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23, working on my associates, in Ft Lauderdale, Florida...at my breaking point and ready to move to New York.
Just a lot of family problems and I'm ready to move, so I figured if I'm moving anywhere it should be where I desire to be...NEW YORK CITY.
I visited twice, stayed in Brooklyn both times and ever since then I couldn't get my mind off New York. I'm just tired of hearing why I shouldn't go. I am MISERABLE.
Yes, it would be best if I stayed home and at least got my associates but I'm miserable!!!!
If I stay here, I won't be able to focus...my family is not much help either...adding unnecessary drama.
My plan is to leave May 2013, by then I should have 8-10 k saved. I want to have three months of rent put to the side. My friend's sister lives there, so I could probably stay with her for a week while I find a place and job.
I am doing one last semester here in Florida, after that I want to leave. IDK how I am going to go about the school situation. I am looking at schools now and going to talk to advisors at my school. My plan was to work a year and then start school (even though I didn't really want to do that)
I have no kids, but I do have school loans and some debt (5k-10k) (really bad mistakes that I need to start working on ASAP). I'm going to New York City definitely to finish school, work, build a life there, love is also important.
What is your advice for me??? I know a few people will say stay home and finish my associates but at this point it's not an option. I am absolutely miserable and I rather be where I want to be and possibly starve (paying rent) than being where I am now.
Questions like yours get asked here on a weekly basis. Do a quick search, and you'll have a bunch of answers.
However here is the cold, hard, truth that you might not want to hear:
1. You will be far better off getting a job lined up here first before moving here. Sure, you can land a job after arriving, depending on your background and what you're willing to do. However it may take a while to find such a job and chances are it will not be enough to survive on alone. Be prepared to only find jobs paying about $10-$12 an hour, and that's if you're lucky. Most available jobs for younger people right now are only part time or internships.
2. That being said, be prepared to live with roommates. This is pretty much the norm for the college age transplant set. It's the only way you will be able to afford to pay rent here. Especially in the areas where the young, hip people "need" to live, the rent is astronomical.
3. Competition for jobs here is rough. People like you are a dime a dozen moving here, so you will have to have something more than just college under your belt to land a job worth a damn. Just saying any experience will help, so if you don't have any now, I would concentrate on getting some. Not to mention a lot of people moving here already have their bachelors and higher typically, so you might want to consider sticking it out with getting your associates at least.
4. I would work on killing off your debt first before saving up. I'm saying this as someone who works in accounting. 8-10K will go really quickly if you don't find a decent job right away, especially if you are still paying off old debts. You're better off getting them out of the way first and not starting out somewhere new with this debt hanging over your head. Sure, you're miserable now, but you've lasted this long there, what's another few months in order to get your debts taken care of and have peace of mind?
5. Love sucks here, at least for women. I think the ratio was 5 women for every guy here. Not saying it's impossible, but the numbers are not in our favor.
6. If you have relatives you can stay with elsewhere that is away from all of the drama, I would honestly look into doing that first. Get some sanity going first and then think carefully and plan accordingly. It sounds like where you are, there is no way you will be able to move forward and think rationally.
Stop "dying to get to NYC," and live! If relocating is really what you believe you must do, then make up your mind and purpose it in your heart to start living to get to NYC so that when the time is right, you will be better equipped to not only come, but to stay for as long as you want. I know I don't understand your circumstances, but NYC is a hard city in which to make it for many who are far better prepared than you will be if you quit school so soon just to run away and come here. Good decisions and results rarely come of desperation. Live to get to NYC so that you can live once you get to NYC. In the meantime, Perhaps you can make some less drastic changes so that you can endure a little longer? I certainly hope so.
23, working on my associates, in Ft Lauderdale, Florida...at my breaking point and ready to move to New York.
Just a lot of family problems and I'm ready to move, so I figured if I'm moving anywhere it should be where I desire to be...NEW YORK CITY.
What is your advice for me??? I know a few people will say stay home and finish my associates but at this point it's not an option. I am absolutely miserable and I rather be where I want to be and possibly starve (paying rent) than being where I am now.
Stay where you are and finish college and work things out with your family until you are able to move out on your own. Running away from an issue does not solve the issue and it will follow you no matter how far you run.
OP must've gone to seek counseling after seeing these posts... Man what's up with all these coddled kids these days who always seem to claim how miserable they are and what horrible parents they have... Then they come here only to have those same parents foot the bill... This generation of youth across the board is ridiculous... Sure, you have your success stories but on the overall these kids have no idea what rough life really is and yet all they do is complain... My advice to the young and inmature OP, work out whatever issues you have with your family (90% of the time chances are these overreactions that come in public forums are generally overblown), open up your mind and see if there is any remote possibility that the problems you are experiencing may be in part of largely in part due to your actions as well and work on changing these things (if this isn't the case, no need to be overly sensitive, and disregard this section), and finish your degree and as someone else mentioned work on getting your bachelor's because if you really are hellbent on moving to this city, associates degree will get you nowhere... There are those who have been in the industry for 15-20 years or more and are making good salaries now without a college degree but for this generation of adults, the bare minimum needed to make decent or even average money in this city is a bachelor's...
My plan is to leave May 2013, by then I should have 8-10 k saved. I want to have three months of rent put to the side. My friend's sister lives there, so I could probably stay with her for a week while I find a place and job.
A week to find a place and a job? NYC has an incredibly high occupancy rate, something like 98% - 99% of apartments in the city are currently rented. If you have great credit and money is no object, sure you can go out and find a place by the end of business today.
However you're definitely going to be getting roommates, which means a long search on Craigslist and visiting a good number of places before settling on one.
And good luck getting a job without a degree. My ex has been out of law school for a couple of years now and is a licensed attorney, and most her fellow students (and her) would kill for a part time bartending gig.
Bachelor degrees in the city are a dime a dozen, so not even having associate's will be a setback. You may be able to get a job in retail, but you're going to be competing with plenty of others for it.
Get a bachelor's degree before you even bother thinking about coming to NYC (or get some other qualification, like a become an RN or get a paralegal certificate). It's incredibly expensive to go to college in NYC, and an associate degree won't cut it when you're looking for jobs.
Oops, misread OP. You're not even going to have an associate degree. Don't bother. You'll be unemployed and burn through all of your money in two months, then end up back at home.
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