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Okay the title might sound ridiculous but that's why I posted here so people can tell me if my plans really are crazy.
I've read the moving to New York guide that's stickied. It's helpful with neighborhoods/safety/schools issues, but it seems like it's for more established folks, people with families, or students. I'm not currently any of those.
I graduated from college last year with a degree in mathematics. I worked for a few months in digital marketing before discovering that I really couldn't take, or wasn't ready to take, eight hours in front of a computer screen every day. So I quit that job and am looking to change careers. Writing, editing, or anything in the legal field appeals to me. I took the LSAT (167), so if I find some type of entry-level position perhaps I will retake it and go on to law school.
But here's the rub. Right now I'm in the Atlanta area and I feel rather stifled. I've visited NYC before, and I just love its energy. It's vibrant. I'm sure you've heard young people say that before. I'm probably no different but I'm willing to do just about anything to get a foothold in the city. Is it possible? I know you need obscene amounts of documentation and an income 40x monthly rent to get an apartment, so I'm thinking of subletting or finding roommates. I've looked on Craigslist; so far, no luck, but I'm not worried since I just started.
Of course, I'm not working and don't have a job lined up in NYC, but I figure if I'm to try New York now would be the best time to do it. Does it sound feasible, to sublease and then find some type of work until I get a more permanent position? I've done some research online and half the people say it's impossible and impossibly expensive, the other half say you can do it but the first year will probably be the hardest so far in your life. What do you think?
I moved here with some college friends without having a job lined up. Granted, I have family about 2 hours away so I thought if I couldn't make it, I could fall back on them if need be. Luckily, I got a job right away. The money was slow - I was walking dogs and made just enough to afford rent and some bills, but then I got a substantial career and it all worked out.
Obviously, it's a much better idea to have a job lined up before moving here, but tons of people have done this. You may need to suck it up with your living situation to find something cheap and take a crap job though.
Okay the title might sound ridiculous but that's why I posted here so people can tell me if my plans really are crazy.
I've read the moving to New York guide that's stickied. It's helpful with neighborhoods/safety/schools issues, but it seems like it's for more established folks, people with families, or students. I'm not currently any of those.
I graduated from college last year with a degree in mathematics. I worked for a few months in digital marketing before discovering that I really couldn't take, or wasn't ready to take, eight hours in front of a computer screen every day. So I quit that job and am looking to change careers. Writing, editing, or anything in the legal field appeals to me. I took the LSAT (167), so if I find some type of entry-level position perhaps I will retake it and go on to law school.
But here's the rub. Right now I'm in the Atlanta area and I feel rather stifled. I've visited NYC before, and I just love its energy. It's vibrant. I'm sure you've heard young people say that before. I'm probably no different but I'm willing to do just about anything to get a foothold in the city. Is it possible? I know you need obscene amounts of documentation and an income 40x monthly rent to get an apartment, so I'm thinking of subletting or finding roommates. I've looked on Craigslist; so far, no luck, but I'm not worried since I just started.
Of course, I'm not working and don't have a job lined up in NYC, but I figure if I'm to try New York now would be the best time to do it. Does it sound feasible, to sublease and then find some type of work until I get a more permanent position? I've done some research online and half the people say it's impossible and impossibly expensive, the other half say you can do it but the first year will probably be the hardest so far in your life. What do you think?
Thanks for reading.
You need enough savings to live for at least a couple of months (like 6 months). Also you will need enough money to move into a sublet arrangement, and you should figure that would be a minimum of 3x the monthly rent, because you will be charged first, last and a security deposit. You will need to convince whoever you are subletting from that you will be able to afford your share of the monthly bills.
When you say "so far no luck" on craigslist, do you mean you've actually been emailing people to ask about rooms? Of course you won't have any luck doing that. No one in their right mind is going to rent a room to a stranger who lives out of town and doesn't have a job. If and when you do get here, you might have to spend a few nights in a hotel while you look for a sublet.
And when you look for a sublet, do not choose the most desirable areas to rent in. Choose a boring but safe area where the competition from others looking for roommate situations will be less. You can always move to a more interesting area after you get settled.
And wait a minute... did I read that right that you graduated from college LAST YEAR and only worked for a few months before you quit, and now you are unemployed and presumably have been for some time if you graduated college in 2012 and only worked for a few months? Doesn't sound promising but maybe you can turn things around.
Sounds like your just wasting away in ATL. If you have money saved to move to NYC then do it. Like the above poster said can't be picky on the place and the job you do end up getting. If you are then do not come. If your up for the rise and have some money then welcome to NYC. Just don't turn into one of those kids with a cup begging for money.
You got no plan to how to tackle the transition. What you have there is a pipe dream. If you want to make the pipe dream become true. You need to come up with a solid plan than I want to move to location ____ because I love the ____ but no job lined up or even have a job at the moment.
If you are serious about the move, come up with a game plan, you need to be focused, and time it right. Otherwise, high living cost, very competitive job market, will chew you up and spit you out.
There are many plans to get here. Three common plans are...
- School but a real one with good chance of lining up a real job after graduating, not some bs degree say like Fashion Design.
- Applying to a job and getting hired to move. You need skills, experience for it. Companies don't need to hire non-locals to do the job and there are plenty willing to fill except in certain areas such where demand is higher than supply. Such as engineering.
- Save up for 4-6 months, preferably 6 month of savings of NYC living cost. Move here, hope that on 4-6 months you can find a job. But not just a job, an opportunity where you can grow in professional career with upside potential.
Thanks for all the responses, they're very helpful. It seems NYC is doable with some planning and organization... I'll see what happens.
A question about the neighborhoods: it seems like Manhattan below 96th Street is where many of the large corporations and financial institutions are based, but it would be too expensive to live there. Where do young people usually try to establish themselves that's within a good commute (<30 mins) of Lower or Midtown Manhattan? I'm guessing Queens (Astoria) or Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy, Bushwick) neighborhoods? Is the South Bronx as dangerous as it seems from a cursory Google search? What about Upper Manhattan? There must be a lot of students around Morningside Heights no?
Thanks!
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