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I'm not trying to make you feel bad but I think you are clueless about the financial realities and that you are naive and dreaming about some kind of fairy-tale ideal.
You are not trying to make anybody feel bad, but it does come off that way whenever you start a sentence like that. It's like saying "hey man I don't really want to punch you but I'm gonna be punch you so bare with me. Oh, and it's for your own good."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoisite
I expect your parents will be insulted and will consider you ungracious and will refuse to pay for your education if it means you want to alienate and disown them and their lifestyle and run off to a foreign country and an exorbitantly expensive rich man's city that you know nothing about but think it suits your lifestyle needs.
Not all parents are created equal. We have no idea what kind of a family the OP is from or what her parents are like. Nuff said.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoisite
You really need to give this whole scheme some more careful and practical thought
There is a difference between giving good information about a place and giving patronizing advice to an 18-year old.
Gawd. The OP just wants to have an adventure in a foreign city while she's young and without attachments, what's the big fuss. You guys make it sound like it's an all-or-nothing decision that could ruin the a kid's future for the rest of her life.
And for the Good Lord's sake, she's going to VANCOUVER, not some third world, war-torn, hyper inflation country where she could get abducted and show up on CNN Wolf Blitzer the next day. I spent a few months earlier this year in Ukraine and parts of Eastern Ukraine on my own - didn't even bother telling anybody about it because I knew I'd get all sorts of judgmental, are-you-crazy responses and friendly "suggestions".
You are not trying to make anybody feel bad, but it does come off that way whenever you start a sentence like that. It's like saying "hey man I don't really want to punch you but I'm gonna be punch you so bare with me. Oh, and it's for your own good."
Not all parents are created equal. We have no idea what kind of a family the OP is from or what her parents are like. Nuff said.
There is a difference between giving good information about a place and giving patronizing advice to an 18-year old.
Gawd. The OP just wants to have an adventure in a foreign city while she's young and without attachments, what's the big fuss. You guys make it sound like it's an all-or-nothing decision that could ruin the a kid's future for the rest of her life.
And for the Good Lord's sake, she's going to VANCOUVER, not some third world, war-torn, hyper inflation country where she could get abducted and show up on CNN Wolf Blitzer the next day. I spent a few months earlier this year in Ukraine and parts of Eastern Ukraine on my own - didn't even bother telling anybody about it because I knew I'd get all sorts of judgmental, are-you-crazy responses and friendly "suggestions".
I know, and honestly, I don't know why everybody is so surprised by this. "OH MY GAWD, YOU STUPID CHARLATAN, YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO. YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!" I know lots of kids who study abroad, and in places like you mentioned that are ravaged with political unrest. If Vancouver is as terrible as these people are saying then why do people live there?
From what I gathered you:
-Will NOT find a job, even at McDonalds
-Will NOT find an apartment
-Will hate the weather as it is much too cold (even though it's the warmest area in Canada)
-Will be hated by Canadians
-Will have no money (you don't know my financial situation)
-Will not be able to pay for school (again, you don't know my financial situation)
Now you can see why I'm beginning to doubt what's being told to me. I find it much more risky to leave the country when you have a family to consider and a well paying job to leave behind. If anyone feels I'm making a mistake then I appreciate your concern, but I am still going regardless.
I think you still don't understand how expensive it will be for you. Take all the expenses you're accustomed to where you live and then double it. In some cases it will be triple. If your car is worth $4,000 where you live, that means it's value is the equivalent of $1,500 to maybe $2,000 in Vancouver. That will support you for a month if you're lucky and if you skimp on food and give up on any kind of recreational and social life while going to school. Minimum wage of $10 in Vancouver is equivalent to $5 in VA for what little $5 will get you. In Canada $5 will buy you a small, single no-frills hamburger with no fries and no drink. Don't count on getting even a part time job at McDonalds or anywhere else, there's too much competition from low income Canadian citizens who must be hired first before any foreign students can be hired.
I'm not trying to make you feel bad but I think you are clueless about the financial realities and that you are naive and dreaming about some kind of fairy-tale ideal. I expect your parents will be insulted and will consider you ungracious and will refuse to pay for your education if it means you want to alienate and disown them and their lifestyle and run off to a foreign country and an exorbitantly expensive rich man's city that you know nothing about but think it suits your lifestyle needs.
Be aware that there is not much demand for interior designers in Vancouver or elsewhere in Canada so that career path will not qualify you as as an immigrant to Canada. If you want to live in Canada you will be required to have skills and work experience in professions that are in demand. You might have more success and make more money and the lifestyle you want in California as an interior designer if that's the kind of work and the kind of lifestyle that you want. It's not wrong for you to want to live a different lifestyle and career path but I'd suggest you approach it from a different angle if you don't want your parents to be angry and disown you. If your parents are willing to pay for your education in America while you live at home then consider getting a practical interior designer education in America where it will be more affordable. Then get employment and work and save your own money towards moving away from home to a different location and continue furthering your education in interior design if that's still what you want.
You really need to give this whole scheme some more careful and practical thought. I wish you good luck with whatever you do, I think you will need good luck on your side.
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My parents will not disown me, they will be upset at most. And there is no reason for them to disown me. I am an adult and can make my own decisions. I'm not doing them an injustice by moving.
I'm not waiting to move. Once you get too comfortable and have too much commitment you will never do it! My parents have wanted to move to Southern California for years but they have never been able to do so because they have too much tied down here. My dad could never secure a job as nobody would hire anyone who wasn't currently a resident of California. Moving to a new country is (usually) something you do if you're really rich or really poor. And I'm the latter.
DC is a great area for interior designers. If I don't like Vancouver or can't find any work when I'm finished with school, then guess what! I can move back and use my experience in schooling here.
Hi there! I am thinking about making a drastic change in my life to move to Vancouver for school. I have never been there, and would be going all by myself. I would have no friends, family, or connections there. I only have a dream, and that's for a better life. I live in Northern Virginia (outlying suburbs of DC) and want so badly to be different. Life here is very much focused on "making it big". Being born here you are expected to go to the best college you can get into, then get a stable government job and commute 2 hours away to DC. I am simply not like that. Whenever I tell someone that I have no desire for a high paying govt job they are flabbergasted. I'm only 18 years old, VERY young. But I want to stop being so dependent on my family and support myself for once.
I chose Vancouver because it has one of the top interior design schools in the country and I feel that the lifestyle more suits my needs. I have a year to prepare for this, and right now I have a ton of questions. I'd love to hear from some locals on what to expect when moving here. What are the differences between America and Canada? Also, weather, culture, attitude, etc. are all important. Thanks in advance.
Hi, I live in Vancouver. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything.
1. It's one thing to have the top interior design school, it's another thing to have the ECONOMY to provide great jobs to go with your education. I would like to emphasize that Vancouver definitely does not have the economy to get you a great job.
2. The weather is very depressing here. Don't let the post cards and internet pictures fool you. Expect a lot of this kind of weather during the winter: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PsKInT_Ghi...0/DSC_0003.JPG It is not fun, trust me.
3. Vancouverites are unfriendly by nature. There will be people who curse me for this, and go on about how it's not true and blah blah blah, but it is the truth. Those people being friendly are being nice to SELECTIVE people, not everyone.
4. Vancouver culture is nice if you like laid back life.
Pick another city, there isn't much here worth coming for.
You guys are making Canada sound like Sweden or something. Geez, it's not that bad. Vancouver has actually has warmer winters than Nova.
Even buying a house in Greater Vancouver is not that much worse than buying one in the Northeast and rent is probably similar or cheaper. OP I think if your parents will support you finanically you'll do just fine in Vancouver and love it. Beautiful city!
You guys are making Canada sound like Sweden or something. Geez, it's not that bad. Vancouver has actually has warmer winters than Nova.
Even buying a house in Greater Vancouver is not that much worse than buying one in the Northeast and rent is probably similar or cheaper. OP I think if your parents will support you finanically you'll do just fine in Vancouver and love it. Beautiful city!
Thought I'd post some data for those who incorrectly assume Vancouver is more expensive than DC.
Indices Difference
Consumer Prices in Washington, DC are 4.68% higher than in Vancouver
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Washington, DC are 13.42% higher than in Vancouver
Rent Prices in Washington, DC are 30.23% higher than in Vancouver
Restaurant Prices in Washington, DC are 16.33% higher than in Vancouver
Groceries Prices in Washington, DC are 3.25% lower than in Vancouver
Local Purchasing Power in Washington, DC is 17.12% higher than in Vancouver
Please people, if you're going to try to act like I'm crazy at least do it without making up lies.
Source:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
I’m not sure why some folks here are being so negative and frankly condescending with you. You want to know if Vancouver is a good place to go when you are young and relatively free of obligations. I say that it is! I lived there for a few years in my mid-twenties and had a great time. I met people from all kinds of backgrounds; professional, artistic etc…
For someone who grew up in Eastern Ontario, the Pacific Northwest climate was an awesome change. I didn’t mind the rain and “gloom”. I loved how the light was different, how the air smelled like trees, how the mist hung over the mountains – all the intangible things that give you a sense of place and make you feel like you belong, even when you are a newcomer. If the school has a good reputation and you can swing the costs associated with being a foreign student in Canada, then why not go for it? As you stated, you are not tied to staying in Vancouver in any way afterwards – don’t know why other posters are treating you like you are dying to sign up for a mortgage in Vancouver. There are always ways to live frugally or creatively – even in an expensive city like Vancouver.
I understand what are you trying to say....if you want to go in Vancouver for your schooling it can be a nice choice....the city has a truly beautiful scenery setting and is not too big. Lots of outdoor opportunities.
Winters can be very depressing (gray, lots of rain) but this may not bother you.
Actually rental costs can be reasonable, totally disconnected from actual property prices which, understandably, you are not interested at this point in your life.
I always said that Vancouver is a great place to live in your 20s, much less past that.
At some point you will have to think about a career and maybe owning a house......this is where Vancouver fall definitely short.
Cost of living can be very high (leave alone statistics, I'm talking about real experience of daily life) and job prospects are not great.
My point is, Vancouver may make perfect sense at your stage in life but why not picking a city where you can actually have the opportunity to stick around after school??
Maybe you could look at places with great interior designer schools AND great job opportunities after that.
If you like the northwest lifestyle I can tell you for my personal experience that Seattle is very similar to Vancouver but with vastly greater job opportunities and an actual lower cost of living (lived in Vancouver, moved to Seattle)
But I do not know about interior design schools here.
I understand what are you trying to say....if you want to go in Vancouver for your schooling it can be a nice choice....the city has a truly beautiful scenery setting and is not too big. Lots of outdoor opportunities.
Winters can be very depressing (gray, lots of rain) but this may not bother you.
Actually rental costs can be reasonable, totally disconnected from actual property prices which, understandably, you are not interested at this point in your life.
I always said that Vancouver is a great place to live in your 20s, much less past that.
At some point you will have to think about a career and maybe owning a house......this is where Vancouver fall definitely short.
Cost of living can be very high (leave alone statistics, I'm talking about real experience of daily life) and job prospects are not great.
My point is, Vancouver may make perfect sense at your stage in life but why not picking a city where you can actually have the opportunity to stick around after school??
Maybe you could look at places with great interior designer schools AND great job opportunities after that.
If you like the northwest lifestyle I can tell you for my personal experience that Seattle is very similar to Vancouver but with vastly greater job opportunities and an actual lower cost of living (lived in Vancouver, moved to Seattle)
But I do not know about interior design schools here.
More sage advice and life counselling from anonymous CD'ers. These discussions always have a way of turning into real-estate buying advice/career counseling sessions. Good job guys.
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"OH MY GAWD, YOU STUPID CHARLATAN, YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO. YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!" I know lots of kids who study abroad, and in places like you mentioned that are ravaged with political unrest. If Vancouver is as terrible as these people are saying then why do people live there? 
