler area. This is a safe, quiet (well, parts of Broad Ripple aren't quiet but most side streets are) area that would put you in a central location. That way, if you get a job in Castleton but go to school downtown, for example, you will be fairly close to both.

I haven't had to look for a job in Indy for quite some time, but I don't think you will have a horrible time finding one especially if you are willing to work part time and to do anything. We've seen several "help wanted" signs in restaurants and stores recently plus there always seems to be new restaurants and stores opening.

Indy is a great city to live in - cost of living should be less than you are used to in Cali and there really is a lot to do here, whatever your interests are.

[Marc Allen 242]

Blueturkey offers some solid advice especially regarding living arrangements. The southside is pretty safe too but defintely older and conservative---a bit boring for a character in his twenties.

You can expect to be pleasantly surprised by the COL and, no, you shouldn't have any problem with the ink.

Employers tend to be rather stodgy and concerned with appearances so I'd wear a tie to virtually every interview without regard to the ultimate dress code of that job.

Be prepared to drive. With no natural boundaries Indy has grown "out" instead of "up".

[BawbM]

Thank you all for the advice. I booked a there in two weeks to get living arrangements and employment taken care of.