21 male possibly moving with roomate **Has Used The Search Feature :) (Miami: apartment, for rent)

[tapanojum]

Hello ,

I live in Portland, OR and am moving with a close friend hopefully sometime during fall. We have thought of several places, Miami being one of them. I have searched through the forums and got a basic understanding of the commonly answered questions here.

We are musicians who produce and DJ House/Electronic music. Miami supposedly has a huge community for this, we will be looking for DJ'ing work at night on top of our day jobs. This is our main drive to come here, as well as the night life and all the other things that young outgoing people are drawn to.

On to the questions...

How difficult is it to get a job here, with or without Spanish? I particularly enjoy retail in any store, whether it's at the mall or not and minimum wage is not an issue. Is Spanish a must to be employed? My friends current job is general labor (tiling/surfacing/cleaning).

We need at least a 1 bedroom for rent around $1000 or less that's in a reasonably active and enjoyable area for young guys who are heavily involved in night/club life, and one that isn't too far from entry level work that employs sociable young people (Such as a mall)

We are originally from Russia and are bilingual. I look Latin & have also taken 3 years of Spanish and can brush up on it. Having to drive everywhere is what we're accustomed to. My only concern is, is it generally safe to keep cars overnight in an open apartment lot? I'm also concerned with long traffic to work.

It seems that the Russian crowd is pretty similar to what I've read about the stereotypical young people in Miami... Egotistic, flashy/show offish, rude and unfriendly. We are used to this and can get along with these types of people very well.

Any recommendations for areas to live based on my description? Does Miami sound like the right place for us?


Thank you in advance.

-Arthur

[Coconut1]

You'd probably be best off in Miami Beach, but I have to ask, between DJing at night and working day jobs, when do you plan on sleeping? The clubs don't close down until the wee hours of the morning and a laborer usually has to get up at the wee hours for work.

[tapanojum]

Thank you for your quick reply.


Our main goal is music, and being able to get resident/permanent work through it. The initial/transitional part will no doubt prove difficult, but it's expected.

[Coconut1]

Well, I'm not sure if it's going to work out, but if you want to give it a go...

Downtown will be more affordable than Miami Beach in terms of getting more bang for your buck.

$1000 for a 1 bed in Miami Beach (and even Downtown for that matter) will be fairly hard to get.

Downtown check out Loft II, Opera Tower, The Madison (now you're starting to get further away from Downtown) and maybe some of the older buildings in Brickell like the Four Ambassadors.

You might have to settle on a studio... look for surplus office furniture, maybe that have some cubical partitions for cheap for some privacy.

Parking safety shouldn't be a problem in MB and most Downtown complexes have garages underneath them.

I'm not familiar with retail or the laborer jobs, but I would think yes, you really would need Spanish, especially as a laborer.

To be honest, I really don't think Miami is the place for you, there's too much competition for what you guys do and the budget will be a problem.

[tapanojum]

Thanks again for replying.

As far as music competition, that's not a concern at all. If it's not what we'd hoped for, we have a safety net to move back to the parents home and continue working on our bachelors degree. We want to tough it out for a year and see how things go, a risk we're willing to take.

I don't mind if it's a little farther than downtown, we just want an affordable 1 bed for around 1,000, that's not on a route path that goes through the most intense traffic. We'll settle for a studio if we have to.

[Coconut1]

If you have a backup plan then I say GO FOR IT!

Too many people simply drop everything, move someplace (Miami or other) and then have a hard time.

Also check out Latitude on the River, Neo Lofts, Neo Vertika, and Wind by Neo. Many of the loft units in the Neo buildings are 2 story lofts so they give the illusion that you have a lot more space than you do. The two story windows are also nice.

[Chelito23]

I think people relocating to Miami from across the country, sight unseen, with no job, in the entertainment industry, are usually the ones who get out of here the quickest. There is a lot of competition, it's about who you know andyou have to be familair and have connections locally. I think Miami is probably the worst place you could choose for your line of work. On the other hand, you line of work probably would make it easy to pack up and move on if things don't work out. My advise, visit first or look into other cities.

[tapanojum]

Sounds like the right place for us then, just need a bit more preparation. Will (worst case scenario) delay the move to being a year away. Will save up a bit more and play the few Miami entertainment connections I have and guarantee a job with music before making the move over.

Competition really isn't a problem. Just like anything in the entertainment field, it's who you know, and what social circles you may establish. Luckily, my buddy and I specialize in making necessary connections and quickly.

Thank you guys for taking the time to help me make a better prepared decision.

-Arthur

[Three Wolves In Snow]

If you can handle rude, arrogant, self entitled people, (who cannot drive and the people in Portland, OR....not the best drivers either), and you know, upfront, that getting in to the "scene" here with DJing is not going to be easy, you just might make it.

It is extremely difficult to get a job here in that industry. It's not just the people, you have to have the right "look" as well.

And unfortunately, most minimum wage jobs like retail do require that you be "bilingual" which means, you need to speak Spanish. It doesn't matter if you speak another language or if you speak Spanish but don't speak English, in Miami, "bilingual" means, speak Spanish even though thousands and thousands of tourists come from all over the world and don't speak a lick of Spanish. You just need to cater to the Spanish speaking crowd.

As for places to live....I highly recommend the beaches but if you want a one bedroom for under a grand, you're going to need to move a little further up the beach. In South Beach you might get a hole in the wall efficiency for a grand and good luck with parking.

If you move up the beach, in to Miami Beach, 60th and above, you may find what you are looking for but don't expect anything nice. Which, it sounds like you'll be working more than at home so that may not be an issue with you.

The beach is busy, all the time. I lived there for about three years and the only time my car was ever messed with was by Hurricane Wilma. And the birds. The people did not bother with it. But you really should find a place with parking, designated for you, parking because it is a pain in the behind to find parking. And when you've worked all day and all night, the last thing you want to do is circle the block, over and over, waiting for someone to leave so you can park and go home.

The fact that you have a back up plan is very good. I do wonder, though, why wouldn't you continue to work on your Bachelors first and then come down?

[tapanojum]

I have found work with a small dance label, except they are located in the UK. Depending on how successful the summer catalog is, will I know if I'll be signed and or possibly relocated to the UK or not. It's good that I've finally got some progress going through with music, but horrible that it's towards a colder not warmer climate haha.

Thank you all for the responses, even if Miami may be out of the picture based on this summers success or not with the label.

GatorMama, I don't want to start another 2 year degree and dive further into a career I'm uncertain about. Music is my passion and while the momentum possible work ventures are present, I think it'd be wisest to keep it rolling.