For the transplants: What came first? The job or the apartment? (Los Angeles: sales, to rent)

[timtemtym]

I signed a contract with the LA school district in Austin, TX and didn't know where in this gigantic city I would end up being placed. I made a very dumb impulse rent that ended up being the best possible scenario.

I rented in Long Beach and a few weeks later found an awesome placement in the LA harbor area. However, I could have just as easily been placed in Sylmar or Van Nuys! Lucky for me that didn't happen! A lot of jobs out here (in my opinion) won't consider you as much if you're not living in the LA area!

[Mr. Zero]

We knew the area we wanted to live in, so I narrowed my job search to nearby areas. I accepted an offer about two weeks before we were scheduled to move and I've been enjoying an 8-minute door-to-door commute ever since.

[PDF]

Not everyone is able to land a job in LA before moving. Actually, most people aren't. I had moved to LA job-less and everything worked out fine.

I got an apartment first, and then actually found a job within walking distance of my place. Lucked out. I think an apartment is important, it's nice to have a usual place to rest your head and prepare for interviews, and of course you'd be spending lots more money by getting a temporary place. Even a sublet would be better.

[SpaceMonkyPunks]

I also think that landing the job first is near-impossible in certain fields.

My spouse and I took the plunge and moved without jobs, but a good amount saved and we had a place to crash for a couple of months, thankfully. The awful catch-22 of it all is that it's very hard to get hired when you're not local, but also difficult to get a landlord to agree to rent to you without a job...

[ryanms3030]

JOB. Personally, I would never relocate with having a job first. I moved Boston to LA then LA to DC then DC back to LA and had a job lined up each time. Unless you have at least a year's worth of expenses saved up I would not risk it

[PDF]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

JOB. Personally, I would never relocate with having a job first. I moved Boston to LA then LA to DC then DC back to LA and had a job lined up each time. Unless you have at least a year's worth of expenses saved up I would not risk it

It just depends on how risk-averse you are. For some people, that would mean never being able to move.

[rb29335i]

I transferred with my job, my girl did not. We had savings and both have college degrees. We stayed 1 week in extended stay hotel for $900 and I went out daily to apartment search. We spent $3000 for deposit and 1st month's rent for our $1500/month apartment in Long Beach. She worked at Starbucks while searching for her real job and it took her 9 months of looking to find a decent offer. We had already moved up to the west side (where we pay 1900 for a 1br) and she luckily found a job within 5 miles from here. Don't move without a job! $10/hour isn't going to pay rent on the West Side or in the South Bay. Good luck!

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by PDF

It just depends on how risk-averse you are. For some people, that would mean never being able to move.

Exactly. If you want to risk living in a cardboard box then move here without a job. I know plenty of people here with degrees and lots of professional experience that can't find a real job. I feel like a lot of people asking these questions are the same ones that will be begging me for change outside of 7/11 a few months after arriving because they have no experience or degrees

[PDF]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

Exactly. If you want to risk living in a cardboard box then move here without a job. I know plenty of people here with degrees and lots of professional experience that can't find a real job. I feel like a lot of people asking these questions are the same ones that will be begging me for change outside of 7/11 a few months after arriving because they have no experience or degrees

Wow. So I guess when I moved to LA without a job and was working in not even a week, then I was making a dumb decision. People do move to LA without a job and succeed. And not just LA, people do this all over America. Just because you are unwilling to do it, doesn't mean that's the norm.

The reality is that most people do not have the luxury of finding a job from afar. But if you are smart about it and have money saved up, then you can easily make a move without one.

[jm1982]

Working in LA , working in LA , nobody works in LA ..