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**Sorry this was so long. I hope someone takes the time to read as my questions are specific to my situation.
Any who! I am in desperate need of a change. I love living in the south(Georgia) but I want to see the world and write about it all. I figure being young is the best time to make any major life changes and since I'll be 22 when i graduate and he will be 24...We'd like to move to Sacramento!
Any advice would be helpful. Our plain is to save a minimum of $5000 for a year after we graduate then take the plunge on New Years.
Some background info:
I will have a car. I'm in a committed relationship and would like to get married. I'm a English major and a good writer, and plan on making that a career in any way I can. (maybe even teaching) My boyfriend has been working various jobs mainly fast food since high school and is currently attending a two year college with a focus in criminal justice (police work, corrections officers, things like that)
We'd like to visit some areas before we actually move to get a feel for the area. I'm not sure about which places to visit. Anyone who's lived or planning to live in California feel free to chime in! I've read good things about Sacramento/Pasadena/Midtown area
How much money will I need saved? What are some good places for a young couple? Are the people genuine and down to earth? Looking for places to go out, apartments,job opportunities...things like that
Thanks!
Oh i also forgot some info:
Looking for a one bedroom apartment/studio apartment
SOME amenities (I'm trying to be realistic) like parking and laundry, pools and parks, storage would be great (he prefers indoors but i love nature and anything outside)
Would like to stay below $1000/month
we have no kids/dogs/responsibilities!
**Please don't say it can't be done! I'm not a total dunce but I know anything is possible with proper planning and determination.
Last edited by PreyChib; 12-20-2010 at 03:02 AM..
Reason: forgot some information
Pasadena is in southern California, about 350 miles from Sacramento. Your questions are still very general, but $1000/month is a reasonable sum for an apartment in a fairly decent neighborhood near or in Midtown. Sacramento is far cheaper than the Bay Area or Los Angeles, but it doesn't quite have the opportunities of those larger metropolitan areas.
In Sacramento, good writing skills could land you in a public information office for a state entity, a position with the Legislature or a lobbying firm or any one of a number of possibilities. However, you have to be aware that especially now, competition is fierce, jobs are scarce and you may have to settle for a clerical position somewhere for awhile and eventually move up from there; especially without former experience.
Best of luck following your dream. It should be doable, but proceed cautiously.
If you like living in Georgia, don't move to Sacramento. The State of California is broke. The cost of living is high here and is still rising. The state budget is mismanaged and tax dollars are wasted. The unemployment rate is greater than 10% and the state will likely have to lay off more state employees. The freeways are crowded. Rush hour traffic is a nightmare. I'm leaving this state as soon as I can retire.
The last two posters are grumpy old men, who don't seem to like it here much. If you aren't a grumpy old man you might like it better. I'm kind of grumpy and getting old but Sacramento doesn't get on my nerves too bad just yet. Although I think the OP may have been asking about the Pasadena area and assumed Sacramento was near it, and has already moved on, so rest assured, guys, you have probably prevented another unfortunate, misguided soul from moving to Sacramento.
**Sorry this was so long. I hope someone takes the time to read as my questions are specific to my situation.
Any who! I am in desperate need of a change. I love living in the south(Georgia) but I want to see the world and write about it all. I figure being young is the best time to make any major life changes and since I'll be 22 when i graduate and he will be 24...We'd like to move to Sacramento!
Any advice would be helpful. Our plain is to save a minimum of $5000 for a year after we graduate then take the plunge on New Years.
Some background info:
I will have a car. I'm in a committed relationship and would like to get married. I'm a English major and a good writer, and plan on making that a career in any way I can. (maybe even teaching) My boyfriend has been working various jobs mainly fast food since high school and is currently attending a two year college with a focus in criminal justice (police work, corrections officers, things like that)
We'd like to visit some areas before we actually move to get a feel for the area. I'm not sure about which places to visit. Anyone who's lived or planning to live in California feel free to chime in! I've read good things about Sacramento/Pasadena/Midtown area
How much money will I need saved? What are some good places for a young couple? Are the people genuine and down to earth? Looking for places to go out, apartments,job opportunities...things like that
Thanks!
Oh i also forgot some info:
Looking for a one bedroom apartment/studio apartment
SOME amenities (I'm trying to be realistic) like parking and laundry, pools and parks, storage would be great (he prefers indoors but i love nature and anything outside)
Would like to stay below $1000/month
we have no kids/dogs/responsibilities!
**Please don't say it can't be done! I'm not a total dunce but I know anything is possible with proper planning and determination.
First of all, you are right, there is no better time to move to new areas and experience a new life than when you are young. Now, for the reality, finding a teaching job will not be easy, probably your best possiblity would be to try to find a job as a writer for a newpaper of try public relations, but even that will not be easy and your major, unfortunately is over populated.
The 1000 a month is fine. As someone has mentioned, Sacramento and Pasadena are two totally different areas. One is southern Ca and very diverse, the other in mid or NO CA and not as diverse. Both are nice areas. I happen to be one of those who loves Sacramento.
The biggest problem you will be facing is finding jobs period. It is not easy anywhere today as you probably know and Ca is one of the worst. Curmudgeon has nailed it perfectly.
The last two posters are grumpy old men, who don't seem to like it here much. If you aren't a grumpy old man you might like it better. I'm kind of grumpy and getting old but Sacramento doesn't get on my nerves too bad just yet. Although I think the OP may have been asking about the Pasadena area and assumed Sacramento was near it, and has already moved on, so rest assured, guys, you have probably prevented another unfortunate, misguided soul from moving to Sacramento.
Yes, living in California makes me grumpy for good reason. You think taxes are high now? Just wait until our new Governor and liberal state legislature decide to raise taxes even more. The economy in the Sacramento area has still not improved much. Companies don't want to invest in California because of all of the regulations and extremely high cost of doing business in this state. Jobs are hard to find and competition for any open positions is fierce. The state is overcrowded and more and more people continue to move here. The streets and freeways are full of potholes. The overall cost of living in California is one of the highest in the nation.
Do not move to california. I was raised in Georgia. And moved to California 15 years ago. This is the most over regulated place on earth. Buisness's
are leaving hear because of all the money grabbing Regulation here. it is a nice place to visit but living here sux. I have a job as a civil inspector and it pays great . It's all the hidden cost here that get you . This is a police state and people here are not friendly because of the rat race to try and survive. You can't go anywhere without seeing homeless people begging for money. I know Georgia and the laid back way of the people. I was born and raised in Douglasville georgia. If you want to go somewhere fun friendly Montana or Alaska. Canada's not bad on the west end of the country either. If you move to California you want realize at 1st whats wrong here , but give it 6 months or so after the new wears off and you will see.wish you luck.
**Sorry this was so long. I hope someone takes the time to read as my questions are specific to my situation.
Any who! I am in desperate need of a change. I love living in the south(Georgia) but I want to see the world and write about it all. I figure being young is the best time to make any major life changes and since I'll be 22 when i graduate and he will be 24...We'd like to move to Sacramento!
Any advice would be helpful. Our plain is to save a minimum of $5000 for a year after we graduate then take the plunge on New Years.
Some background info:
I will have a car. I'm in a committed relationship and would like to get married. I'm a English major and a good writer, and plan on making that a career in any way I can. (maybe even teaching) My boyfriend has been working various jobs mainly fast food since high school and is currently attending a two year college with a focus in criminal justice (police work, corrections officers, things like that)
We'd like to visit some areas before we actually move to get a feel for the area. I'm not sure about which places to visit. Anyone who's lived or planning to live in California feel free to chime in! I've read good things about Sacramento/Pasadena/Midtown area
How much money will I need saved? What are some good places for a young couple? Are the people genuine and down to earth? Looking for places to go out, apartments,job opportunities...things like that
Thanks!
Oh i also forgot some info:
Looking for a one bedroom apartment/studio apartment
SOME amenities (I'm trying to be realistic) like parking and laundry, pools and parks, storage would be great (he prefers indoors but i love nature and anything outside)
Would like to stay below $1000/month
we have no kids/dogs/responsibilities!
**Please don't say it can't be done! I'm not a total dunce but I know anything is possible with proper planning and determination.
When are you planning on moving? If you are flexible about the date I would have boyfriend immediately apply for a job with CDCR (California Dept. of Corrections) They are taking applications and have announced they are hiring 7,000. He would need to travel to California for certain parts of the hiring process but it usually takes 6 months to a year to actually get a job (typical of most law enforcement agencies)
Yes, it's a prison guard job but a good one- with great pay and some of the best benefits in the world. The problem is he may not get a job in one of your favorite places in California, but it would be a start and he could transfer to another prison after he worked for a few years. (a good number of prisons in California are in the Central Valley area, south of Fresno or desert areas of Southern California) http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/career_opport...s/por/FAQ.html The reason I suggest CDCR is because an associate degree in criminal justice does not help very much in getting a job with most law enforcement agencies in California. Even though they may not require a 4 year degree to apply, the reality is that for the most part they will not consider a new hire without one unless they have prior military experience AND a 2 year degree.
You said you are an english major, when do you graduate, and will that be with a 2 year, or a 4 year degree? There are local, county and state government jobs that would probably be suitable but you would need to do some online searching and start applying before you move. It's tough to find teaching jobs but you would be suited to a number of Government administrative or clerical positions. It's very hard to find a 'writing' job but I'm sure you know that. https://jobs.ca.gov/Job/NewLooking
Your other option is move to an affordable area (which Sacramento is) get whatever fast food/retail jobs you can get quickly and then start searching for your dream job.
I always appreciate it when people report back on what they decided to do.
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