California dreaming (Los Angeles: job market, school, living)

[emilybx13]

My friend and I are polar opposites. I'm about to graduate nursing school and she is a bartender and an aspiring model. Maybe if I was six foot and gorgeous I would be too who knows. But one thing we do have in common is we want out of ohio. I was thinking charleston SC or maybe Denver CO or pheonix.
She is stuck on california of course . I am opposed. I think with the population and competition the job market will be over saturated and hard for me to find a job right away even with a degree in nursing . The COL is high and without a job set up to weigh my finances I'm just not sure I want to take on that financial burden of not knowing .
But she's dead set on california . She thinks just by moving there she will become famous. How many girls flock to California yearly aspiring to make it big? What are the odds ? Is every girl there drop dread gorgeous like I hear? Is it superficial ? I mean if I could find a job and afford the COL I wouldn't be so opposed to moving , I want my best friend to succeed and do what she loves . Just want to know the truth about LA and California .. Asides the cost.. I want to know if it's really it's all cracked out to be

[LarKev101]

I'm a web designer and I'd say about 95% of my portfolio consists of aspiring actors/musicians/and make up artists. All in the same boat as you.

If you want the cold hard truth, then yes, there is a LOT of competition. If she's attractive , then she has a good shot at landing a good bartending gig which can pull in some great money in the right spots .... but modeling alone ? It's unlikely, simply because most people have a mindset similar to your friend ... they just expect things to happen


But like ANYTHING in life, and I'm living proof of this ... if you bust your ass off, hustle every day, and know how to self-promote you will be fine. But it's certainly far from easy and truth be told, I've only seen a micro sample of that occur within my clients.

No offense here, just being completely honest. I made something of myself from nothing when I moved out here a few years ago ... so it CAN be done. Hope this helps.

[CALGUY]

The best advice I could give you is to do a search for the thread "reality check for Los Angeles."
I wrote that quite a while back, but it still holds true today.
Make sure you and your friend read it in it's entirety.
A long thread, but extremely truthful, especially the part about coming out here with stars in your eyes, hoping to make it big.

Bob.

[MordinSolus]

The vast majority of the people who come to Los Angeles to make it big in entertainment or modeling do not make their dreams come true. That was true even when only a few hundred people were coming Los Angeles a month. Even if you land a nursing job with good pay your friend will likely be a drag on you financially, assuming you'll be living together. Bartending can be lucrative but competition for high paying bartender positions are highly sought after because there are so many aspiring actors who want those hours so they can work nights and go on auditions during the day.
Whatever you do, don't come to Los Angeles without a job lined up first. I don't know much about the nursing field so I can't give you any odds on getting a job, but there are millions of people here. Every job has stiff competition. I just hired 2 digital artists but had over 600 applications for the positions.

[ryanms3030]

You will have a much better chance at getting a job and making it in LA as a nurse than your friend will. Healthcare is booming. The top 1% of the most attractive women in the world all move to LA. So reality is if your friend is a 10 in Ohio she'll probably be a 6 in LA.

[eureka1]

^^^^^^^This.

[Cardiff Kook]

The women out here put the women in Ohio to shame. Your friend will be a dime a dozen out here. That being said, SoCal life blows Ohio out of the water

[coltoncity]

You can get a job as a nurse but start looking while there. I had family members sig other was a actor/model. She had steady print and commercial work a much of the time but they lived feast or famine. She also started as a young teen. And thats something else to consider. You age out a LOT sooner in that business. Probably she is a coming up on it already. That being said I would rather try and fail then always wonder.

[wecaredalot]

Originally Posted by LarKev101

I'm a web designer and I'd say about 95% of my portfolio consists of aspiring actors/musicians/and make up artists. All in the same boat as you.

If you want the cold hard truth, then yes, there is a LOT of competition. If she's attractive , then she has a good shot at landing a good bartending gig which can pull in some great money in the right spots .... but modeling alone ? It's unlikely, simply because most people have a mindset similar to your friend ... they just expect things to happen


But like ANYTHING in life, and I'm living proof of this ... if you bust your ass off, hustle every day, and know how to self-promote you will be fine. But it's certainly far from easy and truth be told, I've only seen a micro sample of that occur within my clients.

No offense here, just being completely honest. I made something of myself from nothing when I moved out here a few years ago ... so it CAN be done. Hope this helps.

Thanks for this post, LarKev. I wanted to ask: in your experience, would you say that most people fail to become what they want (i.e. actress, model, whatever) because they don't work hard enough? Or, do you see people working hard, not just expecting things to happen, and still failling? I'm curious because I've often thought (and seen) that people who fail tend to not work as hard as they think they are. They're either not as focused as they think they are or not as willing to seek out advice, analyze their current situation, etc.

[jmac1]

Getting a job as a nurse is easy. My sister just moved there and got a job right away. My wife is a nurse and she got a job right away. COL is a b though.....is it worth it? Who knows, everyone is different.

As far as your friend, ew....its going to be tough, but you never know and no one is the norm. She HAS to give it a shot. She can make it if she does what it takes. Doesn't mean she will be the next big thing, but she could still make a decent living being a role player, commercials, voice overs, guest star, reality, whatever.....

You guys should move out with a positive attitude and the goal of making it happen; work hard, control what you can, learn, grow, don't be afraid of failure, don't get fatigued, don't listen to the naysayers, overcome adversity, and enjoy your youth......too hell with playing it safe in SC, you are young and that is when you take chances.

No risk, no reward!