If you plan on moving to LA, please read. (Los Angeles: to rent, hotel)

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by BluSpark

Oh please Disgruntled: You are so over the top sometimes. Homeless and sex work! You do provide quite a bit of comic relief! I think I might be your number one fan, even if we disagree much of the time.

To the OP: Congrats on finding your way back and finding employment in your field! I imagine your prior stint here helped the networking process. Still, no small task in the current econ. climate!

Thanks, but I'm not intending to provide comic relief. There are people who move out here, become destitute, and end up prostituting themselves (i.e. it's a choice between becoming a prostitute to pay rent or moving back to BFE with no hopes or future). Or if they don't prostitute themselves, they still become homeless and desperate. Go visit Hollywood sometime and you'll see.

[BRinSM]

i like to hear about these happy endings. although i'm a realist and have told many to seriously consider there move to LA, if you are prepared (even if you you don't have a job lined up) how could i be one to tell someone not to follow their dream. that being said, if you do want to move here, you should seriously have reserves for at least a few months and have some experience and/or connections so you don't end up moving back home, begging family/friends for money, or worse as other have mentioned. on that note, i'm sure there are more people who end up making it than being forced to become hookers, that is just ridiculous.

[BluSpark]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

Thanks, but I'm not intending to provide comic relief. There are people who move out here, become destitute, and end up prostituting themselves (i.e. it's a choice between becoming a prostitute to pay rent or moving back to BFE with no hopes or future). Or if they don't prostitute themselves, they still become homeless and desperate. Go visit Hollywood sometime and you'll see.

There was a book about that very topic published many years ago called A Catcher in the Rye.

Holden Caufield's older brother (a writer) left NYC and wound up in Hollywood writing screenplays in the movie business.

[SlowMotionApocalypse]

FWIW, I know a few people originally from out of the area who ended up doing sex work or even just turn a trick here and there when times get tough.

[ImogenRose]

Thanks for posting this wilczy. My boyfriend and I are planning to move to LA from Boston at the beginning of the summer (after we visit in April). We don't have a ton going for us financially (we'll have *some* savings and since I'm a teacher, I'll continued to get paid up until the end of next September) and we only know 3 people who live in LA.

I've always been the extremely reasonable, non-mistake making, never went more than 3 weeks without a job kind of person, so this is very daunting to me. I've supported myself in Boston since the age of 19, including getting a decent college education and finding myself making a middle-class wage. Despite knowing that I'm a somewhat capable person, every time I see a post where people mention the horrible unemployment rate or that they're about to be homeless or that LA is the worst city in America, I have a mini panic attack.

I realize that there's only 1 post a month with something positive, but I'm hoping that maybe the rule that applies to most of the internet also applies here - that people are more likely to post the negative as a way to vent rather than post something positive to celebrate.

Anyway, thanks again and if you have any advice for a youngish couple moving to LA with only a few thousand dollars, a single income for 4 months, and few job contacts we will take any and all advice!

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by SlowMotionApocalypse

FWIW, I know a few people originally from out of the area who ended up doing sex work or even just turn a trick here and there when times get tough.

Yeah, it's surprising common. The posters here are pretty sheltered.

I'm not talking about people working the corner of Hollywood and La Brea (though that area's been cleaned up). i mean young (or not so young) people with their own car, apartment often even a job who occasionally turn a trick so they can make rent or have going out money.

I don't mean everyone who moves out here turns to prostitution, not everyone is good looking enough anyway, but for a lot of people it's between doing that or living in poverty/moving away.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

Maybe, and I'm not discounting entirely what you say. But for every story like yours, there are many more others who come to LA and end up working in dead end jobs just barely scraping by, can't survive and move home, or in extreme cases, become homeless and or get involved in sex work.


It's still possible to make it out here but the odds are against you. Consider the bigger picture and what your backup options are.

you are completely right. I don't think anyone can say, "it can't be done" and it does depend on skills, luck, saving and a lot of other things, but as you said for all those who do make it, there are dozens that don't. It is like the job market, of course there are jobs out there, but for every decent job there can be as many as 100 applicants.

Nita

[BluSpark]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

Yeah, it's surprising common. The posters here are pretty sheltered.

I'm not talking about people working the corner of Hollywood and La Brea (though that area's been cleaned up). i mean young (or not so young) people with their own car, apartment often even a job who occasionally turn a trick so they can make rent or have going out money.

I don't mean everyone who moves out here turns to prostitution, not everyone is good looking enough anyway, but for a lot of people it's between doing that or living in poverty/moving away.

Prostitution has been around a long time....long before Hollywood's broken dreams and the current deep recession in California.

Are there more people driven to that sort of thing in this economic climate? I am sure that is true.

But the OP of this thread had a good job at a big company in LA three years ago. He clearly stated he saved up a nest egg. This was not a reckelss or rash decision.

The runaway youths in Hollywood (or similar places) often come with "issues" that drive them to sex work that are often independent of economic circumstances. The 80's and '90's saw good economic times but TONS of teen prostitution and runaways on the streets of Hollywood.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by BluSpark

Prostitution has been around a long time....long before Hollywood's broken dreams and the current deep recession in California.

Are there more people driven to that sort of thing in this economic climate? I am sure that is true.

But the OP of this thread had a good job at a big company in LA three years ago. He clearly stated he saved up a nest egg. This was not a reckelss or rash decision.

The runaway youths in Hollywood (or similar places) often come with "issues" that drive them to sex work that are often independent of economic circumstances. The 80's and '90's saw good economic times but TONS of teen prostitution and runaways on the streets of Hollywood.

Not referring to OP. Obviously he had a plan, motivation, some money saved up, and a bit of luck.

I'm talking about these kids who come to LA to "make it big" with barely any money to their name. They look for jobs. They can't find a job (or if they do, Starbucks). They barely can pay rent. Some move back home (if they're allowed to). Some become homeless. Some do side work like prostitution. Some don't become either, but scrape by miserably by working 2-3 jobs or taking on odd jobs. It's just not easy.

[hotmama2009]

I moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago. I packed my belongings and I drove out here from Detroit. I had $3000.00 in savings at the time and I stayed at an Extended Stay hotel in Orange County until I found a job, which enabled me to rent my first apartment.

The job market was hot during that time. I had so many interviews I had to turn people away. I found a job within 3 weeks of moving here, fast forward 6 years later and I have a mixed perspective on my time here in Los Angeles.

For anyone looking to move here you have to first keep in mind how expensive it is. Yes, there are a number of opportunities here, even as bad as the economy is right now, but the cost of living is very high and your standard of living will be greatly determined not only by what you make but by your expectations.

Are you single, or married with no children? If so your expectations of what you want in a job and living situation will be quite different from someone who is married and has a family. Do you want to own a home of a certain size within a certain price point in an affluent neighborhood? Quite hard to do here on a standard middle, or slightly upper middle class salary. It can be done, but one will have to make a great deal of sacrifices to pull it off.

When I moved here I was single with no children. Paying $1300 for a nice apartment didn't bother me, after all it was just me. Renting wasn't a problem since I didn't have the desire to put down roots anywhere and I was dating and shopping and hanging out with friends. I was also making $65,000 a year (I'm highly educated) as a single person, so naturally I had more disposable income.

I am married now with a 3 year old and after I had my son I started to look at Los Angeles from an entirely different perspective. Now I want to own a home of a certain size in a really good neighborhood and in a price point that is not possible here. I have no desire to buy a 500k home in a so so neighborhood while being house poor. My son comes first, so my husband and I have to make choices based on factors other than what we want all of the time since there is a child to consider.

My expectations for what I want are quite high. We are going to leave Los Angeles. With that said I have truly loved and enjoyed my time here. It is gorgeous here. If you're single there is so much to do and see. I found dating while I was single quite fun. And I was able to branch out professionally in ways I was never able to in Detroit. However, living here isn't very affordable and it is a good idea to move here with a job since the market is not hot right now and it is difficult to find something if you aren't very experienced and educated. It is difficult in many respects even if you are.

So, my advice to anyone considering a move here would be to one, set realistic expectations. Make sure you have a plan and plenty of money saved up and be ready to take the cost of living hit. You will probably love Los Angeles if you don't have children, but once you do unless your filthy rich it is truly a struggle.