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Old 12-28-2010, 03:37 AM
 
10 posts, read 20,758 times
Reputation: 25

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Just wanted to post this in LA, too, as this is where I ended up moving.
Link to thread follows. Thanks!

Hello -

I posted on this forum for advice on moving from Boston to San Diego last November, 2009. At the time, I was planning on moving February, 2010. I chose to wait a bit longer (once again) and decided to visit LA for once. It took that one long weekend to change my mind and try to move to LA, instead of SD. BTW, the whole move from Boston to SD was to follow my college girlfriend to her hometown (yes, we are still together ).

In May 2010, I decided that I had saved enough money, exhausted cross-crounty employment search capabilities, listened to enough advice, and was unhappy long enough. I submitted my letter of resignation to my boss, who had known my intent for some time now. He responded as simply as usual, "Thank you for your contributions, I am sure that you will continue to succeed. One month of notice is going to be tight..." HA!

So I drove cross country, making a few stops and visits, to my hometown. I soaked up a month of parental dependence and great friends. It was harder to leave home than it was to quit(resignate) my life in Boston. And then I continued.

LA
July 4, 2010
Staying at a family friend's house in Woodland Hills.
Great first weekend in LA.

July 10, 2010
Move into apartment - Hollywood, craigslist, 2bd, 1 roommate, $675 each. Still here with him and we have a great relationship. Yes, that's on the cheaper side, no it's not a crack house, no there isn't a pool. But the GF's fancy convertible has been parked on the street for nights, I can walk, and my neighbors are awesome.

July - September 2010
Try to surf, eat everywhere, explore everything, pass smog, make friends, talk to strangers - an extended vacation. Job search was passive.

October - November 2010
Enough vacation. Got a "gig". Valeting, like back on my breaks from college. $13/hr, 30hrs/week, nice building. A good "gig," perfect for the moment.

November 29 - Present
Got a career-gig. More money than back in Boston, doing something I enjoy and can see myself pursuing for quite some time.

Goodbye Boston!


I am not at all trying to boast. If you knew me, you would trust me on that. Although I'm not (that) superstitious, I'm nervous about posting this. I feel very fortunate and I do not take this accomplishment for granted. I just feel like letting it be known that this can happen, because it did! I even met someone on this forum who did the exact same thing (PA to SD) who I actually met and am now good friends with.

Not everyone is up for this, I can guarantee that. If you look at the comments I received, and the defensiveness I displayed, you will see how little confidence there is with this endeavor. I second-guessed myself for over a year. But if you trust yourself, do it. If you are not at all impulsive and can make sacrifices for a goal, then you can probably do it. If you are savvy, educated, resourceful, and good with money, yeah, you'll more than likely be able to do it.

Take aways:

1) Overvalue money
2) Measure twice, cut once
3) Wear a salt lick


Of course I've rounded off the edges of this story for briefness. I know that if I read this back in Boston, I would have demanded details. Fill it with your own. If you've planned and prepared for something like this, please go for it. If you want to, but haven't demonstrated commitment to yourself, be patient. A fool in a hurry drinks tea with a fork.


Take care.

Note: Any future population increase and subsequent overcrowding shall not be attributed to my remarks. They were in regards to the general goal of relocation.

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-diego/820835-leaving-boston-no-job-lined-up.html
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Old 12-28-2010, 09:51 PM
 
1,881 posts, read 3,340,409 times
Reputation: 3912
good news! for those of us who have been in LA and unemployed for a while, its good to know that someone can come here and make it happen. gives me hope. i came out here from GA and have been here five years. you may find our eastern work ethic comes in handy out here in avocado land! good luck to you, and welcome to L.A. !!
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Old 12-28-2010, 10:06 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,474,008 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodbyeBoston View Post

Goodbye Boston!


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Old 12-28-2010, 10:12 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,788,421 times
Reputation: 17679
Billy Buck?
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Old 12-28-2010, 10:17 PM
 
7,708 posts, read 12,553,435 times
Reputation: 12327
GREAT NEWS OP!! I think I remember you from last year!! I remember someone saying they were moving from Boston and I posted this REALLY long response with advice, and I posted advice about checking craigslist for roommates, and I can't believe you actually did it! I mean, I can believe it but you know what I mean. I don't know if you took my advice or had previously thought about it but I'm so glad your plans were a success. At least I can say, I tried to help! I have never once even visited California but I've been helping people move there for the longest time just by mere education and observation. Alot of people from this thread think that some folk have no merit to discuss and help people just because they are not from there but that's the farthest thing from the truth. I know for a fact that If I went to LA today, I would know exactly where to go, where to eat, where to stay, where to go have fun, and etc. I joined in '08 but I've been paying attention to the forums since well before that gaining information on different cities and states, real estate, apartment prices, cost of living, google mapping, web searching. I know about LA and California in general so much it's like the second home I never lived in. Sorry to get off topic but I'm really happy for you. It's nice to hear some positive news around this forum for once and go against the grain of what everyone else has to say and be a success.
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Old 12-29-2010, 01:49 PM
 
Location: No Fixed Address
132 posts, read 362,895 times
Reputation: 65
Hello GoodByeBoston! Glad it worked out for you. If someone is prepared and determined, it generally will, and even if it doesn't it's still worth the try.
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Old 12-29-2010, 04:35 PM
 
4,213 posts, read 8,269,068 times
Reputation: 2680
Congrats on making it, but you have to understand you're not the norm.
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Old 12-29-2010, 05:09 PM
 
Location: SoCal
2,261 posts, read 7,210,444 times
Reputation: 960
Yay! Congrats! I moved here from Boston, too, at the beginning of Nov & haven't looked back since.

It's nice to see a non "doom & gloom" post on here.
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Old 12-30-2010, 12:48 AM
 
Location: No Fixed Address
132 posts, read 362,895 times
Reputation: 65
Quote:
Originally Posted by disgruntled la native View Post
Congrats on making it, but you have to understand you're not the norm.
How do you know he's not the norm? I hear lots of vague yet dire third-hand warnings about how impossible it is to relocate here, but it's not the people who "failed" who are posting the dire warnings, it's the people who are still here or left on their own volition.
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Old 12-30-2010, 01:20 AM
 
Location: California
37,048 posts, read 41,998,003 times
Reputation: 34861
I live in NorCal and plenty of people move to SoCal and "make it" for awhile. For whatever reasons most move back or relocate elsewhere after awhile. My own daughter and her bf have been there (West Hollywood/Santa Monica) for 6 months working in their field. BUT one job already came to and end and another is looking iffy. People do seem to job hop whether it's their plan or not. They would like to live there for a couple years then move somewhere else for kicks. Since there are lots of great places to live it's good to be flexible
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