Should I come without finding a job first?

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by UpstaterInBklyn

There actually are opportunities for temp and freelance work in your area. Most of the work tends to come from the ad agencies and web design shops. There are some editorial opportunities however.

There are several agencies that specialize on temp work for the advertising/publishing industries. They do permanent placements too. I have personal experience with two firms that I consider reputable:

Creative Circle
TTS Personnel

However, you would need to be here in NYC work with these companies. They operate on very quick timeframes -- as in, "are you available for a one month assignment starting in tomorrow?"

You might also consider trying to find a temp agency that specializes in PR firms. There is probably one out there. Your newspaper experience might be a better fit in PR.

The entire industry is moving towards a freelance/temp basis - and something they call "permalance" So, if you are good, you can go from one temporary assignment to the next for as long as you like.

Also, you mentioned specialized experience. Use this to your advantage by targeting specific employers that could use your specialized skills. Sometimes a company will create a position for a person who is an exceptionally good match. (It happened to me!).

Other than that -- take Jeffcon's advice and find a sublet or roommate situation and bring several thousand in living expenses.

Make sure you are EXPERT in QuarkXPress, InDesign or preferably both. Good skills in Photoshop, Illustrator and PowerPoint would also help.

[swerv89]

Thanks for all the tips, especially those from jeffcon0 and UpstaterInBklyn. Those ones seem most relevant to my idea. I might even have an inroad on one of the particular companies UpstaterInBklyn suggests.

But $6-7k in living expenses? Really? I figure that could conceivably (if I scrape by) get me through four or five months in a roommate situation without having to work at all, and I don't exactly plan on sitting on my bum. Is that an unreasonable expectation? Should I really plan for the possibility of it taking that long to find an income? I hope I don't sound naive, but feel free to let me know if I am.