Best time to move to LA?

[Marcello_Farigu]

Hi there!
I'm planning to move to LA from Italy and I was wondering whether it's better to move there during the summer or maybe in september. Also, I'm still looking for a job and I'm considering to look for it once i get there.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!!
Marcello

[ampmkhan]

Hi Marcello,

Los Angeles is quite warm in summer. The warmest months are June, July and August, but September is also typically warm. I wouldn't say its quite pleasant until mid to late October. That may make a summer move a bit miserable. However, the upside is you'd get to start your time in LA with great beach weather. Also, do you know where in LA? The Valley neighborhoods are warmer since they're inland, while Venice area is coolest since its coastal.

[Sean_Allen_Lewis]

I'd say there is no best time to move to LA. Any time is fine, although it does get hot in the summer. If you're going to be moving boxes, prepare to sweat.

If I were you, I would try to line up a. Job before you move. Jobs are pretty competitive here. Even getting entry level work, you're going to find that the pool of applicants is pretty large. It may take you a while to find something. It really depends on your experience.

Also keep in mind that a huge number of younger people that live here re sharing a apartment with a roommate. Rents here are very high and unless you have some good cushion in your savings, you're going to run into some trouble financially. Los Angeles is notorious for making people move back home after they couldn't find an opportunity here.

Even if it might not be possible to line up a job ahead of time... At least make some connections with some business owners. Write to them online and ask for advice. They may be able to tell you how to get better prepared, where is best to look, or may tell you no now but offer you something once you're here. Connections are really the most valuable advice that I can give you.

Hope that helps a bit

[Ginny_Mitchell_Steme]

LA is the same all year (for the most part) so i really does not matter. It is, of course, hotter in the summer but there is no rain. When we do have rain, it is from November -March.

[Mark_Gima]

Summer is probably the best. I would also send out a lot of resumes to potential companies before you get here so you can line up interviews. The more the better. You don't want to start jobless here, lol. Also, if single, there are dating sites that connect people overseas for dating and friendship. You should probably home in on where you want to live though. Depends on they type of guy you are. Good luck.

[nruck1]

I think that depends on the type of visa you're using to move here, F-1, H1, O1, etc... There might be slightly more jobs in general during the autumn/fall months because students go back to school so more entry level jobs open up but it's not too noticeable. LA in the summer is when there is the most tourism and people moving here I think.

[Jason_Cook]

One thing most of the other posters haven't mentioned:

It's easiest to find both housing and entry-level jobs in Autumn and Winter

Like most of the US, the housing and employment markets in Los Angeles are seasonally-driven. More people move during the summer, primarily to avoid disrupting their kids' school schedules.

So, if you come in the Autumn or Winter, when the kids are already settled in school, their parents aren't planning to move, and they've left their summer jobs behind, you'll have less competition in finding a place to live and employment.

[Marcello_Farigu]

Hi! thanks for your reply, I definitely prefer Venice or something close to the beach rather than the valley

[Marcello_Farigu]

Hi Sean, thank for your advice. I know LA it's pretty expensive and I definitely don't want to move back because I can't afford it. Any suggestions on how to get new connections? I'm an engineer and i'd like to work in the startups scene, so it would be great to get in touch with people from that context

[Marcello_Farigu]

hi Ginny, thanks for you reply

[Marcello_Farigu]

Hi Mark, thank for your advice. How about LinkedIn? Is it good to find a job or there are other/better ways to get an interview? What sites do you recommend for dating and friendship?

[Marcello_Farigu]

Thanks Nick, that's why i was thinking not to move during the summer. Probably it's even more expensive during tourist season

[Marcello_Farigu]

Thanks Jason, that's what I thought. When does school start? any suggestions on how to find a job there? I'm an engineer and i'd like to work in the startups scene

[ampmkhan]

If you're an engineer looking into startups, then Venice is actually the right place to be, although it's very expensive. But the area known as "Silicon Beach" includes Venice, Santa Monica, and adjacent areas. Companies like Snapchat, Youtube, Google have offices or HQ there. You can learn more about Silicon Beach if you haven't already at http://www.siliconbeachla.com/

[nruck1]

No problem, if you're trying to get into the entertainment industry you can check out my job resource site at relocatehollywood.com for a list of all the major studio jobs sites and more.

[Jason_Cook]

School typically starts between early September and early August; by the first or second week of August, all the schoolchildren are back in school.

Your best bet is to start work before you even get to LA. I'd check out https://remoteok.io/ for remote-friendly employers willing to hire you regardless of where you are. If you'd rather find a LA-based employer, there are a ton of resources for engineers:

• Built in LA ( http://www.builtinla.com/jobs ) has a startup-focused job board
• AngelList ( http://angel.co/los-angeles/jobs ) is also startup-focused
• Monster ( http://www.monster.com/jobs/q-technology-jobs-l-los-angeles,-ca.aspx ) is the 800 pound gorilla of job boards
• Indeed ( https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=engineer&l=los+angeles ) is another popular job board

There's also the option to let a recruiter do the searching for you. I've had good results with the following, both as a job seeker and an employer:

• Aquent ( http://www.aquent.com )
• Robert Half ( http://www.roberthalf.com )
• JobSpring ( http://www.jobspringpartners.com/tech-jobs/los-angeles )

[Jason_Cook]

Venice has its own startup scene – people are calling it "Sliicon Beach" now. If you're in engineering, that's the first place I'd look for work. Check out the Silicon Beach jobs board ( http://siliconbeachla.com/jobs/ ) as a start, but definitely research the booming tech scene in and around Venice, CA.

[Sean_Allen_Lewis]

As luck would have it, I do know a little about the tech scene here. I'm trying to find a web development job at the moment. I saw you mentioned LinkedIn as a resource. I would use that as much as you can. Write to as many people as you can. Also try Angel List for more start up related stuff. There's also Built in LA, indeed.com, ziprecruiter and probably several others. I would also get involved with the tech community here through whatever subreddits you can find in your languages/frameworks/specialties.

Another thing... If you can't line anything up right away, check out Meetup.com for some engineer/developer meetups. You can find hack a thons and developer conference type stuff to go to on a regular basis. The coding camp like General Assembly and coding dojo always have stuff going on. I went to one this past weekend held at a company called Second Spectrum. These are all opportunities to network and get a barometer on the markets. You might even get a job offer right there at a workshop.

Keep in mind that the tech scene in LA isn't all that big but it is growing. There's still a ton of competition out here.

Hope that helps

[Marcello_Farigu]

that's great! it seems exactly what i was looking for! thank u!

[Marcello_Farigu]

great, very helpful! thanks!