150 Job Applications Later: My Wake-Up Call About NYC Housing
After returning from Brooklyn with a little more sleep, I locked myself into my hotel room for three days. My rotation: job applications, rental listings, coffee, repeat.
By August 6, my numbers looked like this: 150 roles applied to, 26 rejections, 2 interviews, and 0 offers. One of those rejections came after an interview for a marketing role in the luxury real estate space. The focus? Blog writing, editing, press releases, and event production. I’ve had some exposure to those areas, but not at the depth they needed. From the interviewer’s tone, it was clear they wanted someone who could plug in seamlessly and that wasn’t me.
As if job rejections weren’t enough, NYC introduced me to its unique brand of rental math. Here’s the reality: most apartments, and even many room rentals, require you to make 40x the monthly rent. And if you need a guarantor, that person has to make 80x. Coming from a “3x the rent” city, those numbers nearly knocked the wind out of me. It’s one of those things you don’t hear in the glossy “moving to New York” vlogs until you’re already knee-deep in Zillow tabs.
The trade-off is real: applying from across the country gets you stuck in the “no local address” pile, but being in New York means navigating an obstacle course of extreme guarantor requirements just to land temporary housing.
To keep my momentum, I’ve been developing concept briefs, focusing less on pixel-perfect execution and more on smart, creative ideas that align with the jobs I’m targeting. It’s a way to show what I can do without getting lost in the weeds.
Still, after three days of apps, portfolio updates, and housing stress, the headache was real. That’s why in the next episode, I’m moving on to something lighter: finally diving into New York’s networking events. Because sometimes, the best way forward is to get out of the hotel room and into the room where it happens.
Curious: if you’ve ever relocated for a job, how did you balance the search with finding stable housing? Drop your story. I’d love to hear.
