r/Moving2SanDiego • u/pauljohnson69 • 13d ago
Moving with no job
Have any of you moved to SD with no job and had it work out? I have a pretty useless degree and about 20K in savings and I’m thinking about pulling the trigger. I don’t want to waste anymore time.
right now I’m a certified personal trainer and know I could find that type of work anywhere, but I know it’ll take a lot more income to make it work in SD.
interested to hear some similar stories
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u/Ok_Winter_1020 11d ago
Would rec to get a few interviews lined up prior to making the move. We moved out with an interview lined up and my spouse not having anything with savings and it worked out! Going on year 4 in SD.
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u/pthanga1 8d ago
Id say go for it. I did earlier in the year. I am an electrician & took me 4 months to land a gig & I did Uber in the meantime. Yea, I’d say if you can project making $300 a day, you can pull it off. I used airbnb to rent a room for a few moths & worked out well. No security deposit, clear dates of stay, & have an option to extend. If you think you can stay afloat for a few months, go for it. The mental clarity of a new place outweighs the worry. Trust in Jesus & it’ll work out!
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u/PrestigiousStar7 7d ago
Before I moved to San Diego, my apartment complex manager asked for proof of employment, 3 months of recent pay stubs or salary and a background check. If you are planning on moving into an apartment complex, I would preplan in advance for their application requirements so you don't waste your time and money. Affordable housing goes by fast here since so many people are always moving. You could move into an Airbnb and work multiple side hustles (Uber, DoorDash, Lyft) while you work your full time job of personal training. But just be careful on your budget. 20K doesn't last you that long in SD, unless you live in your car.
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u/chindef 13d ago
Plenty of gym fanatics and people who like to be fit in SD so no issue there. No idea how saturated that job market is though. But an endless supply of customers!
Tons of people move to SD without a job. Many don’t make it too long, but many do. It’s a very expensive but amazing place to live. If you don’t have income coming in, you will have a hard time finding housing. Landlords are used to people trying to move here without jobs and don’t want to take the risk on it. Not to make you feel bad, but 20k is not enough to convince a landlord that there won’t be issues. $100k might be, though.
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u/vincentsigmafreeman 13d ago
Lots of gyms in SD! I’d start there and maybe find a nice restaurant / brewery to work at while you find something more permanent. SD is a lovely place with nice people willing to lend a hand. Start somewhere and you’ll meet the right connections.
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u/ronj1983 13d ago
Moved here with 28K saved from NYC on 11/2/20. Day traded for almost 2 months and sold a ton of running stuff on Ebay. My wife forced me to find a job. On 12/28/20 I started doing Instacart full time. Retired from Instacart on 7/11/24 as I started my own mobile mechanic business in 8/22/23. I can find a 1BR right now in San Diego for $1,600. On 11/15 I moved up to DEL MAR. 2BR 2BA for $2,495. When people say San Diego is "expensive", I just laugh. I moved here from NYC and this place is 10-15% cheaper than NYC for me to live. For some reason, when it comes to housing, the natives are as dumb as a box of rocks.
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u/Prime624 11d ago
Go back to nyc, you have their attitude still.
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u/mxt213 10d ago
This guy is all over the SD subs trashing San Diegans
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u/Prime624 10d ago
Yikes, you're right. Acts like finding his rental is his biggest achievement in life.
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u/ronj1983 11d ago
I think you guys are just mad I called you idiots for not being able to afford affodable housing? I mean, it is not like I am lying. Nobody likes the truth, not even San Diegans 😅😂🤣
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12d ago
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u/ronj1983 12d ago
I can find some good shit in Culver, West Hollywood and Santa Monica that is affordable right now!!!
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u/MagnusMartel15 13d ago
I moved to San Diego with 20k saved up and no job lined up. I had to move back home after a year.
The job market in San Diego is cooked. It is extremely competitive and hard to find a decent job, let alone one that pays well enough to live comfortably. Even some shitty jobs like back of house at restaurants are not that easy to get.
You have the advantage of having bring a PT under your belt which is something I didn’t have myself. You are already better off than I was but like I said, it’s competitive af. There is an over saturation of job seekers in just about every career field but as you may know, San Diego is a huge fitness mecca. There is already tonsss of personal trainers here or people looking to have that as their career. You’d be competing with a lot of other PTs for clients or positions at gyms. You kinda have to be established and have clout in the city to make it as a successful PT.
You should still go for it and just move but you’ll have to be extremely frugal. You’ll be tempted to spend money your first few months living there and getting to know your new hood. You should be mass applying to any jobs the moment you get there.