Opinions of moving to LA? (West Hollywood: low income, leases, how much)

[B_Hess18]

I have a friend who lives in West Hollywood who is trying to convince me to move out there. I would love the experience but I'm unsure about how much money I would need, if I could afford it, and how hard it is to find a job. My plan was to move in July with about 4500 in hopes of finding a job as a Medical Coder/Biller (graduating with a diploma in April). Any opinions from natives of this area? Are there places for low income people, that are safe? Opinions are REALLY needed

[AKgirlinCA]

Just don't do it....sorry....my best friend wanted to move here and I refused to let her. She's going to Dallas instead, as I will be eventually too.

[uptown_urbanist]

Do you have a job right now? (I see you're in school) If so, I'd think twice about leaving it. If you don't, and if you're up for adventure and don't have any debt, then will your friend let you stay with him/her for a little bit after you first arrive? The job market is bad, so it could take a long time to find a job. You're lucky to have savings, but you'll still want to live as cheaply as possible while looking for work so that you don't burn through it quickly. Don't sign any long leases until you have a job. (both because you don't want to be locked in if you don't find work as fast as you'd like, or change your mind and decide you don't like living in LA, or because the job you end up getting ends up being a really long commute away from where you're living).

[B_Hess18]

As soon as I 'm done with school (in a month or so) I'll be looking for a job out there, online of course. Are there any places reccomended to live affordably so I could look for a job near there?

[BRinSM]

use your friend's address, it will help your search exponentially. the only problem is if you get an interview, you'll have to make quick plans to fly out here.

[uptown_urbanist]

If you found a place to live first and then the job you'd really be limiting your job search, or else making your commute unbearable; you might have been able to do that a few years ago, but given how tight the job market is right now why make it any more difficult for yourself than it has to be? You should be able to find something affordable (depending on how you define affordable) within reasonable commute from anywhere you end up getting a job, so I'd make the job search the top priority. Besides, you won't really know what you can afford for rent until you get a job, anyway. As someone who is (presumably) single and childless you'll have a great deal of flexibility when it comes to living situation, which will help. (i.e. no worries about schools, can rent a room, etc.) We could give you a list of some of the very cheapest options -- someone already mentioned Skid Row, for example -- but presumably you have a bare minimum requirements list.