LA sounds like my ideal city. Is it? (Long Beach, Santa Monica: apartment, credit)

[WillC91]

I plan to move to LA from Pittsburgh in a year. I'm a 20-year-old guy. I'd like to attend USC if possible. LA natives complain about people being "fake" and people from around here warn about unemployment and a high cost of living. Fewer people say "Oh yeah, LA is awesome." I want you folks to tell me if there's anything I'm not anticipating that might make me hate the city, if you're not too busy!

I've only visited for a weekend--I rode a Segway around Long Beach, saw a stand-up comedy show, bought a Loaded longboard from a skate shop, went to Bamboozle and saw every major 00's punk band, took the public transport system from Long Beach to Hollywood, walked down Rodeo drive, toured Beverly Hills in a taxi...I was there with my Dad, and we did very tourist-y things, but the overall vibe of the city was exactly as I had imagined it. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was an extremely accurate representation of the city; on the tram, I saw a black guy in a pink pinstripe suit with a gold LA medallion on a gold chain carrying a bible, and an old mexican guy with a rusty bike warning about the apocalypse.

Why I think I'd love LA:
-Winter makes me depressed; Summer is the only season I truly enjoy
-The beach is awesome too
-I have 1300 artists on my iPod and I love concerts
-I'd like to enter the music industry, if possible
-The first band I fell in love with was The Offspring, and I've always loved West Coast skate punk, even though my tastes are much more varied now
-I like going out every weekend
-Asians and Latinas and mixed race girls are cute; there are none here
-I enjoy cannabis on the weekends in a nice glass bong
-I like skiing and riding my longboard

Why I don't think I'd hate LA:
-I wouldn't mind living in a tiny apartment for a long time
-I constantly work to improve my appearance, I try to dress uniquely, and I wouldn't date an ugly person; does that make me "fake" or "superficial"?
-Pittsburgh is home to the Steelers and Pens, and people give me a blank look when I tell them I don't follow sports...all you really have is the Lakers!
-Traffic probably WILL get annoying, but I could use that time to play iPhone games and listen to albums the whole way through.
-I'd prefer a dirty city to one where every building except the skyscrapers downtown is an ugly old rowhouse or red-brick building from the 20s
-I want to live in a city with people in it. In Pittsburgh, most live 20 minutes from downtown in the middle of nowhere, and commutes to the city. You've never seen so many rednecks in an urban area.
-I'm fairly self-centered and not family-oriented, but I'm honest and nice to people

I've wanted to move to LA for a few years now. It's the capital of many things I enjoy. I think many of the people I've talked to place too much importance on money; I'd rather have less disposable income but live in an awesome city rather than move to wherever I can find the highest-paying job. Perhaps they also don't love music and Summer weather as much as I do.

Is there anything I fail to understand about LA that might make me hate it? It's hard to know for sure since I've never lived there.

[proudmommy]

Originally Posted by WillC91

I'd like to attend USC
tell me if there's anything I'm not anticipating that might make me hate the city

I enjoy cannabis on the weekends in a nice glass bong

all you really have is the Lakers!

What are you going to major in at USC?
How are you going to finance your college education and support yourself?
What are your career goals?
What was your high school GPA? Any college credits completed? GPA?
What was your SAT or ACT score?

What are you going to do if you are hired and you have to take a drug test?
What are you going to do if you are hired for a job which requires a security clearance and they ask you if you have used illegal drugs in the past seven years?

And the Dodgers and the Angels and the Ducks and the Kings and Blake (the Clippers).

[Daisy32673]

Originally Posted by WillC91

I plan to move to LA from Pittsburgh in a year. I'm a 20-year-old guy. I'd like to attend USC if possible. LA natives complain about people being "fake" and people from around here warn about unemployment and a high cost of living. Fewer people say "Oh yeah, LA is awesome." I want you folks to tell me if there's anything I'm not anticipating that might make me hate the city, if you're not too busy!

I've only visited for a weekend--I rode a Segway around Long Beach, saw a stand-up comedy show, bought a Loaded longboard from a skate shop, went to Bamboozle and saw every major 00's punk band, took the public transport system from Long Beach to Hollywood, walked down Rodeo drive, toured Beverly Hills in a taxi...I was there with my Dad, and we did very tourist-y things, but the overall vibe of the city was exactly as I had imagined it. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was an extremely accurate representation of the city; on the tram, I saw a black guy in a pink pinstripe suit with a gold LA medallion on a gold chain carrying a bible, and an old mexican guy with a rusty bike warning about the apocalypse.

Why I think I'd love LA:
-Winter makes me depressed; Summer is the only season I truly enjoy
-The beach is awesome too
-I have 1300 artists on my iPod and I love concerts
-I'd like to enter the music industry, if possible
-The first band I fell in love with was The Offspring, and I've always loved West Coast skate punk, even though my tastes are much more varied now
-I like going out every weekend
-Asians and Latinas and mixed race girls are cute; there are none here
-I enjoy cannabis on the weekends in a nice glass bong
-I like skiing and riding my longboard

Why I don't think I'd hate LA:
-I wouldn't mind living in a tiny apartment for a long time
-I constantly work to improve my appearance, I try to dress uniquely, and I wouldn't date an ugly person; does that make me "fake" or "superficial"?
-Pittsburgh is home to the Steelers and Pens, and people give me a blank look when I tell them I don't follow sports...all you really have is the Lakers!
-Traffic probably WILL get annoying, but I could use that time to play iPhone games and listen to albums the whole way through.
-I'd prefer a dirty city to one where every building except the skyscrapers downtown is an ugly old rowhouse or red-brick building from the 20s
-I want to live in a city with people in it. In Pittsburgh, most live 20 minutes from downtown in the middle of nowhere, and commutes to the city. You've never seen so many rednecks in an urban area.
-I'm fairly self-centered and not family-oriented, but I'm honest and nice to people

I've wanted to move to LA for a few years now. It's the capital of many things I enjoy. I think many of the people I've talked to place too much importance on money; I'd rather have less disposable income but live in an awesome city rather than move to wherever I can find the highest-paying job. Perhaps they also don't love music and Summer weather as much as I do.

Is there anything I fail to understand about LA that might make me hate it? It's hard to know for sure since I've never lived there.

They dont call it the University of Spoiled Children for nothing

[bouncethelight]

I'm sure you'll be fine in LA, but why do you want to attend USC? It's a great school, and I went there briefly and loved it, but it's also a very serious school...

If you're extremely ambitious and have a huge desire to learn and achieve, then yeah, USC is the best! But if you want to come to LA to soak up the sun, and smoke, and hang out at concerts, then maybe consider Santa Monica College? It still gives you a reason to come out to LA, but it's cheap and a lot easier!

[proudmommy]

Originally Posted by bouncethelight

consider Santa Monica College? It still gives you a reason to come out to LA, but it's cheap and a lot easier!

Plus there is a program by which a person can gain automatic admission to the much cheaper UCLA (than USC) from SMC.

[WillC91]

Originally Posted by proudmommy

What are you going to major in at USC?
How are you going to finance your college education and support yourself?
What are your career goals?
What was your high school GPA? Any college credits completed? GPA?
What was your SAT or ACT score?

What are you going to do if you are hired and you have to take a drug test?
What are you going to do if you are hired for a job which requires a security clearance and they ask you if you have used illegal drugs in the past seven years?

And the Dodgers and the Angels and the Ducks and the Kings and Blake (the Clippers).

-I'd like to major in Music Industry, unless that would hinder my ability to get a job in business elsewhere without significantly improving my chances of working for a label. I'm quite good with music so I can put that in the application essay.
-I don't really know what to expect with the current job market
-My GPA in high school was 3.0, I have one semester in college with a 2.5 GPA and I withdrew from one due to bad grades. I lacked motivation; I need to take courses at a community college this Summer and Fall and get a 4.0 if I want any chance of getting into USC.
-I got a 2190 on my SATs.

-I've taken lab tests after smoking about every other day and passed them; I have a crazy metabolism and I'm very active, and THC is stored in your fat cells. If I'm smoking once or twice a week and working out five times a week I should have no issue. If worst comes to worst, I'll just not smoke while I look for a job. If I could find a job working for a small record label I doubt they would drug test regularly or randomly, but that's something to research years down the line when I'm looking for a job. How many people working in the music business smoke weed now and then? I would guess many of them.
-Like a government job? No thanks...

-Yes, but only the Lakers are really that good. In Pittsburgh it's like WOOOO STEELERS AND PENS STANLEY CUP SUPERBOWL HERE WE COME AGAINNNN YEEEAAHHH

bouncethelight: I'm smart, very good with music, but I attended Penn State for a while and lacked motivation...but right now I am VERY motivated to get the hell out of Pennsylvania so when I start community college courses this summer I'll devote all my time to it (there's nothing else to do here), and if I were to become a USC Music Industry major I could take classes that interest me. I realize I really need to pull it together to have any success with that.

Also, thanks for the recommendation! If for some reason I can't manage to get straight A's at community college and get into USC or UCLA, I'll look into that as a backup option.

[BRinSM]

working in the music industry is really all about connections unless you don't mind accounting/finance (for which a music degree is not needed).

[WillC91]

That's what everybody says. However, I've read success stories of people who got into it through old-fashioned qualifications and persistence and working your way up the company ladder from there. Are you just repeating the common knowledge or do you have more advice on the subject?

I figure if I'm going out often and making an effort to meet people and immersing myself in the scene then eventually I'll meet someone who can help me out....otherwise, I'll try to do it the old fashioned way, and if that doesn't work, I'll take whatever job my degree can get me in the meantime.

[Ceece]

Do you have money saved? Even CC will charge you out of state tuition, which is pretty expensive if you aren't being bankrolled by your parents, plus a place to live and all that goes with it. Not to mention the cost of USC itself.

What do you mean by "good with music"?

Come on out by all means if you've got some cash. You never know.

[readymade]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

working in the music industry is really all about connections unless you don't mind accounting/finance (for which a music degree is not needed).

Not necessarily. I moved to LA 10 years ago without knowing anyone and got a job (as a web designer) in the A&R department of a major music company. If I'd wanted, I might have been able to transition into a more "industry" position (but I wasn't interested). I did, however, get all the free CDs & concerts I wanted and was invited to tons of parties. Met lots of people.

My point is, will the guy move here and get a job as an executive in the music industry? Probably not. But, maybe if he's willing to take a job as an assistant or in the mailroom or something like that. I'm not really sure how having a music degree would help you, though. Connections ARE more important.

Personally, based on everything he said, I think the OP would love LA.

OP: I highly HIGHLY recommend you saving up some money so you have a cushion in case you can't find a job right away.