Recent college grad moving to the area! (Jacksonville, Miami: transplants, apartments)

[Alan9606]

I just graduated from Indiana university with a business degree in hr and management. I would really like to move to the Florida, but don't have a job lined up yet. I wasnt sure if it is possible to get a job in Florida while still living in Indiana. I really can't afford moving to Florida and not having a jOb. Wanted to see if you all can answer my questions:

Possible to get a job in Florida while living in another state?Financially it's not a good idea I think to move without a income flowing in?

I'm 24 years old and I will be moving with my friend, I know las olas is a great place for nightlife but heard its too expensive...any good areas around there that aren't too expensive and won't get me stabbed either?

[ybflady13]

Originally Posted by Alan9606

I just graduated from Indiana university with a business degree in hr and management. I would really like to move to the Florida, but don't have a job lined up yet. I wasnt sure if it is possible to get a job in Florida while still living in Indiana. I really can't afford moving to Florida and not having a jOb. Wanted to see if you all can answer my questions:

Possible to get a job in Florida while living in another state?Financially it's not a good idea I think to move without a income flowing in?

I'm 24 years old and I will be moving with my friend, I know las olas is a great place for nightlife but heard its too expensive...any good areas around there that aren't too expensive and won't get me stabbed either?

It will be very challenging getting a job in the Fort Lauderdale area especially if you are still out of state. Rents are sky high, if you want a nice 2 bdroom around Las Olas you are looking at AT LEAST $1200. There are not that many nice areas around downtown that I would recommend. The more affordable areas are in the burbs like Sunrise, Tamarac, Coral Springs. What sucks is that the burbs are full of old people and you'll feel like you're in a senior community rather than the South Florida you see in the movies. I'm your age and I can't wait to move out of soFLO! But I've been here all my life but maybe you'll get a different perspective while living here. Prepare yourself though, people drive really crazy and there is no midwestern mentality. You're practically moving to a tropical NYC.

[lydialuna]

Have you tried looking for a job here? If you can afford the expenses for up to a year without a job it's not a bad idea to move first. But the job market is still quite down.

There are a few apartments quite affordable on W. Las Olas, the historical district west of the Himmarshee district. A very pleasant neighborhood along the river and you can walk/bike along the riverwalk to Las Olas and the Himmarshee nightlife area.

[triumphantmale]

you must get a job before coming..cost of living is too much..its like moving to new york without no job...you at least have to know somebody to sleep on the couch for a couple months until you get a job.

[JSnFla]

dont do it. indiana to south florida will be a shockingly disturbing adjustment as far as everyday living goes. save yourself the 2 yr learning experience and find a more suitable location with other young people with similar life interests. sofla is a wasteland for normal, decent people from the midwest. its suited for sketchy shady scoundrels

[ybflady13]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

dont do it. indiana to south florida will be a shockingly disturbing adjustment as far as everyday living goes. save yourself the 2 yr learning experience and find a more suitable location with other young people with similar life interests. sofla is a wasteland for normal, decent people from the midwest. its suited for sketchy shady scoundrels

Agreed. And I was born and raised here, that is saying a lot lol...

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

dont do it. indiana to south florida will be a shockingly disturbing adjustment as far as everyday living goes. save yourself the 2 yr learning experience and find a more suitable location with other young people with similar life interests. sofla is a wasteland for normal, decent people from the midwest. its suited for sketchy shady scoundrels

I couldn't agree with you more. I moved down here from Chicago, spent about 6 months before I decided it was not the place for me (I missed having activities outside of drinking and beach life), and moved back to Chicago. Higher cost of living and less sunshine, but I'm much happier!

[maybeonwardtofl]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

dont do it. indiana to south florida will be a shockingly disturbing adjustment as far as everyday living goes. save yourself the 2 yr learning experience and find a more suitable location with other young people with similar life interests. sofla is a wasteland for normal, decent people from the midwest. its suited for sketchy shady scoundrels

Haha! South Florida is a wasteland? What about Indiana? One of the nastiest armpits of America. A lot of the ... interesting ... characters from states like Indiana move to Florida, but to the Gulf Coast. Go to the East Coast if you're liberal, progressive, educated.

[Nolefan34]

Alan-

I think you'll like it here. Fort Lauderdale can be a fun place to live. It just depends on the person. South FL is not for everyone. I'll give you a quick run-down of what to expect.

1. You MUST get a job prior to moving here. Doing otherwise would mean financial suicide, unless you're sitting on a trust fund. What line of work are you in? What is your degree in?

2. As far as finding a job, most companies don't want to hire someone who lives out of state. They want someone who lives here already so they don't have to deal with relocating you and flying you down for an interview. When they see a resume from Indiana it goes straight to the trash can. One trick I learned is to set up a P.O. Box in Fort Lauderdale and use it to apply for jobs in Ft. Lauderdale. Have your mail forwarded back to you in Indiana. Most companies today communicate by email anyways, so they will never know you don't live here before landing the job.

3. It is going to be more expensive to live here than you're used to. Rents, food, and car insurance will be much more expensive here than Indiana.

4. Las Olas is really cool, but is the most expensive area to live in around here. The nice luxury condos there are minimum $1600/mo for a 1 BR. You can find some cheaper older buildings that are less desireable near Las Olas for $1200-1400, but they are dumps and do not have washer/dryer or other amenities. A 2 BR is going to run more like $2400-2500/mo in Las Olas. You may have to look further away from Las Olas to find affordable rents. The nightlife is pretty good there though.

5. Be prepared for a very different type of people than you're accustomed to. Forget the Midwestern charm, Dawson's Creek, sitting by the lake with a campfire underneath ole' Mr. Brown's apple tree. You are going to be thrown into a large pool of 5-6 million salivating animals. The pace of life is much faster here, crime is worse, the drivers are super aggressive, and you're going to be constantly competing against them. Be prepared for rude people in grocery stores, malls, and just in general in public places. Strangers don't say hi to one another. It is acceptable to run someone over to beat them to get in a door or a check-out line. I'm not trying to scare you away or anything, but these are some problems with South FL. There are less nice people here, and many more not-so-nice people. The area is also highly transient, so it is less common to bump into someone you know.

6. The girls- Be warned. They are really good looking here compared to most places, but they come with lots of baggage. Girls here have really mean attitudes. They are difficult to approach. The Midwestern nice-guy or Southern chivalry approach doesn't work and you'll blow up in flames. Your educational background makes no difference. Girls here are attracted to money and guys who are complete A*%^HOLes who treat them like crap. That is all. You will need to step up your game big-time when you move here.

7. The weather- Good and bad depending on the person. It is really hot and humid here 9 months out of the year. The humidity is unbearable at times, and it usually rains hard every day during the summer for like 1-2 hours then it gets extremely bright and sunny out. During the winter, the weather is very cool and easily the best weather in the country that time of the year.

[Nolefan34]

Oh yeah and as far as people from the Midwest generally moving to the gulf coast, that is true. The Gulf coast of FL, between Naples and Tampa, is dominated by Midwest transplants. The Southeast Coast, from Miami to West Palm Beach is dominated by former NYer's and Northeasterners. The rest of FL tends to have a very Southern vibe, except Orlando which is a mix of all 3.

That said, the gulf coast is very boring and tends to have a large, out of proportion elderly population. If you are younger and single, I think you'll be happiest in South FL because there is way more going on here. Tampa is just ok and way more laid back, with not as much nightlife. Orlando is kind of the same. Jacksonville is just boring.