Reality check for Los Angeles. (San Francisco, Sacramento: to rent, buy, public school)

[SoonerGirl67]

I think the OP's post is awesome and very informative. The first 3 to 5 lines describe me perfectly, but I'm not looking to be a star. Funny thing though, LA actually has more jobs in my field than almost any other city in America (except D.C. and New York). I'm from Oklahoma (Tulsa) and I can't imagine there are ANY roads out there worse than ours!! Seriously. But thanks, OP- I thought it was a great post.

[BarcelonaFan]

LA roads are really bad. Worse I've experienced on the road.

Surprisingly, the cool people in LA are not in the industry. The general mentality I've noticed about people in the industry is that a lot of them are transplants that brought their insecurities and hang ups from back home. Like they're running away from something. They always talk down about their towns as if they're couldn't get along with anyone there or they didn't "fit" in. Socially awkward types, ya know. They have a grass is greener on the other side outlook and when they reach LA they're more often worse off here, dealing with complications they never would've fathomed back home.

[The Illusive Man]

I don't share the same hatred of LA as all of these other LA folks do. I mean, sure, it's definitely far from perfect. You definitely have to have quite a bit of mental toughness to survive here. If you're soft and weak minded, you'll get eaten alive, but in reality, I couldn't see myself living anywhere else.

The colleges are great, I've made many friends here over the years, the dating scene has been great for me, the weather is flawless, an apartment building is an apartment building, and I don't understand the generalization that nerds rule the city. What?

I mean, if people that live here hate the city so much, then why stay? Bash the city, look down on it negatively, but still live here? Makes no sense. Go to whatever city you find perfect and give your spot up for someone that actually wants to be here. It's a win win situation.

[BarcelonaFan]

Well I never said I hated LA. I was just pointing out some of the faults. I love it here and think the perks outweigh the faults.

And by "nerds" I just meant that Seth Rogen types dominate the industry as far acting, writing and whatnot.

Have you ever seen the remake of 21 Jump St? For a guy like me, I did feel a bit like the Channing Tatum character, coming from the South and seeing a whole new set of social dynamics and hierarchy work in LA. Eco friendly, very metro, driving a Prius, type of guys being dominate in not just entertainment but in tech, graphics, design, engineering, architecture and advertising.

It's different than dealing with good ol' boys, WASPy jocks, etc. It's just the culture out here.

I swapped pick up trucks, Oakley sunglasses, teal golf polos, wide douchey grins, spiky blone hair in TX for Prius driving, H&M v-necks, skinny jeans, sleeve tattoos and Buddy Holly sunglasses in LA.

Same dominate super structure different culture, different outlook. Like Pepsi and Coke.

[The Illusive Man]

Not really. I'm born and raised in LA and couldnt be anymore different. I drive a gas guzzling pontiac, and as anti flashy as can be and so are many of my family, friends, and neighbors. I also live in the West LA area. Its never a good idea to generalize and entire population, especially if you haven't met everyone.

[Elle Oh Elle]

Originally Posted by The Illusive Man

I don't share the same hatred of LA as all of these other LA folks do. I mean, sure, it's definitely far from perfect. You definitely have to have quite a bit of mental toughness to survive here. If you're soft and weak minded, you'll get eaten alive, but in reality, I couldn't see myself living anywhere else.

The colleges are great, I've made many friends here over the years, the dating scene has been great for me, the weather is flawless, an apartment building is an apartment building, and I don't understand the generalization that nerds rule the city. What?

I mean, if people that live here hate the city so much, then why stay? Bash the city, look down on it negatively, but still live here? Makes no sense. Go to whatever city you find perfect and give your spot up for someone that actually wants to be here. It's a win win situation.

It's okay. I know a lot of people in school that shared these views. They planned to stick around LAC forever with their kids and buy houses by 2020.

OP, you sound like my psychologist. She came in 1970 from Virginia and DC in her twenties and never went back since, although she lived in Peru for a time with her dad after DC. She said that she prefers LA to EC and my dad said, "She's lived here too long, but it must be the weather."

[pwright1]

I keep hearing, 'laid back atmosphere'. I think that term is completely false. I use to use that term too. Now that I live here I don't see anything 'laid back' about it. And I lived in a couple of U.S. cities including DC, New York, Seattle, Dallas and Newark.

[The Illusive Man]

To truely survive in LA you have to have mental toughness and quite a bit of patience. You cant expect everything to come easy. Its as simple as that. Yes, the job market is rough here right now. I graduated back in May and even though, I have had a lot of interviews, ai haven't gotten offers from the local companies that I've interviewed for. Come to find out, sometimes 100 to 200 people are sending resumes for the same job. Will I get down on myself? Ill continue working my current job and improving myself until I get the job I want. I'm not going to get all negative like these other doomsayers.

[BarcelonaFan]

To truely survive in LA you have to have mental toughness and quite a bit of patience. You cant expect everything to come easy. Its as simple as that.

This is probably the best advice you can give a future transplant. Every transplant believes that they can just arrive, live by the beach, and be a star in less than six months or something.

In order to make it in LA, and this goes for whatever field you enter, is to have a well thought out plan and a lot of patience to execute it. You have to what is necessary to get where you want and not get bogged down by the people who already made it.

[BarcelonaFan]

Originally Posted by The Illusive Man

Not really. I'm born and raised in LA and couldnt be anymore different. I drive a gas guzzling pontiac, and as anti flashy as can be and so are many of my family, friends, and neighbors. I also live in the West LA area. Its never a good idea to generalize and entire population, especially if you haven't met everyone.

Not everyone in Houston, TX drives a gas guzzling pick up and wears Oakley sunglasses. But there is that local character there.

Just because you're not like the local LA character I described it doesn't mean I was generalizing.