Brian

You don't have any debts do you? 

Am I crazy for wanting to move to NYC without a job and place to live yet?

Is this common sense or something you want to do? Sometimes it's better to do what makes the most sense instead of a speculative gamble that carries a high price for failure. 

decisions that pave the way to financial irresponsibility have long and serious consequences - esp in this economy - what goes down doesn't necessarily come back up.

Am I crazy for wanting to move to NYC without a job and place to live yet?

yes.

Jobs usually start at 18+/hr for a recent grad with some experience interning at firms during school.  If you don't have any work experience whatsoever, expect less and not finding a job at this economic situation.  You'll have to have a kick ass portfolio to find a job.

Brian,

Speaking from experience on both questions, if you work at a corporate firm, you can expect +/- 46k-50k starting out. 

A 2BR in those neighborhoods will cost you and your roommate over 1,000 each, easily. Those are very desirable neighborhoods. Check craigslist for pricing and opportunities. You can meet your budget easily enough if you find another roommate, or two.

Don't bother moving to NYC. I've seen people come here a lot recently with no money or job and they end up leaving a few months later. 

Most of the available work in NYC is for measly renovations.

NYC is over-rated, if you want to work go to Korea.

I moved to NYC three times. Each time would not have been possible without some early lucky breaks.

First time, I had an internship lined up that paid $14/h and a $400 room in Brooklyn waiting for me that I took over for a friend.

Second time as a fresh grad, no job, but the middle railroad I took over from a friend was $250. Shower curtain as privacy screen. Economy was good, so I upgraded quickly.

Third time, I lined up a job that I really wanted, but no place. I had enough good friends to couch surf for a week, and enough savings to find something quick.

I don't want to discourage you, but this place is brutal finance wise. Lower your expectations. Go live in deep parts of Queens or really deep parts of Bushwick. Once you get the ball rolling, you can upgrade. Hopefully you know someone here whom you can hit up for a couch at least. Or have a guarantor that will financially vouch for you. Even shares require proof of income and W4s.  

for $500-1000 you guys can rent a studio or one bedroom (be prepared to drop 3X or 4x the monthly rent at signing, one or two month's rent a service fee). If you have a guarantor, of course. So be ready to have $4-6K each before coming down. 

Other than that, things could potentially go your way in a New York minute!

This is doable but not easy. As other posters have pointed out, the job market here in NYC is pretty saturated, and the cost of living here is very, very high. It helps substantially that you have a potential roommate to share with already, but you will both almost certainly need to show proof of income to sign a lease. Landlords here typically require proof (a letter from your employer or a paystub) that together you make 40x the monthly rent, and as Rusty says, you'll often need to pay first and last month's rent, a security deposit, and a broker's fee (anywhere from 1 month's rent to 15% of annual rent) - easily over 4x your rent, all up front. It's not unreasonable to say you and your roommate should have $8-10K between you in order to get a fairly average apartment in Brooklyn.

You will definitely have better luck finding a job once you are here than if you are trying from TX. Most firms (especially small ones) have a hard time anticipating their workload very far in advance, so when they need someone, they need them *now* and with an abundance of local candidates, they won't bother with anyone who can't start in two days. What I did last year and definitely recommend is getting a short-term rental or sublet for a month or two (or staying with friends, if you can swing it) while you look for work, then look for a longer term lease once you've got the job situation covered. This lets you limit your financial risks at the outset, and by waiting to look for an apartment, gives you more time to scope out potential neighborhoods and get a sense of what your commute might be like. My boyfriend and I found our first two places to stay through AirBNB, then found a third sublet on Craigslist - I'd avoid relying on CL too much until you're in NY and can actually meet people and see apartments in person to avoid getting scammed. 

Neighborhood-wise, you could expand your search some to include areas that border the more 'desirable' places you've listed, e.g. South Slope, Prospect Heights, and Gowanus for close access to Park Slope with (somewhat) lower rent. When we moved, we made a big map of Brooklyn with all the different neighborhoods roughly blocked out, highlighted the ones we knew we liked, then spent all our free time walking around the nearby areas we didn't know as well. Spend a lot of time walking and you'll find out pretty fast which areas have great street life, which ones don't feel so safe, and which ones are under-served by the subway (e.g. Red Hook). In some respects, you can also count on real estate brokers to introduce you to a lot of new neighborhoods, since that great-looking 2-bedroom in 'Williamsburg' that's miraculously within your budget is without a doubt really located deep in Bushwick.

As far as the job goes, stay flexible and remember that it will be much, much easier to look for the 'perfect' job and apartment once you are already working. I spent the first three months here working in a 'temporary' position at a small firm that paid well but offered no benefits and wasn't the kind of work I wanted to do, then was able to jump to a firm that I love to work on a competition and wound up being brought on as a full-time employee. Make sure you get in touch with absolutely everyone you have any kind of connection with in New York and tell them that you are looking for design work; talk to your favorite professors from school and ask them to put you in touch with their contacts here. Even if you don't have a direct connection to someone who can give you a job right now, make appointments to have coffee and talk about your work, your goals, etc. In six months, you may be exactly the right person for a job they hear about through the grapevine. I think accesskb and jk3hl's pay estimates are pretty accurate - at a small firm, you'll likely be looking at $18-20/hr, larger corporate firms might be more like $22/hr.

Good luck!

Thank you so much snarkitekt; that was extremely helpful!

@Brian- follow your dreams and don't listen to any haters. You only live once. And at your deathbed you'll appreciate that you did. You have to live in NYC at least once. 

Securing a spot as an unpaid intern probably shouldn't cost you more than $1,200-1,500/month. You and your potential roommate might be able to share a bed in Brooklyn for $1,000/mo each.  Whatever happens, don't send anyone money from Austin. Go to NY and make sure you see the place before you pay.