Young man moving to Bay Area (in need of guidance). (Oakland: apartment, rent)

[dfoush21]

Hello City data,
I'm in need of advice on how to maneuver through the Bay area with success and minimal financial lost as possible.

Here's a little about me first. I'm a 20 year old male hailing from Chapel Hill, NC, coming with about $1500 in my pocket and a "guaranteed" job at chick fil a in fremont ( I put it in quotations because my manager is over there now doing a grand opening. My manager told me she could easily get me job there, but I'm the type of guy that has to see it to believe it first). If all goes to plan I will be arriving in Oakland in 2 weeks. I'm currently looking for roommates to bunk with as of now ( I don't know a soul out here nor have I been to California lol). I don't have a car, so I will be solely relying on public transportation/walking.

If you guys can answer some questions for me please, I would appreciate it.

If I take the job in Fremont what would be the best part of the bay to commute to Fremont? I say this b/c I hear Fremont is more Suburban. I'm looking for a more city feel like oakland with things to do that people my age do. Would san leandro, Oakland, hayward, castro valley, maybe even Berkeley be good options?.

Would I be miserable in fremont and do I need a car to live there?

I know the Bart is very expensive especially commuting every day than there is bus fare I need to pay. Can someone give me a run down on the discounts? b/c I didn't really understand it from the website?

I bet some of you guys are reading this thinking I'm either stupid or crazy coming to a city I know nothing of with little money. But this is something I want to do and need to do. I understand the realities of what could happen, I could be homeless, robbed, killed, etc. Nervous yes, but I'm an optimistic person and believe I will succeed out here with hard work.

[bmw335xi]

Honestly, you won't be able to make a living working at Chick-Fil-A. Chapel Hill or Charlotte is a much better environment for you. You will end up living in a ghetto in Oakland and hate your life because you can't afford any of the fun stuff the Bay Area has to offer. You will see the other side of the Bay Area that is depressing. I would work where you are now, build your savings, get work experience and then move here when you can actually land a real job. I honestly can't give you the answers to your questions in good-faith because I really don't want to have any responsibility for you moving here. Your life I think will be quite miserable considering working at fast food and only having $1,500 in the bank.

[08grad]

Whoa Fremont got a chick fil a?!?!?

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by 08grad

Whoa Fremont got a chick fil a?!?!?

It just opened up a couple weeks ago near I-880/Mowry.

To the OP, you're moving across the country to one of the most expensive regions in the U.S. so you can work at Chick Fil A??? You really should re-think this.

[Curmudgeon]

Guidance? Stay East, Young man. Stay East! ~ With apologies to Horace Greeley

[eureka1]

Bad plan. Try to work your way up the CFA ladder at home and transfer as a manager. You still won't make enough but it will be somewhat better.

[comingbacktocali]

i'm not one to usually chime in if people should or should not move here but i feel strongly that this is not the right time for you. you are young, the city isn't going anywhere, and you will have plenty of time to come here when your situation improves. stay where you are, get some experience, and put a plan into place.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, moving out to the Bay Area with a job offer in the service sector is a very different thing from moving out there with a job offer for highly skilled work in the tech sector. Night and day difference.

Here's the thing. Just in the last year and a half, 18 months roughly, the rent for a ROOM in a shared place has jumped from $500/mo. to $1000/mo., no lie! Do you think wages at fast food chains have increased in that same time period sufficiently to cover the rent hike?




We rest our case. And btw, there's no end in sight to the rent increases. I'm shocked your boss would try to entice you into a hopeless situation. That's unconscionable.

Plan B: go to community college at home, and get yourself some marketable skills.

[ccm123]

If you do move here, the best place to live is as close as possible to Fremont. So, Union City, Hayward and San Leandro would probably be good choices. Fremont BART and the Chick-Fil-A restaurant are quite far, maybe 3 miles away, so you would need a car, at least, for convenience.

But, I agree with the posters on this board, moving to the Bay Area for this type of job is not a wise choice, due to the high cost of living. Just to give you an idea, a nice one bedroom apartment in Fremont will run you roughly $1800 a month, at least. The other cities I mentioned may be more inexpensive.

[likealady]

Move across the country with a degree and working at Chick-fil-a until you can secure a full-time position: Ok (but preferably with more savings)

Move across the country to work at a Chick-Fil-a and live in/near the most expensive region in the country: No.

No matter how much you hate where you live, that is not the answer to your problems.