Getting in touch with anyone in the LA/Orange Co. CA area.

Greetings. I have a two-year Associate Degree in Information Systems, a CompTIA A+ certification, I have some professional IT experience, and I have significant customer service experience. At the present time, I am unemployed (I've been without a job since the last day of April, and my unemployment benefits will be gone by next month). I live in Southwestern Ark. (40 miles from the Little Rock area), and I haven't been able to find anything where I live. At the very least, I would love to be able to touch bases with people in the Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange County areas (preferably OC). I have many friends that live in the area, and that's a big reason why I'm looking over there. What kind of work am I looking for? Anything entry-level: something in the level of Help Desk Support, Technical Support, Desktop Support...something I can really get a lot of experience in and learn a lot.

If anyone is interested in getting in tough with me, let me know. I can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace (PM me, if you wish to connect to either of those places). Thanks.

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JDMurray

Best to move to Orange County; Los Angeles County is currently on fire (again).

Just realize that people here make a lot of money because California is the most heavily taxed state, and OC is one of the most expensive places in CA to live.

cb6000

JDMurray wrote:

Best to move to Orange County; Los Angeles County is currently on fire (again).

Just realize that people here make a lot of money because California is the most heavily taxed state, and OC is one of the most expensive places in CA to live.

Responding to your last sentence, I get it. It's more about the opportunities there and the location than the money.

Yeah, I do prefer OC over LA.

I am also aware of the fires. :P

wat08

JDMurray wrote:

California is the most heavily taxed state, and OC is one of the most expensive places in CA to live.

And Arnold STILL wants a handout from the federal government...what on earth is he doing with that money!?

JDMurray

wat08 wrote:

And Arnold STILL wants a handout from the federal government...what on earth is he doing with that money!?

We have a very Socialist state government here in Cali. They **** money into projects that give no return for the value, and hand money to people that just eat it an want more. A very poorly run business is California.

Oh, and we finally got some fires in OC, but only the ones down at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base are biggies.

cb6000

That's one thing I've not really experienced, yet...wildfires. I did experience my first earthquake in late July when I visited. That was...fun.

mamono

You'll be fine if you arrange to rent a room in OC. Renting rooms aren't nearly as expensive as renting an entire apartment, but then again you are trading privacy for affordability. Craigslist will be your friend for that, btw. You've mentioned that you have friends in OC, maybe you can stay with them for a while until you get on your feet.

There are many entry level help desk and desktop support positions here in LA and OC, but they are all pretty much minimum requirement of MCDST unless you're specialty vendor certified like Apple. I get weird calls from recruiters all the time for oddball 6 month - 1 year contract positions all over LA and OC. What I have been noticing is that many tier 1/2 positions in LA/OC area for larger corporations and government are starting to require ITIL certification and experience. So since you are planning to move to LA/OC area, I suggest that you get those two certs and possible pick up MCTS:Vista and MCITP:EST since it's just one more exam (70-621) from MCDST. 70-621 acts as credit toward any of the higher level Microsoft certs because it is the equivalent of 70-620.

The college student diet can still be achieved in LA/OC area. You'll want to develop a love for Mexican food because that's pretty much what most people eat out here and that's usually what is most affordable. The hardest part is actually rent.

JDMurray

mamono wrote:

The hardest part is actually rent.

The second hardest part is transportation--if you don't have a car. You gotta have a way to get around. The better jobs aren't necessarily in the areas that are the cheapest to live in, so plan on freeway commuting. One possibility is to stay with friends until you find a stable job, then move with a roommate to your own place as close to the job as possible. That saves on rent and gas too (which is around $3.45/gal out here now).

cb6000

JDMurray wrote:

mamono wrote:

The hardest part is actually rent.

The second hardest part is transportation--if you don't have a car. You gotta have a way to get around. The better jobs aren't necessarily in the areas that are the cheapest to live in, so plan on freeway commuting. One possibility is to stay with friends until you find a stable job, then move with a roommate to your own place as close to the job as possible. That saves on rent and gas too (which is around $3.45/gal out here now).

Gotcha.

mamono

JDMurray wrote:

mamono wrote:

The hardest part is actually rent.

The second hardest part is transportation--if you don't have a car. You gotta have a way to get around. The better jobs aren't necessarily in the areas that are the cheapest to live in, so plan on freeway commuting. One possibility is to stay with friends until you find a stable job, then move with a roommate to your own place as close to the job as possible. That saves on rent and gas too (which is around $3.45/gal out here now).

LA is still in the process of constructing the Metro Gold Line which will create a loop through the greater part of LA. If you're okay with riding trains, then consider residence near one of these stations.

http://www.metrolinktrains.com/stations/

That can be your transportation if you plan it properly. Riding a train is a great deal more relaxing rather than having to deal with LA road rage!

I have friends that work for government that take the trains because the commute is insane. They transfer once or twice to a different train, that's about it. Walk about 2-3 blocks.