- Thread starter jflorentino
- Start date
Moving to nyc. Need advice.
Just a reminder....all posts must refer to Dominicans abroad. In this case the USA. Okay to discuss Texas, for example, but it must be related to a Dominican perspective.
My wife's brother lives in Nacogdoches, Texas where he owns a ranch. Says the people are very friendly. I doubt there are many rednecks or hillbillys in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas...etc. I spent 8 weeks in San Antonio and found it kind of yuppie.
...Bob i lived near Houston... outside Conroe...was in a good part and was excellent....those woods that are in Nacoqdoches, are the same ones in conroe and all East Texas,beautiful...yes and the Domincans are there.....good place..........
I think the original poster has abandoned his own thread.
But the best advice on moving to NYC is DON'T.
You may find a job but it will not pay nearly enough for you to live a decent life. You can't park a car for $300 a month, let alone find a room. Also remember you will need 3 months for rent just like DR.
Like someone mentioned in one of the post. Dominicans in NY do not end up with a very good life in NYC by american standards. They dream of the american wages for low skill jobs but forget the american expenses, rent, cell, electric etc. But most are too embarrassed and/or too broke to return back to DR. Absolutely nothing is free in usa let alone NYC. No prepago cells that you only have to add a few pesos to keep the number active. No pay later at the colmados.
Miami is almost just as bad + insane traffic + ridiculous toll roads + same 3 month apartment move in cost. In florida Orlando would be alot better to start ton of tourist jobs but also more affordable and much nicer housing, apartment options.
Texas would be good place to start since you have education and are bi-lingual.
You could go to Houston or San Antonio or Dallas and find a decent job within a week. And could actually afford a nice apartment to live alone. No state income tax and people have tons of disposable income. Plus many things to do and cheap flights back to DR or anywhere else.
Sounds like someone who has never been to Texas in their life. Don't believe everything you see on TV.
But the best advice on moving to NYC is DON'T.
You may find a job but it will not pay nearly enough for you to live a decent life. You can't park a car for $300 a month, let alone find a room. Also remember you will need 3 months for rent just like DR.
Like someone mentioned in one of the post. Dominicans in NY do not end up with a very good life in NYC by american standards. They dream of the american wages for low skill jobs but forget the american expenses, rent, cell, electric etc. But most are too embarrassed and/or too broke to return back to DR. Absolutely nothing is free in usa let alone NYC. No prepago cells that you only have to add a few pesos to keep the number active. No pay later at the colmados.
Miami is almost just as bad + insane traffic + ridiculous toll roads + same 3 month apartment move in cost. In florida Orlando would be alot better to start ton of tourist jobs but also more affordable and much nicer housing, apartment options.
Texas would be good place to start since you have education and are bi-lingual.
You could go to Houston or San Antonio or Dallas and find a decent job within a week. And could actually afford a nice apartment to live alone. No state income tax and people have tons of disposable income. Plus many things to do and cheap flights back to DR or anywhere else.
Sounds like someone who has never been to Texas in their life. Don't believe everything you see on TV.
like the line in movie FULL METAL JACKET...".only steers and queers come from texas"..........not true......
hard to believe everyone knocks NYC …..the place to make your dreams a reality ….unless of course your looking for handouts
Yes but it's in the middle of nowhere with not much to do
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I agree, I love the city of my birth. I would have stayed there forever, but I married a Dominican city boy who hates cities. I still miss it
Hi everyone,
First I"ll talk a little about me, Im just under 30, with a master degree in Spain. Not very happy in DR because I really don't see a bright future and, at the moment, I really need a change in my life. Im US citizen but born and rise in DR. I love to travel, and been away from home and family is not really a problem to me.
I thinking very seriously in moving to NYC and I'll appreciate some advice and information about:
a) job market. I know first months are going to be hard, but are there jobs available. I mean, more or less in average, how many weeks (months..?) I need to get a jobs. Again, I'm not specting work in a big bank earning a lot of money in the first 3 months, mentally I'm GETTING READY myself to do all sort of thing at the beginning.
b)for those that were in my position. here I have a job, a car. Don't have a family to support. Now you are in THE NYC, do you have/feel any regrets about leave your country?
Thank you!!!1
Maybe try targeting a particular industry that you want to work in. Get your resume online, and find out who is hiring where. I would go to the best job opportunity first regardless of city/metro area. As someone else said maybe focus on Florida, lots of Spanish speakers there also.
Hi everyone,
First I"ll talk a little about me, Im just under 30, with a master degree in Spain. Not very happy in DR because I really don't see a bright future and, at the moment, I really need a change in my life. Im US citizen but born and rise in DR. I love to travel, and been away from home and family is not really a problem to me.
I thinking very seriously in moving to NYC and I'll appreciate some advice and information about:
a) job market. I know first months are going to be hard, but are there jobs available. I mean, more or less in average, how many weeks (months..?
b)for those that were in my position. here I have a job, a car. Don't have a family to support. Now you are in THE NYC, do you have/feel any regrets about leave your country?
Thank you!!!1
Hi JFlorentino,
You have lots of good responses here. I was born and still here in New York (US citizen) and work in NYC. I married a Dominican woman from SD and along with her two children, we live here. Here's my thoughts....
#1. You mentioned you were 30 years old. NYC is a GREAT place for young people like you. Why? Assuming you're fully bilingual the job market is very good. If you have marketable skills and are hard working, you really can do well. In addition, there's a very active social life. If you're looking to meet someone or have fun as a young person while also building a life/career, it doesn't get better than NYC for that. Every day busses from all across the USA arrive in NYC with young people looking to start their careeers. There's a reason for that. It's a great place to be when you're young, you're a hard worker, you don't have a family or other dependant yet and are ambitious.
#2. As some posters mentioned, don't plan to move here unless you're dedicated to work hard, can be humble but can also be a go-getter. It will be hard at first but if you have skills and dedication, you can get a job and really can build a good career here. And really, like the song says, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.". You get good quickly in NYC because there's a strong concentration of talent. You will rise to the level quickly and be at the top of your game.
#3. This is a major city (population about 8.5 million which is just under the whole population of the DR) so if you don't like crowds this isn't the place to be. Also, the pace of life is very fast. If you like things slower and more laid-back, this is not the place to be. But again, as a young person, you would probably adjust well.
#4. As mentioned by a few other forum members, it's really best to have someone here. Someone you can possibly stay with when you arrive as you're getting yourself settled. You don't want to land in a new country, try to setup a new life, find a job, find a place to live, try to survive etc. all at the same time. It's too much and bound to fail. Have at least some temporary (2-3mo.) living accomodations lined up. This way you can concentrate on a job search and not worry about where you'll sleep the night.
#5. The Dominican communities here are mostly Washington Heights in Manhattan, NY; Bronx, NY, Patterson, NJ and Haverstraw; NY. It's a personal decision on whether you want to try to eventually find a place in one of these. One poster mentioned you want to 'Americanize' as soon as possible. There is definitely a benefit to this for many things (social life, English language learning/use, job/career locations etc.). By 2 or 3 months, you'll know if you want to permanently live in/near a Dominican community or not.
#6. Job: Get as much research done as possible BEFORE coming to NYC. Once you're here is not the time to learn. Look at websites such as Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and Indeed.com. Search for jobs in your field and sign up for alerts. This will give you a good idea of what/how many jobs are available and what salary ($$$) range they pay.
#7. Location: One post mentioned Long Island. I wouldn't recommend it. It's not exactly close (it's a big island), expensive and a long commute. Manhattan will be too expensive (with the exception of the Dominican community in Washington Heights or some areas on the lower East side). Forget what you see in the movies. Only after living here and saving $$$$ will Manhattan be an option. If you want to live IN NYC, you'll have the choices of Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx. The good news is that New York City has a subway and bus system that can pretty much get you from any one place to another. It's just a matter of how much time to get from one place to another (and the nice thing is that on public transportation [bus, subway], you only pay one fixed fare). One thing I would consider is right OUTSIDE NYC in New Jersey. Specifically, Jersey City, Hoboken or Weehawken. After 9/11/2001 (9-11), a lot of companies moved some of their operations from New York to this area of New Jersey so now there are a lof of jobs there PLUS it's got a strong social life scene. But the good news is that it's just one train stop / bus ride (15min) into NYC for the social life, community etc. there. Also, you will find more affordable housing there. Others decide to live there (in New Jersey) and work in New York. Either way, it makes it a convenient option. Note that all these options probably won't require you having a car. There were some other posts about Texas, Miami etc. Note in most other areas of the US require a car to get around. You would need to take that (and its cost) into account.
#8. As I mentioned I've lived here all my life and I can attest to what some posters wrote in that it can be difficult in the winter for someone coming from the DR. When my wife came here she was so amazed when she saw snow for the first time and loved it. After three months of 20-30 degree F weather the thrill wore off off quickly though. Miami is like the DR weather-wise. So if you come to NYC, expect an adjustment period and... try not to arrive in the very middle of winter. It will make everything else harder as in you're trying to adjust to a whole new life and now, you're freezing cold.
#9 I could go on and on but probably should stop. If I can help or give you more info feel free to reach out to me. Moving to NYC can be a great experience and a great job/career move but as some posters mentioned, it's important to be smart and do it correctly. Getting a good start is critical. If you can find a good job, have someplace to stay at first and then once the job is in place, look for a permanent place to live things can work out well. My wife and I have seen a lot of Dominican's who just get on a plane with NO PLAN. They come because they have an amigo/a, primo/a here and think things will just fall into place. It won't happen - they always end up in a low paying job, are unhappy etc. but, if you have genuine marketable skills, can speak good English (and note, we're talking good English, if not, plan on spending time ONLY SPEAKING ENGLISH to learn or brush-up) you can succeed. You already have a good ace-in-the-hole, you mentioned you were born here so you're a US citizen so you don't have to deal with immigration on top of finding a good job, housing etc.
BEST OF LUCK in your decision on whatever you decide!
-Jim
Such a great post. Almost not worth so much effort considering the op has 2 dr1 posts total.
Thank you Luperon. I've followed your posts for a long time (I appreciate your spreading the knowledge around here on the board) and as many of us here on DR1 know, it's easy to fail in either a DR-to-USA move or vice versa. If I can help just one person not fall into that pit, I'll sleep better that night - LOL! Thanks again for the complement!
-Jim
-Jim