Advice for young professional looking to move to the LA area? (Los Angeles: relocating, apartment)

[calibeach]

I'm considering relocating to the LA area (to be closer to my family) and was wondering what the best place was for young professionals. I've heard Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach are fun places with a lot of young people in their mid to late 20s. Any thoughts or ideas for great places to live? I don't mind a small place or having a roommate, but prime location is important to me.

I'm also looking for a career change and was wondering what opportunites are available in the LA job market? My current income after bonus is around 70k and I am looking for a job that pays equal to or more (considering the high cost of living in LA). My ideal job would involve relationship building, people management/development, project management, innovation, and best practices. I would prefer jobs that do not involve financial modeling/analysis or sales.

I would also consider San Diego but felt that LA might be more fun with more young people. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[straight outta camden]

It depends what you mean by prime location. If you are after clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes etc. I would choose West Hollywood over Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach. For a mellower scene that is still heavy on 20-somethings try Los Feliz.

[Sorcerer68]

Santa Monica is cool. It's the most sophisticated beach scene in So Cal with lots of young people. The most popular 20Something scene right now is Hollywood Blvd. Whitley Heights just behind it is gorgeous and literally right behind Hollywood and Highland. Los Feliz is nice too but the crowd is slightly older and it's quieter. LOTS of 20somethings are loving Silverlake and Echo Park these days as well. Silverlake has a high gay population as does Los Feliz. West Hollywood near the Sunset Strip is another option for you. If you can get above Sunset, the views are killer!

[calibeach]

I'd like to stay near the beach if possible and am looking for a place with late 20s vs. early 20s. Sounds like Santa Monica might be a good match. What is the housing market (buy or rent) like in Santa Monica for a condo or apartment in an amenity packed newer building? I don't mind having a roommate or my sister might live with me.

Anyone know what types of jobs are available in the area? What major companies are headquartered in LA? Any thoughts about consulting or advertising? I'm open to new ideas as well.

[Rats]

Originally Posted by calibeach

Anyone know what types of jobs are available in the area? What major companies are headquartered in LA? Any thoughts about consulting or advertising? I'm open to new ideas as well.

are you kidding? too many to list. if you know how to write a resume and interview well, you'll have no problem finding a job here. the job market in LA is alive and well since all the baby boomers are retiring, opening up high-level and management positions for people our age

[tampabound]

I say go to Manhattan Beach...it has the young, casual, surfer,fun,volleyball,professional thing going on. It is the perfect place ...surfing in the eary a.m...fantastic places to go to dinner at night...it is the BEST! With your income tho...probably will be living in a studio or 1bedroom....or you could find a roomate on craigslist.org. But I think it would be worth it for a few yrs....why not?!

[calibeach]

Originally Posted by Rats

are you kidding? too many to list. if you know how to write a resume and interview well, you'll have no problem finding a job here. the job market in LA is alive and well since all the baby boomers are retiring, opening up high-level and management positions for people our age

Sounds like there is a lot of opportunity in LA! Any pointers on where to start as far as which companies I should consider and how to go about the job search? I find sites like Monster and CareerBuilder difficult to use as there seem to be a lot of "fake jobs" and I don't have many contacts in the LA area, so any advice would be great. Thanks!

[tonia]

Hello everyone! I'm Tonia, from Italy and I'm doing some search to understand how i can come and work to the States and hope someone here knows this better than me! My situation is this: I want to go to Los Angeles on february and live there with my boyfriend, so, I guess i have to have a J1 visa. I tried to contact some sponsorship agencies but i didnt like them cause they said they wont garantee LA as my location... so, my question is: do you guys know other shonsorship agencies, especially in LA? and is there a way to have a job directly with the companies there without contacting those agencies?
Thank you very much. Any kind of information will be truly appreciated
Tonia

[TiffanyRae]

Los Feliz/Silverlake/Echo Park is really a fun place to be in your mid-20s to late-20s. I work in West Hollywood but prefer Los Feliz, it has a different vibe. I would say Los Feliz is more small neighborhood feel and I feel more cluby/trendy in West Hollywood. That is just me. But both you'll be able to walk to bars/movie theatres/great restaurants no matter where you are.

[CLQ]

I like the South Bay - Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach for a slightly less expensive alternative. There are businesses in the SB (Mattel, Boeing, Raytheon to name a few) so if you can get a job in the area that would be an added bonus and avoid the crazy commutes in LA.