How bad is the commute from burbank to century city?

I want to move to los angeles?

• i don't care about acting or none of that i just wanna move because of its beauty i know it has ugly spots w.e ..ive been there before on vacation ...do you think a sales person will survive there ? I'm doing ok here and nyc is more expensive than l.a i sell marry kay cosmetic products for men ..and sometimes for women I'm not gay ..my mom does the same she will be willing to with me . our job is flexible we can anywhere with it all we have to do is keep buying from the company we are our own bosses bassicly how much we work is what we get for money so what would you say ? we would like to live around west side of l.a near beach anywhere around burbank hollywood glendale north hollywood century city , culver city ..oh and we are looking for apartments and mean while I'm over there i will be saving up for real estate classes ...so what would you say would we survive

• Answer:

  Most people who ask this question are unprepared, unrealistic, with no money, no experience, no skills, and no plan. If you are outside the United States, you will need a visa (even if you're Canadian). The nice folks in the immigration forum can help you with that. However, getting a work visa is extrememly difficult unless you are highly skilled and sought after (such as a doctor, scientist, or A-List celebrity). You need to have a sponsor. You need a plan: First item on the agenda is rent. A decent 1BR apartment in LA currently goes for $1200, give or take. Nicer areas and areas closer to the beach are much higher. Don't expect to move to Santa Monica and get an apartment on the beach for that much. Or Toluca Lake, or Beverly Hills. Next, you will need a car. Los Angeles is VERY spread out, and train service is extremely limited. If you don't have a car, you will have to take a bus, which takes 3 times longer to get anywhere than a car. All told, it generally takes about $3,000 per month to live here. If you don't have a job that pays that much or skills that can get you that kind of job, stay where you are. If you are unskilled and work for minimum wage (or for tips like bartending or waiting tables), you'll only make about $1200 per month. And speaking of jobs, they are rather hard to come by now. College grads seeking employment are having a very tough time of it right now, since the job market is flooded with experienced people who were laid off. Unemployment is over 12% right now. Not exactly the kind of job market you want to move into. Finally, you will need money. Landlords want first month's rent and a security deposit up front. You'll need money for food, transportation, utilities, etc. The consensus in this forum is that you need about $10,000 to start out. For most people, especially those just graduating HS, the math just doesn’t work. So there's your plan. And please don't tell us that you have dreams of being an actor or singer. That sets off another alarm. We already have a million (literally) wannabe actors in this town. Don’t even get me started. If you are looking for safer areas, go look at www.lalife.com and read the maps. For neighborhood info, see http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/ or check out http://www.neighborhoodscout.com.