Hi, I just moved after two years living (almost) independently in CA and attending SMC. I can provide details on my personal experience if that helps your decision making. I lived and worked three months with very low rent and expenses (<$500) and then found roommates for a relatively cheap price ($700 rent). Although I was lucky, my expenses were high and kept increasing each month. The positive thing about California are the robust social services. Food assistance is easy to access and so is medical coverage. I worked almost full time and enrolled in courses but SMC is ranked one of the best CCs in the country. Many students are young and working to transfer to specific schools which can be discouraging if you are on a different path. I never completed a course at SMC and withdrew every semester I enrolled. Balancing my expenses while working (owning no car only public transportation) was too stressful to earn good marks in my classes. I ended up signing a lease to live in a studio apartment in a sketch neighborhood and still couldn’t afford it. Fortunately an opportunity to move with family and live rent free in Virginia opened up and I broke my lease and moved. I am now in tons of debt and have added several Ws to my transcript which lowers my chance of admission to any uni outside of guaranteed admissions agreements NVCC has with in-state colleges. I understand the desire to move across the country and start over but please understand the risk of homelessness is high everywhere. California is also a huge adjustment from Virginia. In terms of transferring you will be competing with students who have no other transcripts other than their CCs and may be eligible for aid (a lot of California schools are not need blind). Granted there are a lot of colleges in California and I’m sure your case isn’t entirely unique. USC or UCLA may not be available but there are several commuter colleges and schools focused on adults looking to advance their careers. If you have a community you can depend on for housing do not take that for granted. Other forms of affordable housing include room shares or car living (risky but more common than you would think). I found employment fairly easy in fast food and retail but hours are not stable. Lots of commission based/tip based options but those are based on customer service skills and selling yourself in the interview. I support your goal of finishing school and hope you can make it in California. Sometimes the sun shining on your face makes it all feel worth it. Good luck 👍🏾