Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey guys! Sorry to flood this page with a really repetitive question, but I need some help and/or opinions. I'm a college senior who will be moving to NYC after graduation (staying with my godmother in Long Island until I get on my feet).
1) What is your budget?
As far as my budget goes, the highest I can really go is $1500...I don't have a job yet, but I have a place to stay in Long Island until I get one. I'm looking for a job in casting, and I've read that the average salary for an entry-level position is around 70K. I don't plan on having roommates, although I'm not completely opposed to the idea...I'm just not sure I'm up to responsibility of trying to find a roommate (what if I can't find one?) or being in the powerless position of being on someone else's lease.
2) Where is your job located?
Most casting jobs are Midtown, west 40s + 50s, so that's where I'd likely be working.
3) Living circumstances
I'll be living by myself, with just my gerbils. I don't anticipate them being an issue, because in my experience, most places that say no pets will allow hamsters or gerbils.
4) Space requirements
I would like to rent a 1-bedroom apartment...that's pretty much all I need.
5) Neighborhood amenities
I'd like to be within walking distance of the subway, and where there are residential type businesses (laundromat, grocery stores, etc). I don't really need a thriving nightlife or anything like that.
6) Other interests/ General
I would love to live on the Upper East Side east of Lex Ave, where I've heard that you can find more reasonably priced apartments. I would definitely be willing to sacrifice the size of the apartment to be within walking distance of Central Park and the museums that are around there. If that dream ends up not working out, I'm definitely willing to consider the other boroughs, particularly Queens and Brooklyn. Other than that, I really just want a place where 22 year old woman can walk home at 9 or 10 without having to worry too much. I have gone to college in an urban environment (Worcester, MA) for four years, so I understand having common sense and being safe, but I'd like somewhere where there isn't a huge problem with drugs and/or crime.
My bad, I didn't mean to put this in the wrong section. I got to page 10 or so of that sticky, and someone posted saying that people should make individual posts using a certain type of formatting. The sticky was really hard to follow, I'm sorry if I shouldn't have posted separately.
It's not a problem, since you can find some good information in the sticky, and get some specifics for your situation in this post. And, you might have some additional questions/requirements based upon reading the thread.
A true 1BR might be difficult to keep around $1500 on the UES, even the far reaches of the neighborhood, but you can find a studio, alcove studio, or a 1BR on an upper floor of a walk-up in that price range. When I say true 1BR, I am referring to an apartment originally designed as a one bedroom, a three-room apartment (some with dining alcove, but they're more expensive), since some have been renovated since construction to manufacture a 1BR apartment in a space that was originally a larger alcove studio to which a partition was added. There's nothing wrong with such spaces, but a true 1BR will be a bit larger, and should have more closet space.
The NY Times is a more reliable resource for browsing ads than Craigslist, and you can search by zip code and rental range. For the UES, you would want to search zip codes 10021 and 10128.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
70 k for casting?,lol NOOOOOOO Im assuming u mean TV shows and movies. Ive spoken to a few people I know from college who got into casting and thats not quite the case.
If you want a place in a good part of manahtten expect to pay in the neighborhood of 1800 to 2k a month for a studio and you can go from there. If not I would consider some parts of Queens where even there a studio in a good area will run at least a Grand NYC is ridculously expensive nowadays for what you get. No need to be in Brooklyn at all if you're not raised in the 5 boros in my opinion, despite gentrification efforts its still a dump in most areas, just with less murder
I think it's fine to start a new thread for your specific question. However, in this case it pretty much sound like you know what you want, and if you want more suggestions on outer boroughs, you could get those later if the UES doesn't pan out.
My only piece of advice is that you should talk to real people about what entry level salaries are like in casting NYC and how hard it is to get those positions. The salary you quoted might be accurate, however, if there are 5,000 people who are applying for every one availability, and the one person who gets offered the job is the person who already did the one-year unpaid internship and is the niece of the president of the company, then the average starting salary really means nothing if you are one of the other 4,999 people.
Ask your career office for advice on informational interviewing -- how to do it and how to find people who are willing to talk to you about the industry.
Haha, 70k was a median number I got off a salary website, I really have no first hand experience as I haven't started my job search yet. It didn't seem right (at all lol), but I wanted to put something down. Thanks for the advice!
The problem is that you really don't have a budget or a work location or anything that can really give you a starting point. I think you'll have to wait on the neighborhood advice, as right now everything is really just a dream/wishlist.
Very few entry level jobs start at 70K, even in NYC. The average starting salary for undergrads from ivy league schools is around 60K, so anything above that you'll have to be pretty exceptional.
That's what I consider this to be. Asking questions on a message board, trying to get some friendly advice...clearly too much to ask from some people. But if you'd rather be rude than helpful, that's your prerogative...I just have to wonder why you'd waste your time?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks for the advice!
