Ask HN: Homeless, Former Software Developer, What Now?
I became homeless in 2023 when I sold a property and hit the road to find another. I never found one and ran low on money. Taking temp jobs has been all I can do since then and I can't seem to save the $2k - $3k it takes to get into an apartment or house. I also have 2 dogs and have trouble finding a place for them while I work. Since I haven't developed since 2023 and am very behind in the technology and AI, should I even try to study up and get a developer job (one paycheck could solve my problems), or should I just stick with the blue-collar work and save what money I can? The biggest problem I have right now is where to put the dogs while I work. Many places require the dog to be neutered; one of my dogs is not. I don't have the money for that operation and getting their rabies and vaccinations caught up. Looking for advice on what to do. My gut feeling says get a job through a temp agency and continue tying up the dogs out in the woods while I work. But it just kills me to leave them out like that. I've only got $500, so time is the biggest factor.
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Free or low-cost neutering, obviously location-dependent (lists) https://www.bestiepaws.com/nearby/free-or-low-cost-dog-neute... https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/low-cost-spa... (CA only) https://lowincomerelief.com/california-pets-resources/
Have you considered gig work on Fiverr? (Or similar. There are many others, e.g. PeoplePerHour.com) You're an American and speak English, so you've got a leg up over a lot of your potential competitors. And since you actually know how to code, you'll probably do much better work than the low-effort vibe-coders who have taken over all such platforms. If I were you, I'd build a profile on all of those sites, and post multiple listings on all of them. As for AI, just consider it natural language coding with severe memory/context limitations and you've got the gist of it. Since you don't have money to burn on subscriptions or API tokens right now, use this: https://chat.deepseek.com/
This is a serious situation, and as a human, you are more valuable than a dog. You need to prioritize yourself over the dogs. Maybe look for a temporary shelter or a foster program for your pets, and when you are doing well, you will be able to take care of them again.
I think firstly you should send the dogs somewhere. They won't help you to get more money/find an apartment.
I can relate to your situation. I strongly suggest you broaden your job search and look for anything that pays decently. A lot of this will depend on your geo location. Maybe some sort of night time work will help with the dog situation until you get back on your feet. Happy to expand more but just a quick start. Best of luck to you