Looking to move to West Coast prefer cali (Los Angeles, San Diego: 2014, rentals)

[needdirection1]

28 yr old female here from the east coast. I'm from the east coast and I want and HAVE to move before the summer 2014. I'm looking at a few places and one of them is California ( never been will visit in 2 months) because the weather and its convenient for auditions among other things( its better than being in area where it snows 24/7) . Because I want to be realistic and not move to California on a hope and a dream I am looking for LPN classes to take in the surrounding areas, I'm also needing to be in a place that's convenient cause I will not have a car when I go. As far as money all I will have is maybe 6k. I don't have to live in La cause of course I can't afford it but I would like to live some place where I can drive or take a bus to LA for auditions. So any places thats less than 4 hrs away from Los Angeles that you can recommend would be great.

Im single
Im taking classes online to improve GPA
Not a party girl
Looking to go to College or enroll in some technical school to support myself while Im there
PLease inform me of PROS and COns I see most people immediately be negative so please add the good and then the bad....



thanks for helping

[nightlysparrow]

Simi Valley is safe, quiet, and close enough to the Valley and LA for your purposes, but with no car you'd have to take Metrolink trains. Rents less expensive than LA. Maybe look at this adult school. Much less competitive to get into than LA schools. You could become a CNA in 2 months, inexpensively, so you'd have a means of support for pursuing an LVN diploma (other medical type classes available):

Simi Valley Adult School and Career Institute

[needdirection1]

yea I thought about CNA...... they just work so many hours it would be hard doing that and going to school, however Im not ruling it out. I applied to a CNA course where I currently live right now so we will see how that goes. Thank you for the link you posted as well as the information I really appreciate it.. I'll take a look at it now..

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by needdirection1

yea I thought about CNA...... they just work so many hours it would be hard doing that and going to school

You could work nights (11-7) as a CNA, study during quiet times during your shift, and when you get off in the morning go straight to school, then come home, shower and sleep. It can be done.

Or, work part-time, every weekend, and try for 12-hour shifts.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I bought a car with student loans back in the day. Just buy yourself an old beater Toyota. They run forever.

I'm not really familiar with Southern California. But, Fresno came to mind. There are good college options there, and it's 3 1/2 hours from LA. It also has a lot to do and is a decent sized city. Housing is affordable there. I recently looked at retiring there, and got on some senior housing waiting lists, but found subsidized senior housing in Redding first.

California State University, Fresno

Fresno Pacific University

Bakersfield would be an option, as it's inexpensive, and there is also a state college there. It's much closer to LA (only about 2 hours), but my memory of it is that it is more barren, boring than Fresno. BUT, it might be worth it for the commute to LA, and cheap housing.

California State University Bakersfield Home Page

At any rate, this is the perfect time to apply for student financial aid. Like NOW. The money runs out quickly, so apply now. Get student loans to help with your move and to buy a Toyota beater for around $1,000. Then you will have so many more housing options, and your timelines between classes and auditions will be so much easier.

https://fafsa.ed.gov/

People always told me to look for scholarships. My experience, being a white girl, was that they weren't available to me, and I wasted a LOT of time applying for them. Forget the scholarships, and apply for financial aid. Some colleges will give you some scholarship money based on need, too. Those are worth asking about - when you talk to the financial aid person at the college you go to.

Also, check into campus housing options. It won't be as cheap, but should be safe and you can make friends easily.

Good luck to you!

[lrmsd]

I agree re: scholarships being a general waste of time unless you have a background that excels in a particular area.
However, if OP can establish residency (after a year), CA community college resident rates are amazing and the CCs here rate highly. Then transfer into UC or CSU system if desired. Even the out of state rates are not too bad. But if you apply for aid as a resident, you'll also be considered for state aid, including board of governer's fee waiver, etc.

You can also look in San Diego: areas near grossmont college and SD city college have trolley access. I'm sure there are tech schools, though I don't know any names off hand.

La Mesa is a good area to look for rentals. Other central areas of SD with some public transit, and mostly safe: Normal Heights, North Park, University Heights. You can usually find studios in these areas for 700 and up, one bedrooms or jr. one bedrooms can be had under 1k.

With no car, it's very limited, tbh. And: auditions from 4 hours away??? SD is about two hours from LA, sometimes less. There's amtrak but again it's limited to where it picks up and drops off. And LA itself doesn't have particularly amazing public transit either.

I think pros are that you will probably enjoy living in SD or so cal. Don't know about Fresno. YOu might also like Sacramento and should check that city out as a potential option. COL $$$ is less, too. But, no audition potential from there.

I also think you should try to save more money before moving and maybe move in the fall?
Do not start public classes here prior to residency, b/c it will enroll you as an out of state resident, making it harder to prove your residency after a year. So keep taking clasess online at whatever institution you are at now, or take a break from classes while getting residency. [seriously, CA rates are low for JC's]

I also think you need to be sure of your priorities:
I'm confused for example: nursing school, auditions, weather-which are your top priorities/interests?
It sounds like you want to establish a field to support yourself while following your interest in acting? But, establishing yourself through training alone will take a few years. So maybe just wait tables or something while going to auditions and rent a room in LA? Or, focus on schools and look at other areas of CA and skip the audition thing. I do understand the idea of being realistic, but I think that's more long term. People who are determined to do entertainment industry careers do go all out and commit to that, at least for awhile. Doing it 'on the side' while trying to set up something more stable 'just in case', means you aren't really putting your full efforts into either plan A or plan B. Both are likely to suffer as a result.

SO start with auditions and get a service industry job if you really want that field. If it doesn't pan out for you or you change your mind once you see what it's like up close and personal [not a very nice industry overall, IMO], you can then switch gears and go to school. Or, skip LA dream altogether and just focus on nursing and living in CA with better weather and the lifestyle you want.

My .02.

[mrazyattic]

I have some advice. Buy a return ticket, once you realize you can't afford it out here (unless you don't mind the central valley). Sorry to crush your dreams.

[eureka1]

+1