Ask HN: Moving to the Bay Area as a Student

1 points by jmau5 14y ago ↗ HN

I've wanted to move to the Bay Area for some time now and I think I'm finally at a point where moving is a viable option. I'm planning on transferring to a CCC for Fall 2012 to finish my basic studies and then transfer to a UC school. My reason for wanting to finish my basic studies at a CCC is that, while at the CCC, I will meet the requirements to reclassify as an in-state student for tuition purposes, drastically lowering the cost of attending any of the UC schools.

The biggest problem I face is money. One of the requirements for reclassifying as a California resident is that I have to prove financial independence. This means that I pretty much have to make it on my own for the next two years.

California isn't a cheap place to live, especially when I could end up working at Burger King making minimum wage. I was hoping there would be someone here who could give me some insight into whether it is possible and what it would require for me to support myself. I should qualify for a Pell Grant which will pay most of my tuition and I can use a series of scholarships/loans to pay the rest of my fees. I am already $30,000 in debt and I'm still looking at another 4 years of school because a lot of my credits won't transfer, so I don't want any more loans if I can avoid them.

Where would be the cheapest place to live? I'd like to be within an hour's drive of downtown San Francisco so I can throw myself into the startup scene and, maybe, find a good job.

How many hours a week would I need to work to support myself, assuming I was making minimum wage or slightly above? I'm willing to work full time if that's what it takes, but I'll be in school full time as well.

Any related advice/comments are definitely appreciated. If moving out West on my own is a silly idea, please, do tell me. I'm just a kid, what do I know? :)

4 comments

[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 19.0 ms ] thread

gamechangr 14y ago ↗

I think you'll find it difficult working at Burger King. I recommend learning something that is employable immediately in the start up scene. That could be as non specific as marketing/sales or as specific as let's say Ruby on Rails or Python.

Take out large school loans if you have to (to avoid doing work that has no learning curve: Burger King) and subsidize your learning for real employable skills.

HOpe that helps friend

jmau5 14y ago ↗

The Burger King comment was a joke. I hope I wouldn't have to settle for that. (Not that there's anything wrong with working in fast food)

I'm working on a project now (stack includes Python, Bootstrap, postgresql eventually) that I hope will help me get an internship for the summer to help pay for next year.

Tangaroa 14y ago ↗

At minimum wage or slightly above, you would need to work about 60 hours a week to get by. You should make it a priority to find roommates to split costs.

California community colleges charge upwards of $500 a unit for out-of-state students. Find out what your preferred school charges and factor that into your plans.

The cheapest place to live in the Bay Area might be Vallejo, or possibly some run-down areas of the East Bay. However, moving there would put you out of daily driving range of most of the Bay Area's software companies which are on the south end of the peninsula in the Menlo Park area, or in San Jose.

I figured I'd need roommates to make things work. What I didn't think of was how far Berkeley is from Menlo Park/San Jose. Seeing as I may not have a car for a while, I might have to consider moving to San Jose.