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So I wanted to start a moving to Los Angeles thread specefic to my situation.
So my brother, who is an artist, has visited Los Angeles multiple times for 6 month stints, and is absolutely in love with it. He has asked me to move there with him permanantly in the Summer/Fall of 2019, and I am seriously considering it.
Some background: I am 24 years old, and I have a BA in Envrionmental Studies, and I currently work as a Water Treatment Plant Operator in Maryland. I live with my parents solely because I anticipated moving to a big city sometime after college, so they have allowed me to stay with them to save money.
I predict that by the time I would make this move I would have ~20k in savings, and that is low balling. At the pace I am accumulating savings, I could have nearly 25k-30k in the bank. According to my brother he also has around the same money in savings.
I have never been to LA but I have always dreamed about living there (who hasnt?), but I plan on making a visit sometime in the next few months. The only other place I have lived other than my parents place in Maryland is Orlando FL, which is pretty cheap, but the opprotunities are pretty few and far between, and it does not have the big city feel at all.
I think my brother and I would be comfortable with a 1 bedroom, and I wouldnt want to pay anymore than 1400 a month between us for rent, and utilities. He is interested in living in Hollywood.
We both have vehicles, mine is paid off.
I am curious if you guys have any advice for me for this upcoming move, especially any specific to finding a job in my field? Also what other expenses should I be taking into account?
I plan on doing whatever (barista, waiting tables, etc.) to make ends meet while I find something better.
So I wanted to start a moving to Los Angeles thread specefic to my situation.
So my brother, who is an artist, has visited Los Angeles multiple times for 6 month stints, and is absolutely in love with it. He has asked me to move there with him permanantly in the Summer/Fall of 2019, and I am seriously considering it.
Some background: I am 24 years old, and I have a BA in Envrionmental Studies, and I currently work as a Water Treatment Plant Operator in Maryland. I live with my parents solely because I anticipated moving to a big city sometime after college, so they have allowed me to stay with them to save money.
I predict that by the time I would make this move I would have ~20k in savings, and that is low balling. At the pace I am accumulating savings, I could have nearly 25k-30k in the bank. According to my brother he also has around the same money in savings.
I have never been to LA but I have always dreamed about living there (who hasnt?), but I plan on making a visit sometime in the next few months. The only other place I have lived other than my parents place in Maryland is Orlando FL, which is pretty cheap, but the opprotunities are pretty few and far between, and it does not have the big city feel at all.
I think my brother and I would be comfortable with a 1 bedroom, and I wouldnt want to pay anymore than 1400 a month between us for rent, and utilities. He is interested in living in Hollywood.
We both have vehicles, mine is paid off.
I am curious if you guys have any advice for me for this upcoming move, especially any specific to finding a job in my field? Also what other expenses should I be taking into account?
I plan on doing whatever (barista, waiting tables, etc.) to make ends meet while I find something better.
Thanks in advance.
You mean $1400 total for a 1 bedroom in LA?
Or do you mean $1400 each?
If the former...not going to be a nice neighborhood.
If the latter, you should be able to find something.
I suggest that your visit be longer than a few days. L.A. is far, far different than the east coast, and it's not all glamour and beach parties all the time - it has a seedy side to it, as well.
Enjoy your registration going up every year instead of down. So save for that.
You're not going to make rent of $1400 by waiting tables - and even if you did a 1 bdrm for $1400 total, you're not going to have anything extra, if even enough. The electric is high in CA compared to other states, even compared to FL where it's hot and muggy all the time 24/7, and even higher than New England where the winters are bone chilling cold. So, save for that.
Food may or may not be around the same as the new England area...maybe.
I think you need to save up 3-4 times that amount to "get started" in LA. That money goes quick in this state.
The good news is that the people of Maryland cannot drive for squat...they are even worse than Miami...which I didn't think was possible until I drove in Maryland. So, you'll be used to the crappy traffic and bad drivers when you get to L.A.
Your estimation of rent is incorrect. There are plenty of 1 bedroom Apts in the $1200-1500 range. Nice cities too like Burbank in the SFV or Lomita and Torrance in South Bay.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tetsujin44
I am curious if you guys have any advice for me for this upcoming move, especially any specific to finding a job in my field? Also what other expenses should I be taking into account?
I plan on doing whatever (barista, waiting tables, etc.) to make ends meet while I find something better.
Thanks in advance.
I cut out most of what you wrote because this is the one thing I want to comment on because I was in this situation recently. I will point out that I think a lot of people are all gloom-and-doom about the cost of living here and exaggerate it some. A lot depends on your lifestyle, but I'm comfortable here, and more so than from a "low cost area" I just moved from.
Your first task is to start researching the market on your own. Before I was really ready to start planning a move, I'd always get on indeed.com and put in search terms for jobs I'd do. What you'll have to watch for are the number of jobs here, the irrelevant jobs that are bound to come up in your search, and if possible get the pay. When you start getting an idea, you can tweak your resume to optimize it so employers will actually consider it. By that I mean you need to get qualifications local employers want and be sure you reflect anything relevant to that on your resume. I would look into what else you can do, in that you will want to have a multi-pronged approach. I know that comes across as vague, but I'd have to really look at your skills and experience to know other relevant jobs you can do, such as other environmental areas that aren't related to water treatment (parks, arboriculture, air quality, inspections, etc.)
Indeed is a good resource, but I would also recommend you springboard from that and try to find a lot of local employers that may be able to offer you a position (city/county/state governments, engineering firms, developers, theme parks, etc.) and collect a list of employers to whom you can apply directly instead of using a job board. Eventually you may find some just don't have many jobs you can or will do, so you can remove them from your list
Once you have that set up, then start applying. It would be much more beneficial if you had a local address you could use, because your Maryland address will not work in your favor. I hate to say it, but that's how it is and it's not just an LA thing; you'd have that same problem in most cities. Also bear in mind that there are a lot of qualified people here, so that will work against you, and you need to make yourself stand out more (hence why a local address is better). With that in mind, I wouldn't recommend moving here without a job. Sure, you'd be local, but know that you'll have a lot more competition. It took me about a year to find a job and on paper I looked local. Try to be patient and stay motivated too, and I say that from experience because I was feeling a bit a defeated, though I refused to give up despite how frustrating it was. My situation was a bit different, in that I was moving alone and it was because I abhorred where I was living and it was taking a toll on my health and kept me in a foul mood all the time. In the end it was worth it, but just know that this isn't going to be easy.
The best advice is always this...find a job first. Any reason why you couldn't search for a job in your field now?
There is no reason not to other than I know it is rather difficult to find a job way out of state. I don’t even think anyone would take me seriously applying from Maryland
I cut out most of what you wrote because this is the one thing I want to comment on because I was in this situation recently. I will point out that I think a lot of people are all gloom-and-doom about the cost of living here and exaggerate it some. A lot depends on your lifestyle, but I'm comfortable here, and more so than from a "low cost area" I just moved from.
Your first task is to start researching the market on your own. Before I was really ready to start planning a move, I'd always get on indeed.com and put in search terms for jobs I'd do. What you'll have to watch for are the number of jobs here, the irrelevant jobs that are bound to come up in your search, and if possible get the pay. When you start getting an idea, you can tweak your resume to optimize it so employers will actually consider it. By that I mean you need to get qualifications local employers want and be sure you reflect anything relevant to that on your resume. I would look into what else you can do, in that you will want to have a multi-pronged approach. I know that comes across as vague, but I'd have to really look at your skills and experience to know other relevant jobs you can do, such as other environmental areas that aren't related to water treatment (parks, arboriculture, air quality, inspections, etc.)
Indeed is a good resource, but I would also recommend you springboard from that and try to find a lot of local employers that may be able to offer you a position (city/county/state governments, engineering firms, developers, theme parks, etc.) and collect a list of employers to whom you can apply directly instead of using a job board. Eventually you may find some just don't have many jobs you can or will do, so you can remove them from your list
Once you have that set up, then start applying. It would be much more beneficial if you had a local address you could use, because your Maryland address will not work in your favor. I hate to say it, but that's how it is and it's not just an LA thing; you'd have that same problem in most cities. Also bear in mind that there are a lot of qualified people here, so that will work against you, and you need to make yourself stand out more (hence why a local address is better). With that in mind, I wouldn't recommend moving here without a job. Sure, you'd be local, but know that you'll have a lot more competition. It took me about a year to find a job and on paper I looked local. Try to be patient and stay motivated too, and I say that from experience because I was feeling a bit a defeated, though I refused to give up despite how frustrating it was. My situation was a bit different, in that I was moving alone and it was because I abhorred where I was living and it was taking a toll on my health and kept me in a foul mood all the time. In the end it was worth it, but just know that this isn't going to be easy.
So I wanted to start a moving to Los Angeles thread specefic to my situation.
So my brother, who is an artist, has visited Los Angeles multiple times for 6 month stints, and is absolutely in love with it. He has asked me to move there with him permanantly in the Summer/Fall of 2019, and I am seriously considering it.
Some background: I am 24 years old, and I have a BA in Envrionmental Studies, and I currently work as a Water Treatment Plant Operator in Maryland. I live with my parents solely because I anticipated moving to a big city sometime after college, so they have allowed me to stay with them to save money.
I predict that by the time I would make this move I would have ~20k in savings, and that is low balling. At the pace I am accumulating savings, I could have nearly 25k-30k in the bank. According to my brother he also has around the same money in savings.
I have never been to LA but I have always dreamed about living there (who hasnt?), but I plan on making a visit sometime in the next few months. The only other place I have lived other than my parents place in Maryland is Orlando FL, which is pretty cheap, but the opprotunities are pretty few and far between, and it does not have the big city feel at all.
I think my brother and I would be comfortable with a 1 bedroom, and I wouldnt want to pay anymore than 1400 a month between us for rent, and utilities. He is interested in living in Hollywood.
We both have vehicles, mine is paid off.
I am curious if you guys have any advice for me for this upcoming move, especially any specific to finding a job in my field? Also what other expenses should I be taking into account?
I plan on doing whatever (barista, waiting tables, etc.) to make ends meet while I find something better.
Thanks in advance.
It is not that easy to find something better. Have you talked to the water treatment plants in LA about job openings. It is hard to make a living as barista, restaurant server in LA.
They say you need to make at least 60k a year to live decently here. I imagine you and your bro can live here 3 or 4 months before the money's gone. You both better start hustling the min you get here if you want to stay. I'd get a place in the valley before Hollywood. For a newcomer Hollywood area can be scary and overwhelming. Good Luck
It can cost a pretty penny just to move into a new place. You might spend more than half of your savings just getting situated. Just something to keep in mind.
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