Seeking advice on getting my first apartment.

After living the roommate life for years, I have decided that I want to take the plunge and get my own place! I have some concerns though:

I am in the midst of working for a telecommunications company (call center work) where I make about 40k a year. The stressful work is killing me and at present time I am not sure I can deliver great job performance given the nature of the work. I am actively doing a certification program at Seminole State (English 6-12) to become a teacher, which finishes in June. My goal is to be hired full time this August.

I am considering a pay cut if it means getting the hell out of customer service, call center work and taking a temporary position until the fall where I am either hired as a teacher or do substitute teaching in my county to cover my living expenses until I am hired full time.

I live in Orlando, FL. The areas I am looking at are Winter Park FL (32789, 32792) but I am open to moving in the middle of nowhere so long as the commute to work or downtown is reasonable (30 minutes).

I am fine living in a studio and honestly prefer it.

I have a positive relationship with my present roommate. I have no plans to leave my current residence until August at the earliest. This gives me ample time to plan for my exit.

What are the studio essentials I would need? Any cheat sheets out there?

My requirements for this are 1. Full time work 2. Car is fixed up (which it currently is) 3. 3-4k in savings for emergencies 4. No credit card debt (currently at 1200k, working on it).

Any other advice would be welcomed