my San Diego move plan: advice requested (CPA, move, young) (home, find a job)

[maria2388]

In the past few weeks I've tapped into my savings and solidified some things. San Diego is where I want to be for a variety of reasons. I almost pulled the trigger on another city, but felt sick to my stomach giving up on my dreams before I ever bothered to try.

I have a college degree in political science, no worthwhile experience. I have 15 grand and a car in good shape. I'm hopeful for a job with the city or some semi-professional work, but am willing to work in fast food and whatever else in order to survive for a few years. I've been in (relative: USA-style) poverty before and I can find happiness while struggling.

My plan:

- Move to San Diego in June.
-Work, work, work. Immediately.
- Wait a year in order to gain in-state residency.
- Then take community college courses for 2 years, and earn my CPA.

Does anything about this strike you as silly? Is there something obvious that I'm missing?

Thanks for letting me bounce this off you all.

[earlyretirement]

It's sad that someone with a Bachelor's degree would be willing to work in fast food but I really admire your worth ethic and willingness to do that. I read on other forums people saying they wouldn't stoop to that level.

While I admire your desire to live in San Diego, I'm not sure it makes good financial sense with no job lined up and not much savings. $15,000 isn't a lot of money and it can go fairly quickly in San Diego.

You say your goal is to work, work, work but what is your game plan if you can't find a job too easily? Definitely I think you could get a job at a fast food type place but that isn't a lot of income to make.

I'm all for shooting for your dreams. It sounds like you have mapped out the "best case scenario" but the only advice I'd say is to also map out a worst case scenario. When planning major life changes, I've found it's good to make a best case scenario list and a worst case scenario list.

You sound young so you have plenty of time to move to San Diego. A smarter idea might be to move to a city you can get a higher paying job, finish your CPA degree and then move to San Diego, better prepared to get a higher paying job. I know in this "I want it now" type mentality in the USA it's hard to wait and be patient. But only you know if you are ready for a move like this.

It sounds like you are very low maintenance which is positive but it might be wiser to move to another city, follow your plan and then finish your degree and then move. Good luck whatever you decide.

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by maria2388

In the past few weeks I've tapped into my savings and solidified some things. San Diego is where I want to be for a variety of reasons. I almost pulled the trigger on another city, but felt sick to my stomach giving up on my dreams before I ever bothered to try.

I have a college degree in political science, no worthwhile experience. I have 15 grand and a car in good shape. I'm hopeful for a job with the city or some semi-professional work, but am willing to work in fast food and whatever else in order to survive for a few years. I've been in (relative: USA-style) poverty before and I can find happiness while struggling.

My plan:

- Move to San Diego in June.
-Work, work, work. Immediately.
- Wait a year in order to gain in-state residency.
- Then take community college courses for 2 years, and earn my CPA.

Does anything about this strike you as silly? Is there something obvious that I'm missing?

Thanks for letting me bounce this off you all.

Earlyretirement has good advice, but I know where you're coming from and I've done it - move to a high cost area without a job and only savings! It worked out for me!!

If you are determined to make this move, can you afford to come out for a week and look around or have you done this already?

Can you postpone and try and get a few thousand more saved? If its just you, living can be done fairly inexpensively and to some of us with other mouths to feed, $15K does not seem like a lot, but I have a son in LA who is a professional dancer and that means he has to oftentimes survived for weeks on just a few dollars, so it can be done if you're single and don't have expensive eating requirements.

Check in with some of the Temps, some can be a bit of a scam, so be careful. See if you can hook up with a room in a home near transportation, just in case your car craps out on you.

Yes you are young and can wait, but if you have your mind made up, because you are young, if it doesn't work out, you won't have other little eyes looking at you forlornly' you can just pick up and return to where you came from or move on to another city.

But I do encourage you to continue to save, I mean really save and speak/network with any and everyone regarding finding something (work) because its not going to be easy even for the fast food route.

Good Luck to you!!

[moved]

Save up more money, $15K won't last long here. If you speak Spanish, you "might" be able to get a fast food job. Jobs are hard to come by here. I collected two years of unemployment, and looked for jobs with no luck.

[NYSD1995]

it can certainly be done, you have more cash than most. If you are smart, dedicated, and willing to work hard, not sure you really ever have anything to worry about.