Advice for moving to Boston from Mississippi

[charolastra00]

Agree with most of the other posts. Another thing to consider is sticker shock. I grew up in Georgia but my family was from Mass so I *thought* I understood the cost of living difference. Not. at. all. Friends in Georgia without college degrees are now 25 years old and able to afford to buy a house and start having kids. My salary would need to be triple theirs to consider a similar lifestyle.

I'm not a big fan of the South and absolutely love the culture of Boston (liberal, intellectual, and yes, I love the introversion and elitism too), but between moving to Atlanta, Memphis, Charleston, etc or living with roommates until I'm 35, I'm going with the former. Salaries are higher in Boston than in the South, but in nonprofits/higher ed, they're not high enough to make up the COL difference. You need to gauge if it's worth coming here to start your career (note: this is for nonprofits/higher ed - Boston is a great place to start a career in tech, medicine, or startups!). Personally, I'd rather build my career (and savings!) in a lower cost of living area and then hope to move back to Boston once I'm at a salary level where I could really enjoy it. But that's just my point of view.

[mmyk72]

I think OP 's post is like a hunter wanting to know how his kill will taste like when he/she doesn't even have a gun to do the hunting.

First off, the best situation is to land a job before moving here. You don't want to move here blindly hoping to land some gig because it is expensive to live in the Boston vicinity. The previous poster is right... you are probably unlikely to land high paying jobs given the profession you mentioned and that you are fresh out of school, so you need to decide is it worth it living in a high COL area (probably in shared apt situations) at your stage in life. Assuming you are determined as you said you are, bring lots of money because getting an apt here is expensive. Most apts require deposit and the 1st month right off the bat.

As to getting used to the winter, you will one way or the other. If you depend on public transportation, you will need to plan for walking out in the cold and snow/ice covered roads so appropriate cold weather clothing and shoes will be needed. You can find most of what you need in a LL Bean type store (or order online). You don't need many layers of special clothing, just a good winter coat, shoes, gloves, scarf, hat to keep you warm and dry. You may not like it but I'm sure your natural survival instinct will get you thru once you're here.

As to getting around... well, land that job first, period. People here can tell you how to get from A to B and where to target your apt search after that because everything depends on your daily commute.

[sharencare]

Boston is not the same as New York when it comes to the theater scene, but it's still an amazing place for those involved in the performing arts or just love watching it. My favorite theater is the Huntington (Boston University), which has plays that are almost as good as some things you'll see in NYC. (By the way, it's easy to get to NYC from Boston--just four to five hours by bus. When I was a student, I would spend entire weekends in NYC with my boyfriend running between theaters to get rush tickets. We got absolutely fabulous first row experiences for only $25! We saw four plays/musicals in one weekend once!) The South End and Back Bay host a large number of performing art venues such as Symphony Hall, the New England Conservatory, the Lyric Stage Company, and many other small theaters. There's the commercial theater district itself that has the Boston Opera House, Wilbur, and Colonial Theater, which are beautiful themselves, but I don't visit them as much nowadays because the tickets are expensive. I think the last thing I saw was War Horse, and it was a packed theater in the middle of the week. Shakespeare on the Common is also an incredibly popular event that draws in thousands of people every summer. There's also lots of musical events happening at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the MFA. Many singers I know, prepping for Tanglewood, are also on the local church circuit. By church circuit, I don't mean little Midwest churches strumming along on Christian rock--I mean world class musicians performing Baroque masterpieces with the backdrop of gorgeous historical churches that you read about in American architecture textbooks. I know the Recession hurt many non-profits, but in recent years, to me, the crowds seem fairly large for the popular cultural events. But there are a couple of venues in the Boston and Cambridge area that are really awful and they're lucky to fill even a few rows.

First off, find people in Boston who have a job you would one day want. Ask for an informational interview or a chat. Ask them about what educational background and skill set they needed. Ask them what stepping stone jobs they took...for example, I suspect internships play a big role in opening doors. Then don't forget to find people closer to you in age and ask them if it's worth the struggle. My other hint is to look at colleges like Harvard, Boston University, Emerson, Berklee, etc, and see if they have a box office, development, arts, or PR/communications office. The famous venues like Symphony Hall, Museum of Fine Arts, and Boston Ballet are much harder to get into, but I noticed the smaller, local theaters and universities seem to be staffed by younger people (probably students). Starting out, you probably will need a second job and to find some roommates. I notice the people who make it into the marketing and technical sides seem to have also have related degrees in music, film, and theater. So you may have some stiff built-in local competition because Emerson, Berklee, and BU have some extremely talented people interested in any career path that will keep them in the arts.

Good luck!

[raveabouttoast]

Originally Posted by Pito_Chueco

From what I've read in these forums, if you move to Boston and the locals think that you are a transplant you will struggle socially. So I suggest that when you move you convince people that you were born & raised in the area ("townie" is the term that I see quite a lot), and you should fit right in. For example when you go to a bar don't forget to tell people how busy that you are attending family functions and hanging out with old friends from the neighborhood.

Sorry, but this is terrible advice and not true.

There are so many people from other states and even countries in Boston that few people will even bat an eye when they hear your accent.

The only place where "townies" are not accepting of outsiders would be in rural areas away from any large cities. This would be true of any "small town" in the US, not just New England.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by raveabouttoast

Sorry, but this is terrible advice and not true.

There are so many people from other states and even countries in Boston that few people will even bat an eye when they hear your accent.

The only place where "townies" are not accepting of outsiders would be in rural areas away from any large cities. This would be true of any "small town" in the US, not just New England.

Oddly, when I was a new transplant in the 1990s, I never got the cold shoulder or a sideways glance, from anyone from any of the areas farther out from Boston, with a Midwestern dialect and Southern European type looks. I've had less than welcoming experiences in Bedford, Burlington, Salem, Marblehead and a scattering of other places on the North Shore. I've had friends and still do as far out as Fitchburg and Nashua and as close to Boston as Cambridge.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by sharencare

Boston is not the same as New York when it comes to the theater scene, but it's still an amazing place for those involved in the performing arts or just love watching it. My favorite theater is the Huntington (Boston University), which has plays that are almost as good as some things you'll see in NYC. (By the way, it's easy to get to NYC from Boston--just four to five hours by bus. When I was a student, I would spend entire weekends in NYC with my boyfriend running between theaters to get rush tickets. We got absolutely fabulous first row experiences for only $25! We saw four plays/musicals in one weekend once!) The South End and Back Bay host a large number of performing art venues such as Symphony Hall, the New England Conservatory, the Lyric Stage Company, and many other small theaters. There's the commercial theater district itself that has the Boston Opera House, Wilbur, and Colonial Theater, which are beautiful themselves, but I don't visit them as much nowadays because the tickets are expensive. I think the last thing I saw was War Horse, and it was a packed theater in the middle of the week. Shakespeare on the Common is also an incredibly popular event that draws in thousands of people every summer. There's also lots of musical events happening at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the MFA. Many singers I know, prepping for Tanglewood, are also on the local church circuit. By church circuit, I don't mean little Midwest churches strumming along on Christian rock--I mean world class musicians performing Baroque masterpieces with the backdrop of gorgeous historical churches that you read about in American architecture textbooks. I know the Recession hurt many non-profits, but in recent years, to me, the crowds seem fairly large for the popular cultural events. But there are a couple of venues in the Boston and Cambridge area that are really awful and they're lucky to fill even a few rows.

First off, find people in Boston who have a job you would one day want. Ask for an informational interview or a chat. Ask them about what educational background and skill set they needed. Ask them what stepping stone jobs they took...for example, I suspect internships play a big role in opening doors. Then don't forget to find people closer to you in age and ask them if it's worth the struggle. My other hint is to look at colleges like Harvard, Boston University, Emerson, Berklee, etc, and see if they have a box office, development, arts, or PR/communications office. The famous venues like Symphony Hall, Museum of Fine Arts, and Boston Ballet are much harder to get into, but I noticed the smaller, local theaters and universities seem to be staffed by younger people (probably students). Starting out, you probably will need a second job and to find some roommates. I notice the people who make it into the marketing and technical sides seem to have also have related degrees in music, film, and theater. So you may have some stiff built-in local competition because Emerson, Berklee, and BU have some extremely talented people interested in any career path that will keep them in the arts.

Good luck!

OP, Sharencare has given you good advice about trying to get into the performing arts scene via the universities.

I still can't help but maintain that I notice a decline in the larger performing arts venues. For example, the ending of First Night and the decreased attendance at the 4th of July Pops concert (one less television station broadcast this year). The Comcast center in Mansfield, once Great Woods and then the Tweeter center, once had quality performances from classical to rock, and seems to have degraded into raver concerts, one great big party. If casinos make it through, there will be a further lowering of high culture, with a new proliferation of gaudy Jersey Shore/Vegas type nightclubs. You'd unlikely want to start a career there.