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tehmeh
right, first time posting on /trv/

I'll be starting a degree shortly in London, where I live at the moment - but want to bail out and move to california asap afterwards, due to the economy being 'the worst in 60 years', the £10bn drainage that is the olympics and basically a big fuckup of a country

the best companies I can work for with my degree happen to both be in california; irvine and san francisco.

My question is, is this a wise move to make? I can get internships at companies there, have enough money to back me up, there's no companies I can work for at good wages in the UK...
but was unsure about visas, and my student loan: I'm staying at home and should minimalise it as much as possible.

I have no experience with america apart from a tourist's holiday to new york for a week, and as you can probably tell have little knowledge of travel short of holidays around europe.

pic very related.
>> Anonymous
>>ut want to bail out and move to california asap afterwards, due to the economy being 'the worst in 60 years',

if your problem is the economy why are you bailing to the US?
>> Anonymous
aren't things looking just a dismal for the american economy at the moment?

what are you doing at uni?
>> tehmeh
>>54037
because I'd imagine my savings would translate as a good foundation if I carried them across now

my point is also that the companies I could work for over there are what I need

i'm not gonna disclose my degree because the general view of it is embarassing, but it would open up plenty of opportunity for work nevertheless
>> Anonymous
>>54046

embarrasing its an anonymous board. how can you be embarrased?
>> Anonymous
>>54046
if it's a decent degree with job prospects then what's embarrassing? I just find it odd that you're doing a degree in the UK which only gives you job opportunities in America

what about Europe? they aren't looking to bad economically, Australians probably worth considering as well
>> tehmeh
I'm not too bothered about how countries are doing economically, but if you've ever looked at the housing market and our economy you'll be turned off pretty quick. Where I live just outside of London, it costs a good £million to buy a typical semi detached house, which is ridiculous - I don't want to have a mortgage dragging on me for decades to come.

if you lived in my locality and knew what art degrees entailed... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fZHhqKVv6U is a good example of 'fine art'

>>54051
the jobs it gives here are media/design etc, I've been working pretty hard to aim towards a concept art/3d design opening, and the 2 best companies for this are in california. They're far off goals but I've found so many other similar companies there who do decent jobs and internships. I need the experience primarily but to say I have a degree in art opens up doors I need. Just wondering whether or not I should leave for California after University, how a short student debt and not having visa yet would affect that.
>> Anonymous
Hmmm....!

Well, partially because I'm a So-Cali boi myself, and partly because a friend of mine (who's also a Brit) was living in Fullerton,... I'd go with looking into Irvine. There's a LOT of tech-related companies in that general area, for sure - but like any techno-related area, the market tends to go up and down like a whipsaw. Also, as lovely as it is, the O.C. *can* be a real bitch of an expense if you're not making a decent income; gas (f course!), rent can be high (but not as high as SFO - that place is CRAZY expensive!), and food sometimes can get pricey. Luckily, there IS decent bus service and light rail into LA from the Irvine area can be pretty quick and efficient, too. The freeways aren't AS bad as everyone jokes about, but they're no picnic either.

I myself think you'll probably do okay, but DO YOUR HOMEWORK: plan, plan, plan, research every angle like a muthafucka, and be as budget-conscious as you possibly can. Even with the Pound being as strong versus the Dollar as it is now, you'll still need to watch your pennies.

tl;dr - Yeah, go for Irvine, especially if you CAN get good internships. Check out all the visa shit carefully, though - even being from a "friendly" country like the UK can mean you'll have to jump through a shitload of hoops before you can even set foot over here. Good luck and let us know what happens! >:3
>> tehmeh
>>54077
well by the time I've finished the degree and can start to arrange it all it'll be a good 4 years time, and I'm not sure you're gonna remember an anonymous artists for that long!

I understand about the pound versus the dollar, and I'm no expert in travel but i'd imagine that taking what I can from earning in the UK, I can have a nice boost to living over there.

Irvine is exactly the place I'm looking for actually, and how good is public transport over there? I'm used to more buses than cars here in London... if you have any more insights into living that you know are differen from the UK that'd be great, I'm good at planning budget-wise but I'm expecting quite a budget shock from my routine of indian restaurants, pubs and putting up with chavs

please tell me people frequent pubs
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Irvine sucks. Come to SF.
>> Anonymous
>>54064
I do live in your neck of the wood's and I do know what art degrees are like, I'm a goldsmiths student, there's plenty of opportunities over here

I see what you mean about the housing market but the way things are looking at the moment prices are going to start coming down sooner rather than later

no reason not to go if you just want to live over there but if economic reasons are why you want to move might want to wait and see how things are in after your degree
>> tehmeh
>>54148
fair enough, but they're really a potential bonus, there are the big places over there I could work as well as minor companies.