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Old 06-18-2013, 11:01 AM
 
391 posts, read 421,449 times
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Your best is probably looking on craigslist for a room for rent in someone's apt. Otherwise, it's very hard (not impossible) to live comfortably on < $30k/year. You need a car here so keep that in mind too.

 
Old 06-18-2013, 12:18 PM
 
34,620 posts, read 21,477,084 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandres View Post
Your best is probably looking on craigslist for a room for rent in someone's apt. Otherwise, it's very hard (not impossible) to live comfortably on < $30k/year. You need a car here so keep that in mind too.
If you can find a job fairly close to where you live and it's in such an area as the Heights or Montrose, honestly, you can probably get by with a scooter. Yes, rainy days would be a pain, but it probably would be worth the lower cost, low insurance and low fuel bill.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 12:33 PM
 
568 posts, read 1,123,302 times
Reputation: 654
Don't get down here and struggle, or you will be miserable here too. Sounds like you are planning things out though.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 12:47 PM
 
Location: plano
7,885 posts, read 11,340,656 times
Reputation: 7789
OP Houston is the place for positive thinking hard working people like you. There are fewer barriers to success in Houston than most cities in this country. Low regulation and no zoning are two that come to mind. There are a lot of great paying jobs in Houston so you are hearing from those who think money is what life is all about. Houston's good economy means business startups have a better chance of success than in most locations with weaker economies. I moved from Houston to N. Hills of Pgh and what a change....not for the better either. Welcome to Tx, I agree with your plannd move for what its worth
 
Old 06-18-2013, 01:10 PM
 
Location: Westchase
785 posts, read 1,229,416 times
Reputation: 779
Living outside the loop (core of the city) would probably be your best bet as living in the city can get quite expensive. The metropolitan area is huge, so try to visit first so you don't end up living in an area that you don't like.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 01:40 PM
 
98 posts, read 309,129 times
Reputation: 88
Bring shorts. You will not think the heat here is enjoyable after a short while. Being from that part of the country you may be unsettled by how flat it is here. You will drive long distances, but it will all be on highways. My job in Pittsburgh was 7 miles from my house, and it took me as long to get to it as my job here which is about 17 miles from my house. Personally I love Pittsburgh and would move back, but there is more opportunity here. I lived in the North Hills (as another poster did) and really liked it. Uniontown is another story. I would want to leave that town too.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Baghdad by the Bay (San Francisco, California)
3,530 posts, read 5,113,192 times
Reputation: 3145
I think the point people are trying to make is to approach the move with a sense of purpose larger that "to have a good time".

At your salary level, you will have to work and struggle to make it work. There is nothing wrong with that, but you should have a good exit strategy in mind. If you're accepting the struggle, make it mean something. Goto Houston to struggle and break into an industry there or find some opportunity not available where you are now, not because you "like hot summers".

At 24, you are a bit behind in the game. You need to play catch-up and seek out opportunities that will set you up for success for the rest of your life. The HCC idea sounds good, but with the expense of moving to Houston and the added pressure of making ends meet so far from home, is it feasible? Is an Associates degree at 26-27 years old (or likely, later) going to be enough to get you out of the struggle?

A smarter move might be to attend a community college closer to home and move after graduation in a couple of years, when one more constraint on climbing above the struggle would be lifted. Then, you could focus on attaining a Bachelor's degree and seeking out an opportunity to advance a real career instead of just struggling to get by.

Houston is indeed a place full of opportunities for those with enough focus to take advantage of them. You just have to be smart and strategic about it. When someone considers making a life-changing event with really limited upside potential, based on superficial and really inconsequential reasons, it smacks of lack of focus on the big picture. True, that is a privilege of youth, but only when you are able to use that youth to reach for something better.

Join the struggle, but make it count. Your time is shorter than you know. Go to Houston with a bit more ammunition--a dream, a skill, a talent, or credentials to acquire one. Then make noise there until you are noticed. Houston is the kind of place that rewards such behavior fairly well. It will punish the aimless as harshly as any other place, though.

Best of luck to you.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 02:30 PM
 
2,756 posts, read 3,782,408 times
Reputation: 4433
Quote:
Originally Posted by dalparadise View Post
I think the point people are trying to make is to approach the move with a sense of purpose larger that "to have a good time".

At your salary level, you will have to work and struggle to make it work. There is nothing wrong with that, but you should have a good exit strategy in mind. If you're accepting the struggle, make it mean something. Goto Houston to struggle and break into an industry there or find some opportunity not available where you are now, not because you "like hot summers".

At 24, you are a bit behind in the game. You need to play catch-up and seek out opportunities that will set you up for success for the rest of your life. The HCC idea sounds good, but with the expense of moving to Houston and the added pressure of making ends meet so far from home, is it feasible? Is an Associates degree at 26-27 years old (or likely, later) going to be enough to get you out of the struggle?

A smarter move might be to attend a community college closer to home and move after graduation in a couple of years, when one more constraint on climbing above the struggle would be lifted. Then, you could focus on attaining a Bachelor's degree and seeking out an opportunity to advance a real career instead of just struggling to get by.

Houston is indeed a place full of opportunities for those with enough focus to take advantage of them. You just have to be smart and strategic about it. When someone considers making a life-changing event with really limited upside potential, based on superficial and really inconsequential reasons, it smacks of lack of focus on the big picture. True, that is a privilege of youth, but only when you are able to use that youth to reach for something better.

Join the struggle, but make it count. Your time is shorter than you know. Go to Houston with a bit more ammunition--a dream, a skill, a talent, or credentials to acquire one. Then make noise there until you are noticed. Houston is the kind of place that rewards such behavior fairly well. It will punish the aimless as harshly as any other place, though.

Best of luck to you.
This is very sound advice and much better than my "have a car and a roommate" spiel.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 02:52 PM
 
34,620 posts, read 21,477,084 times
Reputation: 22232
IMHO, you're at an age where you can still "go for it". Once you hit 30, worry about playing it safe, but right now, start a new adventure.

Sure, $470 a week (after taxes) will make things a bit tight, but it's certainly doable.

And as far as living outside the loop, forget that. What you're looking for is inner-loop at your age. Just the convenience of everything will be worth a little bit more money.

Here is a place for you for $625 per month that won't require you to have a roommate:
1624 Holman St, Houston, TX 77004 - HAR.com

Is it the Taj Mahal? Of course not. But you'd be a bike or scooter ride from tons of stuff and you're within walking distance to bus routes on those rainy days or when you need to get somewhere further.

Come on down, spend a year or two starting your new life in Houston and getting a better paying job, then decide what you want to do long term. If that long term plan involves school, so what if you start a couple years later.

You're miserable in the cold right now. Worst case scenario is that you end up miserable in the heat. I personally believe that you won't regret it.
 
Old 06-18-2013, 03:01 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake, Houston TX
8,376 posts, read 30,604,050 times
Reputation: 4718
Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroMartinez View Post

Here is a place for you for $625 per month that won't require you to have a roommate:
1624 Holman St, Houston, TX 77004 - HAR.com
I can just imagine the traffic noise there at that interchange, and being 300 ft from it. ITL I lived 3/4 mile from 610 and the screaming of tires was like an alarm clock at 6:30am. And it was a modern apartment, too.
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