General advice for a 20 year old moving to LA (find a job, living in)

[ccm123]

I moved to LA when I was 18, from Northern California to attend college. Ended up staying in LA for 20+ years before moving back. It was generally a good experience and it will take time to grow on you. Lots of cultural amenities, excellent ethnic food (from Latin America, Asia and other places), excellent nightlife scene and other pluses.

[mayorhaggar]

You're 20, honestly I'd go to college and get a degree in something useful that you're interested in...hopefully you're interested in useful things like engineering or accounting or something like that. While you're doing that see if you can get a summer internship at a company in LA, though admittedly supporting yourself on zero pay or a pittance stipend is hard. But it would be better than showing up and trying to find work without a college degree.

Low tax states generally don't have many jobs (with the exception of Texas, which is far from everyone's cup of tea). Neither does LA but I think if you're flexible about moving where the jobs are in the LA region, you'll find something if you're persistent. But don't rent an apartment (which will be really tough without a job) and then line up a job, you don't want to sign a lease in Long Beach and find your dream job in the Valley.

[entourage8147]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

You're 20, honestly I'd go to college and get a degree in something useful that you're interested in...hopefully you're interested in useful things like engineering or accounting or something like that. While you're doing that see if you can get a summer internship at a company in LA, though admittedly supporting yourself on zero pay or a pittance stipend is hard. But it would be better than showing up and trying to find work without a college degree.

Low tax states generally don't have many jobs (with the exception of Texas, which is far from everyone's cup of tea). Neither does LA but I think if you're flexible about moving where the jobs are in the LA region, you'll find something if you're persistent. But don't rent an apartment (which will be really tough without a job) and then line up a job, you don't want to sign a lease in Long Beach and find your dream job in the Valley.

Agree. I live in Long Beach now and just got offered a job in North Hollywood. That would be a SUCKY drive let me tell you.

[Ceece]

Have at least an AA degree and be 21. Then have savings. If you need a loan for a car you probably don't have any so bulk that up. Then come on out and rent a room or a couch from a random on CL. Until you land a job just consider it a vacation that will end when the money runs out.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Have at least an AA degree and be 21. Then have savings. If you need a loan for a car you probably don't have any so bulk that up. Then come on out and rent a room or a couch from a random on CL. Until you land a job just consider it a vacation that will end when the money runs out.

Well that can't be a good way to go about it. I certainly won't have a college degree when I move out there, and all your other advice is spot-on, but consider it a vacation until you find a job? I think that'd just be throwing money out the window. You would in fact go through your savings so much quicker if you did that. And then I would wonder what the point of saving up all that money would have been.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by entourage8147

Agree. I live in Long Beach now and just got offered a job in North Hollywood. That would be a SUCKY drive let me tell you.

In that situation I would just take Metro. Still gonna be a long ride (well over an hour) but might actually be shorter than driving and at least you can catch up on some sleep or just relax. Unless of course you live far from the stations in LB or your work is far from the NH metro station.

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by PDF

Well that can't be a good way to go about it. I certainly won't have a college degree when I move out there, and all your other advice is spot-on, but consider it a vacation until you find a job? I think that'd just be throwing money out the window. You would in fact go through your savings so much quicker if you did that. And then I would wonder what the point of saving up all that money would have been.

How so? What you "consider" doesn't cost money. I'm not saying blow it all at clubs and resorts, I'm saying you may not find a job and then you will have to go back from wherever you come from or live with family correct? If that happens what can you say about your time in LA except "I was there for awhile"? Vacation or failed shot at life, whatever floats your boat.

It's going to be hard going far at your age with no advanced education. We have a lot of 20 year old high school grads with sales experience here already with support networks and contacts and family/friends and places to live. Do what you like, but you did ask for advice

[PDF]

Originally Posted by Ceece

How so? What you "consider" doesn't cost money. I'm not saying blow it all at clubs and resorts, I'm saying you may not find a job and then you will have to go back from wherever you come from or live with family correct? If that happens what can you say about your time in LA except "I was there for awhile"? Vacation or failed shot at life, whatever floats your boat.

It's going to be hard going far at your age with no advanced education. We have a lot of 20 year old high school grads with sales experience here already with support networks and contacts and family/friends and places to live. Do what you like, but you did ask for advice

Well I'm 22, however I do have a plan and I'm just going to take whatever job that comes along first. Nothing is below me. However I wouldn't treat it like a vacation, just live normally. Because for me, failing is not an option.

Perhaps we are just looking at things differently.

[future-picture]

It's interesting the response one gets when they say they're moving to LA. It's all negative. Most people automatically assume that the transplant is just another misguided wannabe trying to make it in showbiz..."oh-no-here-comes-another-one" kinda thing.

But some people coming to LA do have a concrete reason as to why they're coming and did not just transplant because they wanted the sun, the sand and the girls.

In a nutshell;


LA is doable if you tenacity, wits and determination (just like any other major city).
You can survive on 40k a year if you're focused on what you came to do here and are not extravagant.
Traffic is nightmare but not as bad as some people make it to be. Its also not bad everywhere.
Rent is higher on the average but there are many places you can rent that are just as affordable as Houston or Atlanta.
Gangbangers and drivebys are not the order of the day.
California's financial problems mostly impact those who rely on government programs.
Not everyone is unfriendly.
There are many homeless people but so is NY and other major cities.
Food costs the same as anywhere else in the US.
Unemployment is slughtly higher than rest of the US but that doesn't mean you can't find a job if you use non-convenctional methods of searching (oh yes, and you can find one in a couple of months if not weeks)

Welcome to LA.

[Youthanasia]

Very expensive, very crowded but being in NY it shouldn't be much of a transition. A manual trans is fine, in those rush hour crawls just stay in 1st and give yourself a 4 car cushion and you can just drive like that without stopping most of the time but be careful because people will fly up on your bumper if you downshift instead of using your breaks because 98% of people out here drive autos and assume that brake lights = stop, they don't know how to judge objects in front of them for some reason.