mattiewheels said:
Subway thread got me thinking, since I've always wanted to live in NYC, but I'm still trapped in college:
What jobs do you NYC guys have to make ends meet? Do you have degrees, too? How many people did you end up having to live with when you first got there? How much is your rent now?
Hopefully It can be manageable when I decide to go, but I wanted to hear some stories...
As a lifetime NYer, I have to tell you, NYC can be a rough city if you're from out of town. The city can be "less than friendly" and good jobs aren't very easy to come by, regardless of what some people will tell you. Education can make a difference, but it also depends on what type of degree you have (and whether or not it is a 2 or 4-year degree since competition is fierce). FWIW, I have a degree in Business Administration/Marketing, and good jobs aren't very easy to come by. I have yet to find a job in my field that pays a decent salary at my level. So I just take what's availible (mostly dead end jobs) until something better comes up. The phrase "decent salary" is very subjective, because everyone will define it differently. In my opinion, a decent salary in NYC is when you can afford to pay your rent, utilities, DSL, and a few miscellaneous items all by yourself. For many of us, this is not a reality. Rent in NYC is outright absurd. It rises every year, while salaries seldom improve. For example, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in even the bad areas of the South Bronx is hovering around $900. This is far too much for any area that averages over one murder a month. For the good areas in NYC? Forget about it. At times many landlords charge $1000 for a studio. Believe me, I've checked. Most real estate agents will charge you $1400 dollars for a 1-bedroom (nothing fancy, just decent, even if a bit small) in a decent area in Manhattan. Even Inwood and Washington Heights (the northern areas of Manhattan that out of towners know nothing about) have sky rocketed.
Basically, in order to get a good job in NYC, you need experience (this goes a long way), and education, and most importantly, you need to know the right people. This is the cold hard truth. Some people get lucky on their own, but for most of us, this is not the case. The same can be said about findindg a good apartment in NYC. If you know the right people, you can get a good deal, otherwise, you'll have to pay the sky high prices for rent. Or, you'll have to share an apartment. I'm married, so me and my wife split everything down the middle. This is the only reason we can afford to pay our bills. Otherwise, I don't think we can survive on one income, unless that single income is over $40k.
PS: I'm was fortunate to find a great deal on a very nice apartment in the Riverdale area of NYC, through a Japanese real estate company (my wife is Japanese), and pay $775 a month for a 1-bedroom. This is a steal, but there was two catches. First, since the real estate company had a lock on this building, we had to go through them. As a result, we had to pay a shit load of money up front to cover all their fees and move in. In the end, I would say it was worth it.
), and one day I accompanied him to one of his lessons (this was about 10 years ago, mind you), and this "apartment" was about 250 sq. feet total (and sectioned off, too), and the guy was paying $2900 for it...ten years ago. Depends on the area, obviously, but this wasn't on Park Place or anything; so you get the idea. 
