Best Area for Small Press and Tech Jobs?
October 16, 2013 11:44 AM Subscribe
In February/March 2014, my roommate and I will be free to move almost anywhere within California. She graduated last year with a BFA in Writing. I write code. Where should we move in order to find a job for her, preferably in small press?
I live with my best friend and her husband. He is in the Air Force, and will be going on a one-year unaccompanied overseas assignment/deployment (non-combat) in February. As far as we've been able to confirm, she will receive BAH based on where she lives while he's overseas. Since BAH is based on the average rental market in a generalized area, this seems to free us up to move almost anywhere, within reason.
Our primary reason for moving is to more easily find her a job. She interned for a small press in NYC during college, and would love to work for a small press out here, but any writing/editorial job would be considered. I work in software, and I currently have a job that's primarily remote that I can continue working after we move, until/unless I find something local that's better.
We're considering the Bay Area as a first choice, and possibly the LA area. I grew up in LA, and she grew up in New York, so we're not intimately familiar with the different parts of the Bay Area. We'll both have cars, but we'd (she more than me) prefer a minimal commute.
BAH will cover, or help us cover, rent initially. It ranges from $2000-$2500 around the Bay Area. So, we're looking for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment a couple hundred below the BAH rate for whichever area we choose, once pet rent (2 cats) and utilities are factored in.
Which areas should we be looking at for the best match of not-outrageous rent prices for a one-year lease in February/March, and interesting small press-type jobs?
I live with my best friend and her husband. He is in the Air Force, and will be going on a one-year unaccompanied overseas assignment/deployment (non-combat) in February. As far as we've been able to confirm, she will receive BAH based on where she lives while he's overseas. Since BAH is based on the average rental market in a generalized area, this seems to free us up to move almost anywhere, within reason.
Our primary reason for moving is to more easily find her a job. She interned for a small press in NYC during college, and would love to work for a small press out here, but any writing/editorial job would be considered. I work in software, and I currently have a job that's primarily remote that I can continue working after we move, until/unless I find something local that's better.
We're considering the Bay Area as a first choice, and possibly the LA area. I grew up in LA, and she grew up in New York, so we're not intimately familiar with the different parts of the Bay Area. We'll both have cars, but we'd (she more than me) prefer a minimal commute.
BAH will cover, or help us cover, rent initially. It ranges from $2000-$2500 around the Bay Area. So, we're looking for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment a couple hundred below the BAH rate for whichever area we choose, once pet rent (2 cats) and utilities are factored in.
Which areas should we be looking at for the best match of not-outrageous rent prices for a one-year lease in February/March, and interesting small press-type jobs?
I mean, San Francisco is certainly your best bet for sheer volume of small presses in CA. Though I'm not sure it will match your 'not-outrageous rent prices' qualification.
To be honest, though, just moving somewhere and hoping you find a coding job and she finds a small press job a reasonable distance from your apartment is kind of a difficult prospect, to put it mildly.
If you're set on just moving somewhere, it may take her some time to find a job in small press, if she finds one at all. Since she has BAH to help out on her end, I would focus more on where you can get a job. Can you try and secure a job in the Bay Area before you move there? That's probably what I would try to do in your situation.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:43 PM on October 16, 2013
To be honest, though, just moving somewhere and hoping you find a coding job and she finds a small press job a reasonable distance from your apartment is kind of a difficult prospect, to put it mildly.
If you're set on just moving somewhere, it may take her some time to find a job in small press, if she finds one at all. Since she has BAH to help out on her end, I would focus more on where you can get a job. Can you try and secure a job in the Bay Area before you move there? That's probably what I would try to do in your situation.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:43 PM on October 16, 2013
I think your roommate needs to double check her info on BAH. I'm reasonably certain that during deployment BAH is paid at the rate for the duty station from which deployed.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 12:51 PM on October 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by ereshkigal45 at 12:51 PM on October 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
She needs to work her school network and careeer services office hard to suss out small press/editorial jobs in the Bay Area. There's not *none*, but the market is tight and very competitive. There are also textbook, technical, and academic publishers. When I got laid off from Lonely Planet a million years ago, my compatriots and I went to some Media Bistro events and it looks like they're still chugging along, so that's a place to look as well.
Since you already have a job, put all the focus on hers. Short commutes means you'll most likely be looking for a place in San Francisco (insane! very expensive!) or the East Bay (slightly less crazy, still not cheap), or perhaps a little bit down the Peninsula on a BART or Caltrain line.
posted by rtha at 1:01 PM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Since you already have a job, put all the focus on hers. Short commutes means you'll most likely be looking for a place in San Francisco (insane! very expensive!) or the East Bay (slightly less crazy, still not cheap), or perhaps a little bit down the Peninsula on a BART or Caltrain line.
posted by rtha at 1:01 PM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Staff writing/editing jobs are hard to come by across the board. In addition to rtha's networking suggestions, I would suggest she plan on freelancing both as a way to earn income but also as a means to get her foot in the door at places where a staff job might eventually open up.
posted by scody at 1:36 PM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by scody at 1:36 PM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
If she is willing to learn type setting, she could set up her own small press. There is one for sale now in NYRB that she could move out West. Setting up her own is a risky move but will provide a huge amount of credibility, especially if she is seeking to publish toward a niche.
posted by parmanparman at 2:20 PM on October 16, 2013
posted by parmanparman at 2:20 PM on October 16, 2013
Be aware that Bay Area traffic along 880, 101, 80, anywhere near the Bay Bridge, 24, etc. and all over the South Bay is really terrible. She'll want to be physically close to where she works or have both your housing and her job along a commuter line.
Also, your BAH won't cover you for a 2/2 in San Francisco. Last I looked you're going to be at $2,500 and up. Probably closer to $3,000, not including utilities. The East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay are slightly (but only slightly) cheaper unless you jump into marginal neighborhoods.
Sorry, no help on small press jobs.
posted by cnc at 2:29 PM on October 16, 2013
Also, your BAH won't cover you for a 2/2 in San Francisco. Last I looked you're going to be at $2,500 and up. Probably closer to $3,000, not including utilities. The East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay are slightly (but only slightly) cheaper unless you jump into marginal neighborhoods.
Sorry, no help on small press jobs.
posted by cnc at 2:29 PM on October 16, 2013
My experience as a military wife is that the service member's official duty assignment determines BAH, not the place of residence of the spouse. I will second the suggestion that you double-check your info on that detail.
I left California during my divorce in part because his official duty assignment changed and BAH dropped substantially. Prior to that, I had remained in Cali while he lived and worked in another state, but it was officially a "temporary duty assignment." When they decided to make the new state his official duty assignment, it impacted his pay/my alimony.
posted by Michele in California at 2:42 PM on October 16, 2013
I left California during my divorce in part because his official duty assignment changed and BAH dropped substantially. Prior to that, I had remained in Cali while he lived and worked in another state, but it was officially a "temporary duty assignment." When they decided to make the new state his official duty assignment, it impacted his pay/my alimony.
posted by Michele in California at 2:42 PM on October 16, 2013
Nthing re-checking the BAH. During my short stint as a military wife, we received support based on our official duty assignment post while my SO was deployed. (I'd actually thought of returning to NYC while waiting for him, assuming we'd get a higher rate. Not so.)
posted by mochapickle at 3:00 PM on October 16, 2013
posted by mochapickle at 3:00 PM on October 16, 2013
Response by poster: As far as BAH goes, I'm pretty sure this is a one-year unaccompanied overseas tour, and the overseas station counts as a PDS. The BAH FAQ says:
I've already deduced that it won't be reasonable to live in San Francisco. Every once in a while a place on the edges of San Francisco shows up on Craigslist for $2200, but nothing like the number of places in the South Bay and elsewhere. Not knowing the area, I have no idea which areas are decent and which might be hell to commute from.
posted by WasabiFlux at 3:01 PM on October 16, 2013
If a member with dependents (except for a member paying child support) is serving an UNACCOMPANIED overseas tour, the member is eligible for BAH at the "with-dependent" rate, based on the dependent's U.S. residence ZIP Code, plus FSH at the OCONUS PDS, if the member is not provided government housing overseas.So, I'm not entirely sure myself, but this is what he says, so I'm believing him until he finds out otherwise. His current BAH is determined by his duty station, not by where we live, which amounts to $300 difference or so.
I've already deduced that it won't be reasonable to live in San Francisco. Every once in a while a place on the edges of San Francisco shows up on Craigslist for $2200, but nothing like the number of places in the South Bay and elsewhere. Not knowing the area, I have no idea which areas are decent and which might be hell to commute from.
posted by WasabiFlux at 3:01 PM on October 16, 2013
I would go to the finance office and talk to someone in person and get a clear answer before proceeding further.
I am not comfortable with the phrase at the end that starts with "if." It does not specify what happens if the service member is provided government housing. (Does that mean they only lose FSH? Or does that throw the whole deal out the window?) Plus, everything else on that page fits with my firsthand experience that the service member's official assignment determines the pay, not wherever the spouse happens to be living. Other entries make it pretty clear that you can choose to live someplace cheaper and not lose pay or you can live someplace more expensive but won't get more money for it.
Bureaucratic legalese is notoriusly difficult to interpret and it is not uncommon for the words to remain the same but the apllication of the rules to change anyway. This is not something I would want to gamble on. I would want certainty before moving.
As for commute, I lived in Fairfield. It is 45 miles from SF and 45 miles from Sacramento. It was 45 minutes from Sacramento and at least 1 hour and 15 minutes from SF, longer during rush hour. Anything that has you crossing a bridge into SF during rush hour tends to involve long waits. On the upside, there are ferries, trains, local bus service etc -- better public transit than in many parts of the U.S. It can be difficult to really understand your options for getting around from just googling info, but you are not necessarily stuck with commuting by car.
Best of luck.
posted by Michele in California at 3:31 PM on October 16, 2013
I am not comfortable with the phrase at the end that starts with "if." It does not specify what happens if the service member is provided government housing. (Does that mean they only lose FSH? Or does that throw the whole deal out the window?) Plus, everything else on that page fits with my firsthand experience that the service member's official assignment determines the pay, not wherever the spouse happens to be living. Other entries make it pretty clear that you can choose to live someplace cheaper and not lose pay or you can live someplace more expensive but won't get more money for it.
Bureaucratic legalese is notoriusly difficult to interpret and it is not uncommon for the words to remain the same but the apllication of the rules to change anyway. This is not something I would want to gamble on. I would want certainty before moving.
As for commute, I lived in Fairfield. It is 45 miles from SF and 45 miles from Sacramento. It was 45 minutes from Sacramento and at least 1 hour and 15 minutes from SF, longer during rush hour. Anything that has you crossing a bridge into SF during rush hour tends to involve long waits. On the upside, there are ferries, trains, local bus service etc -- better public transit than in many parts of the U.S. It can be difficult to really understand your options for getting around from just googling info, but you are not necessarily stuck with commuting by car.
Best of luck.
posted by Michele in California at 3:31 PM on October 16, 2013
Oakland is still relatively affordable. If you're near a BART station the commute to SF is easy. Check out Temescal/North Oakland, Downtown/Uptown, Jack London area, and the west side of Lake Merritt. Good for tech jobs, not sure about small press but between Berkeley, Oakland, and the City I imagine there are some options.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:30 PM on October 16, 2013
posted by oneirodynia at 5:30 PM on October 16, 2013
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This thread is closed to new comments.
As for small press, I googled Northern California Small Press and came up with lists that were as recent as 2007, so...yeah, no idea what to tell you about that. Also, any job in publishing these days is going to be low paying and fiercely competative. Does your friend have any alternative plans for work? She should really open up her horizons for that.
Rentals are a lot easier in the south bay than they are in The City (San Francisco). There are lots and lots of apartment complexes with 2/2 floorplans.
Good Luck to you!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:53 AM on October 16, 2013