Hello WSO,
I recently received an offer for a role in Corporate Banking on the West Coast. Moving to the West Coast specifically the LA area is something that I always wanted to do, and now I finally have the opportunity. The only problem is that I would be moving by myself and have no connections to the LA area. I've been working in broader finance for about 4 years and I am now 27 yrs old (a little bit on the grown up side of the age spectrum). I was wondering how to expand my network, make new friends, and date girls in the west coast (just fyi I hate tinder/bumble)? Apologies for the stupid question, but Im originally from the New York area and my friends/network are mainly from college/ high school. So, since I'm moving to the LA area I will basically be on my own and not know anyone.
Congratulations on the move, I have been in LA for 4 years and was in your shoes when I came out here. A couple of questions.
Where are you going to be working? The traffic sucks, so I would strongly consider living close to work.
What do you like to do? For me personally I love to outdoor/beach lifestyle and I would never live anywhere that is not walking distance from the beach. (South Bay, Santa Monica, Venice). Between the distance between neighborhoods and traffic you can feel a bit confined to your neighborhood from time to time. So liking where you live is important.
What are you thoughts on having roommates from Craigslist? When I came out here I moved in with 3 other people all around my age who were pretty new out here as well. I was 24 and it was ton of fun. Still friends with a couple of people who lived in that house. There are plenty of nice places where you can live with roommates and still have your own space. In all 3 places I lived with roommates I always had my own bathroom and never felt cramped. LA apartment apartment hunting is a lot easier than NYC.
I hate the online thing as well, but its a necessary evil especially when you don't have a ton of friends. When I first got out here I would date girls who seemed like they had a big network here and would have lots of guy friends. Sounds gay, but making guy friends is not easy and its a little weird after college. Anyone who went to school in the PAC12 will generally know a ton of people in LA. Rec sports is also a good way to meet people, anything coed is always good.
Are there other people around your age in your office? They will generally have some good ideas in terms of where to live and how to meet people, and if they don't suck will make the effort to help you out.
Thank you for your response.
I will be working in Irvine California (Orange County), but I would like to live in Newport or Costa Mesa.
I like going to the beach also I like hiking. Problem with Newport beach is its far away from hiking spots
So Im looking for roommates, but Craigslist is a little sketchy for me. But I would use Craigslist as a last resort in terms of finding housing. Thats the one thing i noticed about LA and OC when I interviewed traffic sucks but apartments are easy to find.
What rec sports club groups would you recommend? I like to play soccer, football, and canoeing. Im open to other sports. Do you know of any other methods of dating outside of apps. Do random bars work? In New York from my exp its sucks.
I haven't started at my office yet. There are some ppl a little older than me. They dont really seem to follow the bar lifestyle that I am use to. I cant confirm that since I just did a couple of interviews but thats based on my observation.
I'd 2nd the craigslist idea. To do this go to the "rooms/shared" option under housing on craigslist. I've done this multiple times since moving to LA and so have some of my friends and if you find the right roommates it's a great way to make friends. It's actually a pretty common thing to do in LA so you can usually find some cool roommates to live with. A lot of the time the leases you will be joining are already on their month-to-month phase so it's a nice way to try out an area without locking yourself in for a year. Just use your best judgement and you should be fine. Your best bet will be to get an airbnb or a 1 month sublet right when you get there and then start searching for roommates because anyone normal will want to meet you in person before they agree to letting you move in with them.
I'm more familiar with LA than OC,, but from what I know I'd assume that if you want to make friends your best bet is going to be living in Newport Beach. That is where most of the nightlife is in OC.
Hello how's everyone doing today? After seeing this I wanted to know is it easy making friends at the wall street happy hours in Manhattan and in California? I'm asking cause I am thinking of going to a wall Street happy hour in New York? Please let me know cause I an curious as well. Thanks
ww93 pretty much said everything I was going to say. All the craigslist places I did in LA were month to month, as long as you gave 1 months advance notice you were able to leave without paying any additional $$ and would get your full security deposit back.
I also know very little about OC, but Newport is the way to go.
Yeah OC is a cool area. My sister lives in San Clemente.
I was interviewing out there 5 times this year. I love the area.
never lived there but been to newport a few times, fell in love with it instantly. I got the sense that if you just put yourself out there, people are generally pretty open. I went to a bar solo and met plenty of people. if I was single and moving out there, here's how I'd do it, assuming I had zero friends from my past nearby
edit: forgot the "dating" aspect of this.
in essence, shooters shoot, so go for it big guy
Welcome to the West Coast!
I am in Southern California. Irvine is a wondrous place, so are the beach communities nearby. Traffic in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas are a bit terrible, I would take the advice of living close to work (if at all possible).
The people and community are pretty out-going, if you enjoy Asian food, I highly suggest Little Saigon in Orange County.
Beach communities, everything from Surfing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Fishing, Bonfires. I'd go with Kayaking on a group meet or bonfire for the social contacts. There are weekend bicycle groups that do routes, multiple opportunities depending on your interests.
Have fun!
Also, you might want to check out the app, BroTinder.
Its guys seeking guys for bromances in new cities.
strictly platonic
Just FYI, Patrick Curtis, will be sending out emails on this specific topic tomorrow.
West Coast Connections??? (Originally Posted: 12/02/2006)
I am currently a senior at a smaller private institution in FL. I will be graduating in December with a BA in Econ. Luckily, I have worked hard and maintained a 3.9 cumulative, but the curriculum does not require finance classes (in the major). Upon graduating, I am moving to the Southern California area to start my life. My question is with a plan to enter into PE/IB, do they look for specific finance courses in a resume? In addition, I have been seeing and hearing talk about these firms looking for individuals from top rated schools. What kind of weight is a firm placing on a school name?
This past semester I have been working for a venture capital firm affiliated with Raymond James Financial, which has exposed me to the industry.
Any insight on IB/PE firms in regards to their recruiting would be greatly appreciated (and maybe even my chances given my brief background). Thanks.
any recommended resources for those of us trying to brush up finance skills for interviews?
you kinda missed the boat. The recruiting season for IB is September-->November.
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...
I actually found a posting for a Full Time Analyst position at Macquarie Group. They are apparently still hiring for the Jan2 start date. I will be applying this monday, and I'll suggest others still looking for jobs to check this IB company out.
If you haven't taken too many finance classes then spend more time playing up your internship experience. You should also plan out how you are going to answer the follow question (assuming you get an interview) -You didn't really take too many finance courses in college; "why not? why do you want to work in IB/PE?" Hint: It is NEVER about the money.
I appreciate your response. I will certainly be pondering the issue and coming up with my best response. Hmmmm....what approach do I take???
I currently work a VC firm as an analyst; I do not have an undergrad degree from a top tier school. I got my job by knowing somebody; ergo, it is not impossible to get a job in IB/PE without having attended a top tier school, but it tyipcally will get your foot in the door. You will probably have to start out at a lesser known firm and once you get some experience/track record then you can move to a more reputable firm.
Relocation to West Coast PE - Social Life? (Originally Posted: 09/09/2010)
Questions to anyone that's moved to the west coast for PE.
NYC banking that's thinking of relocating to the west coast to do PE. Anyone have an idea for social life of first year associates? Don't know anyone there, how hard will it be to find people to chill with?
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