Where to live in boston for a mid 20's shy guy. (Springfield: apartment, rental)

[Zanfire]

Hi, i'm looking on some info on what would be a fun place for a mid 20's male to live who is sick of his suburbia. I lived my entire life in Chicopee MA. a pretty meh suburban town basically my whole life (right near Springfield which is basically a dump of a city imo). I'm looking to see what people's opinions are on some of the city's in/around Boston and which you think i may like (or you would like in my shoes).

Quick bit about myself: I'm 26 with some college experience (still not sure if i will finish just yet) I'm somewhat shy, never been huge on social activity's, but i want to change that since id be starting someplace new. I'm big on the more geeky stuff like TV,Movies, Video game, some comics and anime..ect. a typical dork i suppose, which is part of what makes me not super social to begin with. My big reasons for wanting to move to Boston is that there are far more tech jobs out there, next to nothing here and its still in MA and not too far from home, my few friends and still in MA so i don't have to deal with all the "being new to a state" crap. It is also a bigger city so i could enjoy a more urban lifestyle and enjoy the rest of my younger years.

I only have gotten to check out a few places in the Boston area so far, mostly because my sister (who is uber social and went everywhere, along with my younger bro who lives in NYC) lived in a couple places around there so i saw them when i visited. I spend a decent amount of time in Salem, which is a cool seeming place, dig the supernatural vibe, love Halloween. Everette where she lived last in the Boston area which i didn't like all that much (may have just been the section, but i didn't care for it) And like all good tourists i spent a couple days in downtown Boston which was always nice.

Money-wise i don't make much, i have my A+ cert, some college classes, and most of my job exp. is data entry/office work. I'm trying to work my way up doing things like repairing computers and such IT work. With that said i haven't mad more than like 10$ an hour so far, though i think i can get a bit more if i can land a low level IT job somewhere.

So what would you people of city-data suggest? Do you need any other info? What areas should i look into? Any info would be nice, ive been poking around these forums for a long time now looking for where i may want to end up some day, so its nice to finally post something that will likely end up happening in a the most a year.

P.S. I'm was raised a Yankees fan, can't help it.

[495neighbor]

It will be difficult to survive anywhere in Eastern Mass without a definitive plan first education and then education leading to employment.

10 years back Salem was the affordable last chance for fringe types who wanted to drift. More professionals and retirees are moving there and the obvious increase in COL follows.

[Zanfire]

I know education is important, but I see more jobs that will take experience over it, which the only way to get a job related to the IT field is to find a one in the first place, which has been rough around here since there are so few. The only other place I had intrest In was like san Francisco (mild weather, tech heavy, looks like a nice urban place which host's lots of big tech and gaming companies.

If I had as much time as I use to I would at least finish off my associates in CIS just so I can could get a head start, but it seems when I check out listings most of them want a bachelor's or years of experience at the least, making the AS seem more pointless to finish.

[sharencare]

Can you be more specific about what your dream job would be?

[Zanfire]

Honestly I dont have one, when I was growing up I wanted to make games or work for a site like gametrailer/gamespot/ign ..ect. Well as an adult I figured out I dont have the skill or talent for any of those (suck at coding, not good at art, not a good writer) so after that I found I was decent at fixing pcs for friend's and family so I decided to go in that direction, but nothing in particular.

[dapeaz]

Many would say that $10 an hour won't get you by in Boston, but I recently met someone who makes just that and does fine there (with plenty of roommates, of course).

[Zanfire]

Originally Posted by dapeaz

Many would say that $10 an hour won't get you by in Boston, but I recently met someone who makes just that and does fine there (with plenty of roommates, of course).

I've seen people live on less, its possible. Heck my brother lived off 10$ an hour working in NYC...and that place is a whole other animal. Personally i don't need much, i already live mostly minimally as it is, don't need cable tv, pay a small amount for my phone (family plan ftw) I don't eat a ton as it is and im not all that picky. Living with roommates doesn't bother me at all, i don't have kids or anything so its no biggie.

I don't plan on living on 10$ an hr forever, its just what i make now and would hopefully make more where there are more opportunitys. Beside that point i just wanted to know what would be some more interesting urban/urban-like areas in/around Boston that would be fun to live in (even if im not constantly doing things) For someone my age.

[sharencare]

Have you looked into Northeastern University's co-op program? I know people who trained in animation and software coding, and the program gave them great connections to local gaming companies. You can take the risk and follow your passion now while you are still young and not financially responsible to anyone but yourself. As for skill and talent, everyone has to start somewhere, so don't cross that dream off the list yet. Again, the whole point of these programs is to get training and then internships and opportunities will get opened to you.

[missionhill]

Young adults flock to Cambridge, Somerville, Allston, Brighton, South Boston, and Jamaica Plain. You're a few years above average for the Allston scene but any of those other places could be comfortable. Somerville, Allston, and Brighton are a little cheaper than Cambridge. Rents are lower still in Everett, Malden and Medford, Revere and East Boston. These working class places, especially Everett and Malden, may be the Chicopees of the Boston area--I'm thinking Chicopee itself or Willimansett versus the more suburban parts like Fairview. Chelsea is more like Holyoke but without the mills. You definitely will need a roommate situation. In Cambridge and Somerville the scene is more hip and privileged. People have money and many have Harvard, MIT, and Tufts connections. Allston and Brighton are lively too but less elite, more shot+beer places than cute cafes. Southie has its beautiful beaches which makes it such a nice place to live. Southie is full of young professionals these days but might be rich for your blood. Charlestown too-- Lots of suits. Jamaica Plain trends hip but less elite than Cambridge. The Mission Hill section of Roxbury could be good--tons of apartment shares there. Dorchester is a big area and a mixed bag. Most of the neighborhoods along the red line are fairly safe but safety (and distance from things) is always the question in Dorchester. All these areas have apartment shares. Good luck!

[bjimmy24]

If you are making $10/hour, you're pretty much looking at Allston, Brighton, Dorchester (As far as living in the city is concerned). In Allston and Brighton, look more towards Brighton Center or Lower Allston to get away from most of the undergrads and farther from Comm ave, which jacks up rental prices for being close to the T.