Boston to LA - Can anyone talk me out of it? Suggest a better alternative?

[brian_k]

P.S. If I see another ad seeking a "Rock Star whatever" I'm going to stab somebody in the face. "Rock Star dishwasher wanted to rock out the dish washing at busy, fast-paced restaurant." Really? Go **** yourself.

[BarcelonaFan]

"Seeking sandwich ARTIST. Six months to one year assembling sandwiches required."

That's messed up! I hate this economy and what it's doing to people. This is the one instance in which all should agree that's its not a matter of "gumption" or "personal responsibility" like what the right wingers claim. It's the fault of business wanting to discilpline labor. Their rigid hiring standards are beyond ridiculous.

I used staffing companies back home in TX and my career services alumni group to get my jobs. I have six years relevant office experience with no gaps longer than two months. Two internships. A degree from a top ten school and fully proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

I did everything to keep my resume perfect, and I still am only getting jobs that pay me at best 15 bucks an hour. This is what I get for majoring in liberal arts.

Welcome to the New Economy. A dystopian future for most major cities.

[BarcelonaFan]

OMG, people are so SO much friendlier here than Boston. I can't get over it! And, my relatives don't understand this at all! They're all "We're PERFECTLY friendly here. I don't know what you're talking about!" When I try to explain, they get kind of insulted. People, in general, are so much happier out here. There are also weird things... like, I would see an ambulance pretty much every day in Boston. Sometimes more than one. Lots and lots of ambulances. Why? I rarely see them here. People are healthier out here. Everyone I know, in Boston, complains about their weight. Is basically obsessed with it. Even my really thin friends! My friends, in LA... both thin and not... are so much more into getting out and being fit and enjoying life. I have fat friends, here, who have never mentioned their fat to me, and seem pretty happy. All of my thin friends in Boston go on and on about how fat they are. It's kind of maddening (and sad).

Yes. Everyone I've met in LA is unbelievably and genuinely friendly. By far the friendliest major city I've ever been to.

It's strange that I'm actually the "mean" one in a group. I'm just not naturally that friendly but I'm not an a$$ about it.

My family back home thinks Houston is friendly but I cannot even try to explain to them how LA has them beat by a mile. No contest.

Boston was harsh. Imagine a town full of the cockiest jocks ever, the preppiest preps, and the biggest meat heads and you have the people of Boston. Not to mention the insufferable yuppie vibe that dominates the town. Theyre so cliquish and competitive. So couple the icy weather with icy people and you have Boston.

LA is just a city that inspires. It's dynamic, gritty, beautiful, diverse, laid back, huge and seeped in talent.

[thekidfrankie]

Originally Posted by brian_k

P.S. If I see another ad seeking a "Rock Star whatever" I'm going to stab somebody in the face. "Rock Star dishwasher wanted to rock out the dish washing at busy, fast-paced restaurant." Really? Go **** yourself.

Spot on, spot on. Hate those ads

[Tex?Il?]

Here are a few realistic suggestions on how to make some cash, (to at least stretch your savings, I don't know if you will will earn a living).

relayrides.com

You can rent your car out when you are not using it. (if you have a car).

I know it sounds cliche, but if you were an excellent student, you really can make some money tutoring.

check out websites that allow tutor and student to meet each other. Here is a great website that I do a tiny bit of tutoring on the side through. wyzant.com

Another thing that might be cliche is, if you do have a little acting experience or none at all, even if you are not here to become a star, there are opportunities to be an extra.

Do you have website design experience?

I do agree that, a lot of the rhetoric from right wingers about pulling oneselves up by the boot straps is oblivious to reality, but on the other hand, it is true that the internet has made it possible for regular people to do a little micro-entrepreneuring on the side.

Moderator cut: see note

[thekidfrankie]

Another question for you guys...I plan on putting my brother's address on my resume but, when it comes to the cover letter, do I explain that I plan on moving there soon? Or bend the truth a bit and state that I've just recently moved? Obviously the latter runs the risk of a company calling my bluff and scheduling me in for an interview right away but I'll cross that bridge if/when it comes.

[BarcelonaFan]

I do agree that, a lot of the rhetoric from right wingers about pulling oneselves up by the boot straps is oblivious to reality, but on the other hand, it is true that the internet has made it possible for regular people to do a little micro-entrepreneuring on the side.

I think the point is that Americans do not want to peruse the Internet for odd jobs with little to no real security. And they have that right to complain. A generation ago people pretty much had a right to work and that job provided security.

The major companies always say they're following the dictates of the "market" but they act like the market is this abstract entity that moves society, when in fact it's socially constructed. It's different decisions by various owners of industries creating a standard with which everyone follows suit or fails on pain of extinction. Basically they're trends but an insufferable right winger will just quip at you saying "it's Econ 101", "its the market".

Sorry for the rant. I was a poli sci major/ Econ minor in college and it was mind numbing at how the Econ professors literally spoke about the business decisions and trends of the Fortune 500 or Wall St. as this abstract entity called "market".

I didn't mean to snap at you it's just your optimism reminds of the new positive outlook to the Great Recession. I remember watching a news story about a "genius" who created a new "innovative" way to save money on rent. Basically he created a website to link people who couldn't afford to live on their own to find other people who couldn't afford to keep their house. So the latter would rent a room to the former.


The media tried to spin it as a creative way in which people are dealing with the new economy.

Good god! What happened to all the real left wing activists who wouldve questioned why Americans have to resort to this in the first place? Instead the younger generation of progressive liberals are too busy trying to be the Mark Zuckerbergs of the non-profit world.