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and what is your favorite part. Just thinking. I'll be graduating soon and there are alot of teacher's jobs there as well as union work for the mr. I'd like to be somewhere coastal with lots of fresh seafood and produce. Oh and warmish.

Expensive, especially anywhere near the coast. And I wouldn't count on those teaching jobs...not with all the layoffs and budget cuts. You might find a teaching job, but keeping it is another story.

options are open. I could get lucky and get one of the ones I"m coveting in this area. We're also considering the Carolinas. In school they keep pushing Florida. There are many reasons to leave NJ. The only reason not to is my kids. MR.OC's union is pushing him to move north. There is also work for local companies with branches in other states. We're young, our kids are all in college or finished and we can afford to try something different for a bit. I'd probably hand on to our place here and just test something out for a year.

I live in West Los Angeles and am very happy here. We have a diverse culture, which provides many benefits. Want Italian food? Easy to find. Chinese food? You got it. Are you Jewish and want to find a temple? A liberal one, orthodox, middle of the road? We got them all. If I want to go to the beach it’s a 15 min drive. If I want to go ski in the snow, it’s a 2 hour drive. I am happy where I live.

And the weather? I like to p*** off all of my New England buddies, every year I send them a photo of me standing next to the Xmas tree wearing a t-shirt, shorts and sandals.

If you want to know anything else feel free to ask or PM me…

don't come to california to start your teaching career. when there is a budget crisis every few years, teachers are the first to take the hit. if your wanting out of new jersey, do your research as to where is the best place for you to go. good luck

member of the parrothead nation

Mason's right,
we in Cali, like a lot of rest of the country, are gonna have to start paying for those GREAT tax cuts, and spending has to be SLASHED.
Maybe this will a more reasonable destination in 2 years...

... and it will REALLY help if you know some español, too!

I live in orange county and have to agree with big_rich. It's a wonderful place to live. As far as the cost of living I think that is relative to your income in any area. You just have to research it well before you make the leap. This state is so big and diverse you can find whatever is right for you. I wouldn't trade my beach life for anything. The few times I've lived in other areas I always came running home to the sun and sand. I get grouchy and bitchy when I can't smell the ocean. Like you said, try it for a while and see if it works. If you don't take the chance, you'll never know if it would be right for you.

I grew up in Southern California.....couldn't wait to get away....moved to the other california for school liked that much better......graduated and stayed in the Bay area until it got toooo crazy (read as too much like Southern California).....moved to Louisiana for a job and took the boat throught the canal and up to Alaska...We visit our parents a couple of times a year just to remind ourselves why we don't live there.... (sorry, don't mean to knock the folks who love it...and there are many...but after growing up there it is just too much)...

I'm moving out to Cali in a year. Time to start a new chapter in my life, and my man lives out there. He has to stay out there for his work. When you work in video production, living close to LA is kinda necessary. So I'm moving out there to be with him in a year. Can't wait. And we're going to drive route 66 all the way frm Chicago to Santa Monica. We're totally looking forward to that drive with the top down on the wrangler.....

I hear from a good source that there are riots, fires and mudslides

I'm a small town kid and big cities, lotsa people make me nervous. I've visited a few times and enjoyed CA. But there's no way I could live there.
The traffic/freeways alone would give me a heart attack

Follow your dreams! However...unless you've spent a lot of time there and know you love it, keep your return options open....

I know a teacher in California that's getting laid off at the end of this year.
She's thinking about moving to Texas because of the poor teaching environment in California (and the fact they're offering bonus' to Teachers with her skills in Texas).

habourgirl wrote:I'm moving out to Cali in a year. Time to start a new chapter in my life, and my man lives out there. He has to stay out there for his work. When you work in video production, living close to LA is kinda necessary. So I'm moving out there to be with him in a year. Can't wait. And we're going to drive route 66 all the way frm Chicago to Santa Monica. We're totally looking forward to that drive with the top down on the wrangler.....

Welcome habourgirl! Route 66 is an amazing drive. It'll be great to have you join us here. And you'll get to celebrate Jimmy Birthday the way it's suppose to be celebrated.....in flip flops and shorts!

This is why it pays to ask. Any info on the carolinas of fla? We are being told that some parts of these states are in need of teachers. All this might just be wishful thinking because I'm not sure I am willing to move this far from my kids. I envision living close enough to future grandkids to spoil them. Once I start working in a state I'm likely to stay there due to pension time. I"m not a traditional college kid starting out at 22 ya know.

nutmeg wrote:I hear from a good source that there are riots, fires and mudslides

I'm a small town kid and big cities, lotsa people make me nervous. I've visited a few times and enjoyed CA. But there's no way I could live there.
The traffic/freeways alone would give me a heart attack

Follow your dreams! However...unless you've spent a lot of time there and know you love it, keep your return options open....

Don't forget sushi in the malls... water bars... brontosaurs... and Chinese Modern Lust!

I think the big question to ask would be about the contracts. Are they permanent positions or temporary? Here in Cali the veteran teachers are being laid off and positions are being filled with first year temps...simply because it is far cheaper. Plus you can lay off temps with no reason...they have no rights. And we wonder why we're at the bottom of the heap in the US when it comes to education. Like I said, you can find a job, but keeping it is another matter.

Dez is right, many states are actively recruiting Cali teachers knowing that so many are being laid off. I think it is Texas that has even placed billboards in the LA area, and they are offering "signing bonuses". So with the right research, you could end up with a great job. Use your age as an asset...you have real life experience along with the education and credentials to back up your qualifications...I think that is a definite plus. But definitely make sure you're going into a permanent position if at all possible. I was considered a temp for my first 5 years since I started a program for the district that was funded under a federal grant. I was pink slipped every year, which is NOT fun. I finally gave up my program and moved into a permanent position just to avoid all that grief.

Good luck!

This is interesting to me. The NJ teachers union is incredibly powerful. There are serious downsides to it but they could not lay of a tenured teacher (more then 4 yrs) without a serious fight and they definitely couldn't do it and higher somebody for less pay. When they were talking to us about Fla they were mentioning the lack of teacher's unions. To me that sent up a red flag.

I have been to CA a number of times, in fact I was just out in So. Cal last week. I really like LA and San Diego. I've also been in San Francisco enjoyed it but not as much as the south. I loved the weather, the scenery and the people are great. It does seem expensive compared to the east. I'm surprised you don't want to stay in Jersey. Your schools are very good and I hear the teachers are well paid. the philly burbs might be another area to consider if you want to stay in the east. When I graduated I moved 300 miles to find a job, it was difficult and I couldn't imagine moving cross country at that point.

My husband and I lived in Laguna Beach then Laguna Niguel for a few years a while back. My thoughts on CA are this: Well-educated, open-minded people. Health-conscious, outdoor, active people. Friendly people. Fashion conscious, consumer minded people (at least in Orange County). Beautiful people (don't forget, every girl across the US from a small town that was told she was beautiful or talented, moved to CA). Lots of good restaurants. Let's see, what else... I lived near the water so the atmosphere was beachy/nautical. Other than the beach, there is NO NATURE (unless you like dry desertish mountains). It's very expensive. Everyone lives on top of eachother and no one has much of a yard. The traffic is pretty horrendous, but pretty typical for a major metropolitan area.
I never seemed to get anything accomplished inside the house when I lived in CA. Because it was sunny all the time, I only wanted to be outside.

Mottola-Buffett wrote:My husband and I lived in Laguna Beach then Laguna Niguel for a few years a while back. My thoughts on CA are this: Well-educated, open-minded people. Health-conscious, outdoor, active people. Friendly people. Fashion conscious, consumer minded people (at least in Orange County). Beautiful people (don't forget, every girl across the US from a small town that was told she was beautiful or talented, moved to CA). Lots of good restaurants. Let's see, what else... I lived near the water so the atmosphere was beachy/nautical. Other than the beach, there is NO NATURE (unless you like dry desertish mountains). It's very expensive. Everyone lives on top of eachother and no one has much of a yard. The traffic is pretty horrendous, but pretty typical for a major metropolitan area.
I never seemed to get anything accomplished inside the house when I lived in CA. Because it was sunny all the time, I only wanted to be outside.

No nature? You have got to be kidding me. Maybe we have different definitions of the word. There's plenty of nature in CA, and not just desertish mountains. I'm really sorry you didn't know where to look...you missed out on a lot.

Hi I lived in San Jose for over 20 years. CA is okay, but I got tired of the same weather everyday with a change of pace of a little rain. Do you like a White Christmas, if you do you may not like CA. Oh yeah it is called the Golden Country for a reason. The hills turn gold in the summer (unless there is more rain than normal), it isn't green all year round.

Another big thing most people do not think about is the cultures. I was amazed at how different the West Coast is from the East Coast culture wise. There is a big difference. That may be something else to think about.

The West seems to be more open, career oriented, where I have found the East Coast is more involved with the Arts (especially the close to NY City your are), more of a slower pace, family oriented a little more. Not that CA is family oriented. It is just NJ is different.


Really think about what you want in 5 years, and right now. I love the East Coast, which I was surprised I would.


Good luck on your future.