San Diego Living
 

Hello,
I'm looking into moving to San Diego next fall from Boston...just a few questions...
I'll be 26, moving to find a new job (business/finance field) while also doing a certification program. My questions are mainly around which areas to look into renting/living? I'm outdoorsy, love to run outside, play sports, be around parks, would love to be close to the water if at all possible, and be around other young professionals my age. Obviously, being in a safe neighborhood would be best too!
Any input/suggestions would be great!
Online, I mostly find places to live that are generally quite affordable that seem to be near the water around Oceanside, Mission Beach areas...but no idea how far of a drive on a work-day these would be, or if there are job opportunities out there.
Thank you!

From what I've read on here, scratch Oceanside off your list.

Although Oceanside has gotten a bad rep in this forum, It is not a bad place. I think most of the bashers harbor some animus toward the Marines.

Nevertheless, a commute from Oceanside is probably more than you would want.

I've also heard about Golden Hill and Hillcrest?

Thanks so far for the info.!

You definitely don't want to decide on an area to live permanently until after you've found a job. The wrong location can add hours to your daily commute.

Do you have a job or will be looking?

THe traffic patterns are such that you really want to look for housing either going opposite commute or in a central area or near job. Of what you mentioned, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, or downtown might be good places to look and close to the airport..Oceanside is NOT near the airport so I would not consider.

Mission Bch is not a safe area due to the college kids, drugs and party atmosphere...still lots of college kids live there.

Coronado is considered very safe..but not afforable.

Mision Valley is reasonably close to beaches, has lots of "young people, reasonbaly safe has no parks but is clsoe enough to drive to parks.

I'll be looking for a job!

I know it's smarter to look for a job and THEN look for a place to live, but it's tough to set up interviews while living in Boston :)

I guess I could always try to set up interviews at several places within a week, and stay at a hotel for a week before I move out??

"<i>I know it's smarter to look for a job and THEN look for a place to live, but it's tough to set up interviews while living in Boston</i>"

You book and extended stay motel - but you really don't want to be signing any leases until you know exactly where you'll be working.

Although Oceanside has gotten a bad rep in this forum, It is not a bad place. I think most of the bashers harbor some animus toward the Marines.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Actually, our Marine's are the only good thing about Oceanside. It is visually unattractive.

Oceanside is improving, slowly, but not the place to base yourself if you're working in San Diego and can afford to live closer to work.

And good luck with the job search. There's a lot of unemployment here too.

Any of the areas you've mentioned so far would be fine. In fact anyplace somewhat close to the job centers would be OK.

Heck, anything in the huge expanse encompassing everything south of interstate 8 and west of 30th St. would be good enough until to land a job.

Don't sign any leases longer than one month until you know exactly where you'll be working!

I presume you mean a year from now, in which case you might do more research about the jobs you expect to get first. In a lot of cities, certain industries or job markets may cluster together, such as a tech corridor, whatever. A lot of finance jobs are usually in the center of city areas, but not all, of course. And you mention a certification class but not where that will take place (or how long). If it's only a week, I guess it doesn't matter, but if longer, you could find temporary accommodations near it, as one idea.

If you are sure you want to move to San Diego, which it seems you do, you could set up several interviews and do it long distance. I dont' know your level but it would have to be low given your age, so you might have to pay for the visit yourself. however, sometimes it can be easier to get interviews if you target some likely companies and then tell them you will be in town during x week and want an interview. Some places will interview you then as they won't be paying for it, you have a limited timeframe, and you might get more interviews than you would if you left it up to them to decide. I've seen this happen, my nephew did just that when he was sure he wanted to work in the gaming industry in the SF area. He set up multiple interviews during a one week trip that he planned himself and landed a job. Then he knew where he wanted to live when he moved there.

On the other hand, if you are positive you want to live in SD no matter what, your method has its advantages, but I wouldn't pick any permanent place to live before getting a job unless you really can narrow the area down better.

Do you have unrealistic ideas of how easy it is going to be for you to find a job? You mention that you might have to stay in a hotel a week before setting up a bunch of interviews and getting a job, for example.

Thanks for all the help!
I realize it won't be easy to find a job, but at the same time, I'm confident in myself. I've been in contact with the program I'm going to be involved in, who has an internal placing agency that is going to assist me as well. I'm trying to become a school business official, so the program isn't in "one location" so that's why I didn't mention it earlier, it won't be relevant to where I live since I'll have to travel for it no matter what (the workshops are all over). I actually have a phone discussion with them today, so we'll see where it goes. I appreciate all the input, thanks everyone!