Hope he can land a job with good health insurance, health care is very expensive here and just being young does not make you immune to problems such as a traffic accident.

That all sounds good. Job experience in the fitness industry, friends living in LA already. If he could get a 'transfer' from one Planet Fitness to another would be an ideal start. A reliable car that's excellent, still needs insurance, gas, maintenance. His biggest new expense will be rent, unless he is couchsurfing for free with friends, if he is used to your generosity living at home.

I got no problem with the "live without a safety net" thing, because obviously he does have one... YOU -lol- and beyond that he'll see how that goes for him.

Honestly I think the biggest problem is his unfortunate timing because of covid pandemic. Not really the time to be relocating from anywhere to anywhere. If it were last year (or hopefully by next year). I have zero problem with his intent. California is a great place to live (if I were living in Michigan I'd be wanting to move west too!!)

I agree this is a tough time to move. Can realtors even show rental listings now?
Our son went to college in L.A. and stayed there. He's an audio engineer and lives in Hollywood Hills now, with his fiancee.
While in college, he'd share apartments and I could count on rent being at least $1000/each plus utilities, plus parking, etc..
Good idea above to look at college sites for potential roommate situations: UCLA, LMU, etc.

My son graduated from the Art Institute in Santa Monica and went on to work in the industry as a Technical Animator. He last worked at Blur Studios in Culver City. He lives at the intersection of the 90 and 405. Something to remember is that the industry is pretty much feast or famine. Our son was an excellent sought-after animator, but that tended to backfire occasionally over the years as he was held over til the very very end of a movie to finish up the last minute changes. Everyone that had been let go from their contracts then went and filled the open vacancies in the industry. After about 7 years he decided the volatility of the industry was getting a little 'old'. He was once out of work for over a year when there was a lull in the industry. Getting into Disney sounds nice but in reality is extremely difficult and they have very strict rules for anyone who quits: you basically cannot work at any competing company. There has been a lot of outsourcing to other countries due to tax incentives and this has affected how many jobs are still located in the LA area. The money is excellent for those that work consistently and this is important because you will have savings to fall back on in between contracts. As long as your son is aware of the in and outs of the industry he should do fine. I agree with the above statement to choose an area he likes as opposed to close to work because chances are very good that he will move companies many many times during his career. At 28 yrs old my son went back to University for 4 years and is now an Engineer for the Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles....very stable career. Good luck to your son....it is a great job when you are young but don't be surprised if he changes careers in a few years, especially when he marries and has children...stability will be very important at that point in his life, but for now let him enjoy the money.

Actually, that's illegal in California. There may be unwritten rules, but there are no "strict rules" or there would be big trouble.

The entertainment industry technically follows the laws, but it can be a lot like middle school. I have a younger friend who works as a writer/director/producer of content for children. Over the past 30 years, he has worked for Disney, WB, Sony, Marvel, etc., and tells funny-if-it-wasn't-affecting-my-career stories of back-stabbing, black-balling, petty rivalries and Trump-level blame gaming. Even with his experience and credits, he works from contract to contract and is always looking for the next project.

michele_d's description of her son's experience sounds spot on.

Not 100% sure of the laws in California, but here in NY if the employee is fired the non-compete is null and void in most cases. If the employee quits the non-compete definitely applies for whatever period called out in the contract.

Dave, in California non-competes are illegal except in connection with the sale of a business, and for partnerships.

I think non-compete clauses are pretty widely challenged these days everywhere if considered to be in effect.

It’s 2020 now!
 

Hey just seen this, how did it work.

look at post no. 49

The OP (gail) never did report on the final outcome. The revival of the thread is by an OP whose son has different circumstances.

I assume his friends don't mind him crashing at their place indefinitely. And that there is parking for his vehicle! He probably isn't going to want to sleep in the homeless encampments at this point.

Grocery stores are hiring. That's probably his best bet. Gyms are closed.

I wonder if he's ever even been to "LA"?

Instacart is hiring (a delivery service used by many grocery stores and some chain pharmacies). You not only do the driving and delivery, you also have to shop the order as well if you are a full service shopper and you are an independent contractor. You also have to have access to a vehicle. I saw a story on the TV news last week, the average order takes 1 hour to shop, checkout and deliver.
Some restaurants doing deliveries are also hiring, I have seen TV commercials for Domino's pizza saying they are hiring, also El Pollo Loco (fast food franchise), again for drivers.

in my area all local and chain grocery stores are hiring big time - for all sorts of positions like checkers, baggers, warehouse, delivery drivers, security, maintenance -- you name it. Also most of the fast food chains, and the big boxes (Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, etc). Garden centers and nurseries. There are just tons of openings - not as many as have lost jobs, but a lot more than many would think