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I will be moving very soon, but I can't decide between Los Angeles and Miami. I'm hoping to get a better idea what it's like to live there. I'm a 21 year old guy, not really into the party scene. I am fluent in English and Spanish. I only have a high school diploma so I'll work in whatever I can find. I know many people will say I shouldn't move there without some sort of degree, but I have my reasons for moving.
What I want to know is what Miami is like, I would rather not live in the suburbs. Ideally I would like to live in Little Havana or areas near the airport. Are those areas expensive? If not, I don't mind living in the "ghetto" or somewhere somewhat unsafe.
Are there many outdoor activities in the metro? I live in northern Utah so I'm used to doing outdoor activities.
What's the economy like there? One of the biggest reasons why I'm thinking about Miami is for opportunities. However, I've heard it's not the best job market. I feel it'd be worse for me, not having a college degree or much job experience.
Climate is another big plus for me, I LOVE the heat. I'm really tired of the cold and snow. It really brings me down. I've read that there are many thunderstorms during summer which is great. How cloudy is Miami? For some reason I really love cloudy, hot days.
Sorry if this is long and all over the place. I'm not good with putting my thoughts into words. And if you have any advice or tips for I would appreciate it. Thanks.
Miami is a very expensive city and the job market is terrible,whether you have a degree or not. Count on getting some 10 dollar an hour job that will barely cover your rent and living expenses if you are not skilled in anything or have an "in" with an employer somewhere. Despite what many people will say, we are going to be entering into a recession this year...so there is that.
I dont know what opportunities you think there are here...but there are none. The brightest tend to leave after graduating from college for this very reason.
It gets very hot here and the humidity can be terrible. Cloudy? Not so much...
On the upside, there are a ton of outdoor activities that you can participate in..but you will be too busy being poor/trying to survive so those will not be a priority to you
Miami is a very expensive city and the job market is terrible,whether you have a degree or not. Count on getting some 10 dollar an hour job that will barely cover your rent and living expenses if you are not skilled in anything or have an "in" with an employer somewhere. Despite what many people will say, we are going to be entering into a recession this year...so there is that.
I dont know what opportunities you think there are here...but there are none. The brightest tend to leave after graduating from college for this very reason.
It gets very hot here and the humidity can be terrible. Cloudy? Not so much...
On the upside, there are a ton of outdoor activities that you can participate in..but you will be too busy being poor/trying to survive so those will not be a priority to you
Thanks for the reply. I didn't realize just how expensive Miami is. I went on Craigslist and looked around. Seems almost as expensive as California.
And as for opportunities, I forgot to mention something. I know what I would like to do as a career, make architectural models. Not many cities have companies in that field, but it looks like Miami has 4. So my main goal would be to get hired by one. In the meanwhile I would just do what I could. Probably struggle for a bit.
Miami is a very expensive city and the job market is terrible,whether you have a degree or not. Count on getting some 10 dollar an hour job that will barely cover your rent and living expenses if you are not skilled in anything or have an "in" with an employer somewhere. Despite what many people will say, we are going to be entering into a recession this year...so there is that.
I dont know what opportunities you think there are here...but there are none. The brightest tend to leave after graduating from college for this very reason.
It gets very hot here and the humidity can be terrible. Cloudy? Not so much...
On the upside, there are a ton of outdoor activities that you can participate in..but you will be too busy being poor/trying to survive so those will not be a priority to you
Is the job market really terrible as in no jobs, or is it just a bunch of low-paying jobs? Unfortunately the southeast is known for lower wages.
Is the job market really terrible as in no jobs, or is it just a bunch of low-paying jobs? Unfortunately the southeast is known for lower wages.
It depends on the industry.
But generally, it's a symptom of how unequal South Florida is. There's barely any middle class jobs/entry level professional jobs left. All that there is are low paying, low skilled jobs, and high paying, high skilled jobs that require a ton of experience and education. Getting your foot in the door to start a professional career in South Florida for certain industries is hard without some kind of hook up.
I'm from South Florida and I can tell you that it's an expensive place with a huge welth disparity. There are plenty of jobs, but they pay very little.
Have you been to South Florida in the summer? I ask because the heat and humidity is truly oppressive - even for us natives, and it's only getting hotter. It does rain a lot in the summer, but it's only cloudy when its about to storm. Otherwise the sky is pretty clear.
As far as stuff to do, there isn't much for poorer people who aren't into partying.
This paragraph here isn't meant to scare you off, but I want you to know what truly "ghetto" means in a city made up almost entirely of immigrants. (That's not meant to be despairing against immigrants, but unfortunately landlords know that a lot of their tenants don't know their rights, so they take advantage of them.) You can find cheap rent, but when I tell you it's scary, I mean scary. I lived in Miami's Allapattah neighborhood, and paid $500 a month in rent, cash. The landlord wouldn't accept anything else, because too many people wrote bad checks. I had mice and termites that the landlord refused to get rid of, and I had to buy an external water heater for my shower because she wouldn't fix the gas line. I was there for a year and had my car broken into twice. The second time they literally only stole some melted candy. We had frequent fist fights in my apartment's courtyard. Whenever it would get cold a homeless person would sleep on my porch area and look into my apartment. When I called the cops they never came. The final straw was when homeless people squatting in the apartment building next to mine caught "their" building on fire and we had to be evacuated. After that the mice took over my apartment to the point where I couldn't keep food in the cabinets, and the termites were so bad I had to sleep with a sheet over my face to stop them from crawling on me at night.
As far as architectural drawing, Miami has two awesome architecture schools that are pumping out more graduates than there are jobs, meaning many of them are taking positions that are below their qualification.
Speaking Spanish isn't a plus in Miami - it's a necessity, so you'll be good there.
I really, really suggest that you visit first. I live in New England now, and I hear stories from people who moved from here to South Florida and right back up again. It's a big culture shock.
I don't want anyone to think I hate Miami. I don't, however it's not a place that I can see myself living in again. 24 years was more than enough.
The ghetto here is hard living.
I mean, 3rd world hard. Like dilapidated pieces of crap in sketchy neighborhoods where you'll almost definitely be robbed at some point and probably have poor air conditioning and live amongst other people hardened by a poverty-stricken existence.
You'll also need a car and if u live in the hood... your car will prob be broken into at some point as well.
I just can't recommend a 21 year old with no education up and move like 2000 miles to a city where that isn't much opportunity to begin with.
Yes, we have hot cloudy days and I know you like warmth and rain, but like.... that doesn't matter where you've just been robbed and u have no money to eat and pay your bills.
I'm from South Florida and I can tell you that it's an expensive place with a huge welth disparity. There are plenty of jobs, but they pay very little.
Have you been to South Florida in the summer? I ask because the heat and humidity is truly oppressive - even for us natives, and it's only getting hotter. It does rain a lot in the summer, but it's only cloudy when its about to storm. Otherwise the sky is pretty clear.
As far as stuff to do, there isn't much for poorer people who aren't into partying.
This paragraph here isn't meant to scare you off, but I want you to know what truly "ghetto" means in a city made up almost entirely of immigrants. (That's not meant to be despairing against immigrants, but unfortunately landlords know that a lot of their tenants don't know their rights, so they take advantage of them.) You can find cheap rent, but when I tell you it's scary, I mean scary. I lived in Miami's Allapattah neighborhood, and paid $500 a month in rent, cash. The landlord wouldn't accept anything else, because too many people wrote bad checks. I had mice and termites that the landlord refused to get rid of, and I had to buy an external water heater for my shower because she wouldn't fix the gas line. I was there for a year and had my car broken into twice. The second time they literally only stole some melted candy. We had frequent fist fights in my apartment's courtyard. Whenever it would get cold a homeless person would sleep on my porch area and look into my apartment. When I called the cops they never came. The final straw was when homeless people squatting in the apartment building next to mine caught "their" building on fire and we had to be evacuated. After that the mice took over my apartment to the point where I couldn't keep food in the cabinets, and the termites were so bad I had to sleep with a sheet over my face to stop them from crawling on me at night.
As far as architectural drawing, Miami has two awesome architecture schools that are pumping out more graduates than there are jobs, meaning many of them are taking positions that are below their qualification.
Speaking Spanish isn't a plus in Miami - it's a necessity, so you'll be good there.
I really, really suggest that you visit first. I live in New England now, and I hear stories from people who moved from here to South Florida and right back up again. It's a big culture shock.
I don't want anyone to think I hate Miami. I don't, however it's not a place that I can see myself living in again. 24 years was more than enough.
Wow! This is NOT the Miami we see in the videos or hear about in the visitor's brochures!!! Thanks for sharing your candid experience. I know it's not everyone's experience, but I have been reading these threads for some time and the general consensus seems to be that unless you are wealthy life in south Florida can be extremely difficult. Is there a silver lining anywhere?
The ghetto here is hard living.
I mean, 3rd world hard. Like dilapidated pieces of crap in sketchy neighborhoods where you'll almost definitely be robbed at some point and probably have poor air conditioning and live amongst other people hardened by a poverty-stricken existence.
You'll also need a car and if u live in the hood... your car will prob be broken into at some point as well.
I just can't recommend a 21 year old with no education up and move like 2000 miles to a city where that isn't much opportunity to begin with.
Yes, we have hot cloudy days and I know you like warmth and rain, but like.... that doesn't matter where you've just been robbed and u have no money to eat and pay your bills.
Well, I'm sorry you live in a third-world ghetto but there are nice suburbs in Miami that people do reside. There are many beautiful areas and some not nice areas. My concern about Miami is that people park their car on the grass that really makes it look run down in certain neighborhoods, this needs to be stopped.
I feel Miami is a great city to visit but can be stressful to live in, one can feel the electricity in the air when one arrives here, too bad the novelty wears off for most that reside here over a period of time here or things go wrong and blame a city for their failures. I have read it many times on this Miami Forum to know it is mostly sour grapes. One most come with a plan, do research, even check the city out with a few days visit, don't get swept up with palm trees and beautiful waters as that is just a façade one needs to realize and ask themselves can I afford to live here.
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Thanks for sharing your candid experience. I know it's not everyone's experience, but I have been reading these threads for some time and the general consensus seems to be that unless you are wealthy life in south Florida can be extremely difficult. Is there a silver lining anywhere?
