Ask HN: In Bay Area, starving, homeless and in search of work

[stolen_y]

Hello, I have been having very bad luck in the past few months. I am in the Bay Area looking for work as a front-end engineer and I haven't had a lot of luck. I have been very nervous in interviews, told my experience wasn't enough despite working on large projects for name brand companies. I am on the edge of life, I am even struggling to find a low wage job to support myself. I have no money at all, just a monthly pass for Muni (thankfully), a membership to a local gym where I can shower and groom everyday, and one more month of cell phone service (Google voice number just in case it goes out). I am homeless and hungry, looking for some help in my job search, either rehearsing interviewing, coding interview practice, reviewing my resume or even just tell me if I should completely give up (and find something else) because I am no good at what I do. My portfolio is lacking because the work I did at my previous company was short term websites. I have a hard time moving foward with any personal projects that might help me get a position, I struggle daily to eat, get enough sleep and stay sane as it is.

Regarding my situation, staying with family is not an option, they do not care, are in multiple other states, and are tapped for cash, and I've already asked for a lot from friends. I really need help getting on my feet and I hope the community here can point me in the right direction. Any tips, jobs you know of or resources, free meetups, etc., will really help and I appreciate it.

Edit: Regarding skills: Experienced with universal JavaScript (client & NodeJS), built great websites with React and Redux, worked with ES2015, ES2016 and Stage 1-4 proposed features. Built SPA apps with AJAX. Wrote automated tests using Jest, Mocha and Chai. Built responsive websites, animated with JS and CSS key frame animations. Well versed in HTML and CSS (I think this one is a given being a front end and all).

[qohen]

In case you haven't seen this, this site takes your zipcode and gives you get back a list of places offering essential services nearby, including free meals, help with transportation, shelter, etc. -- it works across the U.S. (e.g. I tried a Palo Alto zipcode and got back results):

https://www.auntbertha.com

[qohen]

If you're able to get to San Francisco, there are places serving free food every day, in some cases several times a day. There are also places offering other essential services.

http://www.freeprintshop.org/ -- has updated PDF lists of places offering free meals, free shelter, etc.

This is the free meal list: it's a list of around 20 places in San Francisco serving free meals. Some serve every day, some serve several meals a day:

http://www.freeprintshop.org/download/eats_english.pdf

Similar, but arranged by day/time, which might be more convenient:

http://images.wikia.com/sfhomeless/images/e/e2/Daily-Meals.p...

*

And, for more resources in San Francisco:

http://sfhomeless.wikia.com/wiki/San_Francisco_Homeless_Reso...

[stolen_y]

Thank you

[zaph0d]

Hello stolen_y, we might have the right kind of gig for you. We are based in SF city. Please send me an email as soon as you can. bg@helpshift. com

[bobby_9x]

Why not find contracts on sites like Craigslist? When I was unemployed, this is what I did for a year. It's not easy, but all you need is an email account and a laptop.

It sounds like you have both, since you are posting on HN.

[stolen_y]

I have found a few small gigs, but not enough to keep me going. I keep applying, reworking my CV, pitch, etc., but it is seemingly difficult.

[_pius]

Don't get so down on yourself, things will turn around.

Can you post more about what your skill set is exactly? That'll make it easier for people to help.

[stolen_y]

Edited my post to put some of my skills.

My resiliency has kept me alive, but the cold hard reality of not having anyone to turn to or any other options is kicking me down. I will even have to sell my laptop tomorrow, making my search even harder.