Employment advice, moving in March (Atlanta, Decatur: apartment, leasing, credit check)

[lunalvr]

Hopefully this thread won't be all over the place, I'm thinking out loud really as I'm internally panicking over everything that I need to accomplish in order to move in a few months!

A few things;
I'm moving to Atlanta primarily because of the decent theatre and film scene. I'm an actor who has really run out of performance opportunities and classes to take in the town where I currently live. There are no agencies for rep, this isn't a big place for that. In comparison to LA or NYC, I know that Atlanta isn't huge, but it is the place I've settled on for now. Won't be forever most likely, but it will be home for the next little while at least. I've considered other small(er) cities in the country that have nice theatre and film scenes, Seattle and Nashville being two, but Atlanta has won for the time being. Doesn't hurt that I have many friends and several family members in the city as well, and I love it. Every time I visit, I get more excited at the idea of living there.

As far as employment in Atlanta goes, I have two options and this is where the advice from you guys would be very helpful. From the moment that I arrive, I'll be in acting classes with the Alliance and hopefully working a bit as background with Central. The main focus for the first year or so that I'm there will be classes and workshops and learning as much as possible in a new market. I don't feel ready to submit to the larger agencies OR track down auditions, apart from the occasional call for indie or student films, etc. With that in mind, regular full-time employment is going to be a necessity, obviously. I have extensive serving and bartending experience, as well as corporate/office experience in HR, and I'm a handful of credits away from my BA in Communication. My first thought was just finding a couple of places to wait tables or bartend at night, for flexibility and to have my weekdays free for auditions/classes/workshops, etc. However, some insight on the restaurant scene from people who know it well or currently work it would be super helpful. Areas to work in, types of restaurants to look into, etc. What sort of money is typical in these places, that sort of thing. I'll be looking to work in a place that's not necessarily ultra fine dining, but upscale. Somewhere in-between Olive Garden and Bacchanalia.

Another option for employment is searching for a similar position to what I have now in human resources - I'm basically an HR Admin/basic generalist with receptionist duties. Thoughts on securing positions like that from a distance? It seems complicated, but not impossible because I know people do it all the time. I hesitate to do that though, because I know that my future plans take me out of the typical M-F workweek. However, for getting settled and getting an apartment, perhaps a job like that looks better. I can't quite decide what would be best, to be honest. I will mostly be focusing on taking classes and workshops as far as acting is concerned for at least the first year after moving, so a traditional office job is not totally out of the question I suppose. First and foremost, I need to pay my bills and I want to be realistic.

Next is housing, which I'm making myself crazy over. Reading apartment reviews is more dramatic than the real housewives. I'd like to live in Midtown, but rent prices are just a little above what I think I can manage waiting tables, even at a nicer restaurant. My budget is around $1000-1200 for rent max. I'm not a wildly social person, pretty frugal with my money and all that. I like the occasional night out and splurge, so being in a neighborhood with the option is great, but not required. When I'm not working or studying, I'm happy at home. Like I mentioned above, I'll be in classes at the Alliance and I'd like to live close to both it and wherever I end up working. I have close friends in midtown also, being near them would be a plus as I get settled. I'm a walker, not a driver, so even if I can't live super close, I'd like to be near enough to a marta station to get where I need to go. I do own a car and I will be keeping it at least at first, but driving just really isn't my thing. I'd rather utilize public transit or uber when possible. Renting a room also isn't an option for now, because I have a demon-possessed chihuahua who likes to terrorize strangers for fun. All I need is a (pet friendly) studio or small 1-bdrm, but I think I'm out of luck for midtown with that budget. I don't need luxury or even "updated", but a bug-free place in a relatively safe neighborhood for a twenty-something female would be ideal.

I know this was a lot, but any and all insight would be much appreciated. I'm looking at making the move around March or April.

[Atlwarrior]

I would suggest asking your close friend if you could live there for a couple months to get a feel for the area and wait for that studio to open up. If not I think Decatur would be perfect. It has rail and bus service. The area really has some great local and popular restaurants for working. I would definitely stay away from HR and traditional 9 to 5. Most leasing office do a credit check and require your income be triple of your rent. I wish you great success! Soar like a eagle and dream big.