You hear all the time how actors and camera guys had to or are still living homeless in LA waiting for the big break. I've never heard of a sound guy living homeless. I'm a young guy still and want to go to LA to get the education and experience that comes with it. It'd be nice if I had some income while doing it too but don't expect it. I'm close to getting in the union but again that would be just to gain more education and meet other sound mixers. I have great credits in the midwest and could probably make 50k a year working here, but most veterans I know went to LA for some fragment of time and learned a good portion of their craft there from the old timers and being involved in that community. Don't worry I see no point in taking a 100 dollar a day gigs and cheapening the craft, but if I had to live out of a van to go to seminars put on by Coffey/Trew or learn how to work a fishers boom through unions seminars I would do it.