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I am 18 years old and before you begin to want to smack me for my naiveness for wanting to move to LA at such an early age I only came here to ask exactly what I should do and what are some things I should expect. Realistically I know that theres a slim chance that I will move to Los Angeles without trouble. Now I dont plan to immediately move, I would love to, but if your answers point out to wait for a while then I will do just that. All I ask is for some advice.
I want to go into advertising or some museum studies. I have family in the area so I would likely move in with them for some months. I have already started college here so I will finish that before I move so as not to have any problems about my education. I dont expect a nice, expensive looking apartment and I'm fine with a studio apartment. I'm also fine with location. I know any where near the beach is probably impossible but somewhere
safe or close to safe.
If anyone could possibly make out a sort of "outline" or "to-do list", I would be very grateful. I mean if it's even possible to have one.
I am 18 years old and before you begin to want to smack me for my naiveness for wanting to move to LA at such an early age I only came here to ask exactly what I should do and what are some things I should expect. Realistically I know that theres a slim chance that I will move to Los Angeles without trouble. Now I dont plan to immediately move, I would love to, but if your answers point out to wait for a while then I will do just that. All I ask is for some advice.
I want to go into advertising or some museum studies. I have family in the area so I would likely move in with them for some months. I have already started college here so I will finish that before I move so as not to have any problems about my education. I dont expect a nice, expensive looking apartment and I'm fine with a studio apartment. I'm also fine with location. I know any where near the beach is probably impossible but somewhere
safe or close to safe.
If anyone could possibly make out a sort of "outline" or "to-do list", I would be very grateful. I mean if it's even possible to have one.
Real world check: WHAT are you thinking?? You think you can move to L.A. at age 18, or even if you do finish college first do you think you can live even half decent? Do you know what a studio apt cost in L.A.?? Let me put it like this, I grew up in L.A. I was born in L.A. My family lives in L.A. I graduated from UCLA with decent grades. And I now live in Las Vegas because it was the only place I could find a JOB. I know lots of people California dream when they are young but there are NO JOBS in L.A. If you want out of the cold, you'd be better off going to Texas, Florida or even Arizona. If you want to try it, go for it but it will be harder than elsewhere for you.
If anyone could possibly make out a sort of "outline" or "to-do list", I would be very grateful. I mean if it's even possible to have one.
Here's the list I would give you...
1. Do lots of research of every aspect of life in LA. Know what rents are in different neighborhoods, and what neighborhoods are in areas you would like. There is no master list for this process - you will need to do your own research for this part.
2. Save lots of money!
3. Make sure you have job skills that are in demand, or that you can bring your job with you.
Start looking for a job that can transfer and has locations near your relatives. (Some retail and restaurant chains will do this.) Then, when you move, you will already have a job. You can look for something else after you arrive.
Talk to your relatives about living with them for a time, if you haven't already. Sometime before you arrive, agree with them how long you will stay and what you will contribute to the household.
Stay out of debt. If you absolutely must take out student loans, make sure it is only for school expenses - tuition, books, supplies - not for fun.
Avoid expensive habits while you are in college. You want to save as much money as possible. Smoking, alcohol, expensive coffees, bottled water, expensive clothes, movie theaters - skip all that. Make your lunch at home. Live as if you were poor, even if you aren't. It will pay off later.
While I'm also going through this process myself (though I'm 11 yrs your senior), I found the following to be helpful.
Padmapper - Type in the name of the city, and what your criteria are (price, # of bedrooms, room/shares, pet-friendly, etc). Most of these are pulled from Craigslist and WestSide Rentals.
CrimeMapping - It might be jarring at first to see so much crime, but with time you'll see which areas are affected and which aren't.
Yelp - This comes in handy for reviews of property management, although I mostly see negative reviews for a lot of property management, but it's good to know what people tend to complain about.
Corporate Housing - These are short-term housing solutions (month to month, 3 months, or 6 months) to get you settled in first if you haven't been able to find a job or apartment. They're more expensive than normal apartments though, but you don't have to be stuck in a 1 year lease if you don't like it there.
These are of course not full-proof, but it's a start. I'm planning to move in June and have been keeping up with what's available in terms of jobs and apartments and price range.
Save a lot of money, most people on here have said at least $10,000.
Get a job first before the apartment. I find it silly that people say "There are no jobs in LA". Of course there are jobs in LA. But the question is, are you willing to work two jobs to make ends meet if the situation calls for it? I think what people mean is that there are few high paying jobs, there are still jobs, just not a lot that pays over $20/hr. But don't lose hope, build some skills, you have the time to do so.
If you're staying with relatives, you already have a one-up from those of us who start from scratch. I would definitely ask your relatives for advice in finding a place to live, they probably know which areas are safe.
Consider moving in with a roommate if you can't afford the cost alone, but do thorough research!
I agree, stay out of debt. Spend only on what's absolutely necessary.
Most of all, take your time. If you really want to be there, then that's your choice. I have a lot of nay-sayers on my side of the camp as well, but I have one supporter and it's really all I need to get my bags packed.
I think what people mean is that there are few high paying jobs, there are still jobs, just not a lot that pays over $20/hr.
That's not quite accurate... What people mean when they say there are no jobs is that our unemployment rate is high, and finding any job is difficult - at every level of pay.
There are thousands of well paying jobs in Southern California. And there are just as many low paying jobs - and there are plenty of locals applying - so finding any job, at any level of pay, is a challenge.
Conventional wisdom says that if a person gets desperate enough, they can always get a job as a waitress, or a salesclerk - but the truth is there is a ton of competition for those types of jobs as well.
It wasn't always like this, and it won't stay this tight forever, but for now, that's our reality in Southern California.
Living anywhere with no skills is going to be a challenge.
Unless you are very dynamic and intelligent, you are not going to walk into an advertising job. ( I operate a very large digital advertising and media company )
You're gonna have to take a chance and know before hand that it's going to suck financially. Living off of entry level money is gonna be stressful, and working at that level gives you no job security.
If you still live at home, take advantage of it and invest two years of your life into a skill that you would like to apply out here in cali. Doing so will give you an advantage of 10/1 due to the lack of skilled workers in the USA in general.
While I'm also going through this process myself (though I'm 11 yrs your senior), I found the following to be helpful.
Padmapper - Type in the name of the city, and what your criteria are (price, # of bedrooms, room/shares, pet-friendly, etc). Most of these are pulled from Craigslist and WestSide Rentals.
CrimeMapping - It might be jarring at first to see so much crime, but with time you'll see which areas are affected and which aren't.
Yelp - This comes in handy for reviews of property management, although I mostly see negative reviews for a lot of property management, but it's good to know what people tend to complain about.
Corporate Housing - These are short-term housing solutions (month to month, 3 months, or 6 months) to get you settled in first if you haven't been able to find a job or apartment. They're more expensive than normal apartments though, but you don't have to be stuck in a 1 year lease if you don't like it there.
These are of course not full-proof, but it's a start. I'm planning to move in June and have been keeping up with what's available in terms of jobs and apartments and price range.
Save a lot of money, most people on here have said at least $10,000.
Get a job first before the apartment. I find it silly that people say "There are no jobs in LA". Of course there are jobs in LA. But the question is, are you willing to work two jobs to make ends meet if the situation calls for it? I think what people mean is that there are few high paying jobs, there are still jobs, just not a lot that pays over $20/hr. But don't lose hope, build some skills, you have the time to do so.
If you're staying with relatives, you already have a one-up from those of us who start from scratch. I would definitely ask your relatives for advice in finding a place to live, they probably know which areas are safe.
Consider moving in with a roommate if you can't afford the cost alone, but do thorough research!
I agree, stay out of debt. Spend only on what's absolutely necessary.
Most of all, take your time. If you really want to be there, then that's your choice. I have a lot of nay-sayers on my side of the camp as well, but I have one supporter and it's really all I need to get my bags packed.
Good luck!
Hey there! I plan on moving in June as well. I'll be 21 and will have just graduated with my Bachelor's in Public Administration. (Hopefully not as useless as I think it will be.) It would be cool if we could talk. I would love to be able to split the rent with someone. Might make the high costs seem a little less daunting. Anyway, if you're interested...hit me up. I'm Corey.
That's not quite accurate... What people mean when they say there are no jobs is that our unemployment rate is high, and finding any job is difficult - at every level of pay.
There are thousands of well paying jobs in Southern California. And there are just as many low paying jobs - and there are plenty of locals applying - so finding any job, at any level of pay, is a challenge.
Conventional wisdom says that if a person gets desperate enough, they can always get a job as a waitress, or a salesclerk - but the truth is there is a ton of competition for those types of jobs as well.
It wasn't always like this, and it won't stay this tight forever, but for now, that's our reality in Southern California.
While it may be true that unemployment rate is high, it doesn't mean that there aren't any jobs out there. There's just more competition for jobs now, and all the more to try to hone some new skills, build on old ones and try to stand out from the crowd.
But it's difficult to say from my perspective, I've never had much of a problem finding a job, only because I thoroughly do my research months before sending out my resume. So, it could be a challenge for me to find a job in LA or it won't be. We'll just have to see!
@Corey: Thanks for the offer, but right now I'm looking to live on my own and will only consider female roommates in the case I really can't afford a place. Good luck though!
Hi Karen. That's great that you want to move to LA. And it is possible.
First of all, DO NOT listen to anyone that tells you you won't be able to find a job. It's obviously a challenge but it isn't impossible. I suggest you stay with your family on a temporary basis while you look, and apply ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE.
I'm 19. I stayed in LA for about two weeks this past August (I had nowhere to stay for a longer period of time) and spent the entire time looking for work. I used Craigslist, went door-to-door at malls, and asked my contacts there if they knew of anything. I applied to about 15 jobs online per day. In only two weeks I got three interviews (two doctor's offices and a restaurant) which, in my opinion, is great considering the job market and the fact that it is LA (and also the fact that I don't have much job experience nor a college degree). I am positive that if I had stayed longer I would've secured a job.
Here are some tips:
- Make your resume look awesome. I suggest using Fiverr - Hire people to do things for $5 to find someone to spruce up the copy and add some design. I can give you the name of the person that I used if you want (just PM me).
- Invest in some nice interview clothes. Black slacks, a nice blouse, a blazer, and some black flats will do. I got mine at Ross (hey!) for cheap.
- Ask your family about job leads.
- Keep in mind that there are MANY scams on Craigslist. Please be careful and use your judgement in determining who to respond to. If an ad doesn't give much information but asks for a resume, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM. I'd also suggest only putting your email address, a phone number, and an LA zip code on your resume. No home address.
- Act like you live there. If a potential employer asks, tell them you just moved out. All of the interviewers I talked with were very impressed with the fact that I had "moved out" on my own at such a young age.
- Where you apply for jobs really depends on where you want to live so try to decide that first...
- Do research on the different neighborhoods. Some of the cheaper places on the westside include Palms and Sawtelle (though they aren't as nice) but there's also Culver City and Mar Vista. Study LA maps and when you get out there, do some exploring. It is possible to live in Santa Monica or West Hollywood (the more "desirable areas") if you find a relatively cheap apartment and a roommate. Remember that rent for a studio will probably average around $1200. If you find a roommate you might be able to pay as little as $700 for a two bedroom.
- Use Westside Rentals: Los Angeles Apartments, Orange County Apartments, and San Diego Apartments. I highly recommend buying a membership ($60 for 2 months I think). I know people that have found great apartments and roommates on there.
- Make sure you take someone with you when checking out apartments.
- ETA: You DO NOT need $10,000 in savings. Those people are crazy. It's a good idea to have a couple thousand just in case you don't find a job while you're staying with your family.
That's all I can think of right now but I could probably write a novel on this so let me know if you have any more questions. Make sure you ignore any of the users here that just snark without adding anything constructive.
Good luck!
Last edited by LiveByTheSun; 12-31-2011 at 03:51 PM..
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A few tips
