
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&#x27;t had a lot of luck. I have been very nervous in interviews, told my experience wasn&#x27;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.<p>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&#x27;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.<p>Edit:
Regarding skills: Experienced with universal JavaScript (client &amp; 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).
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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](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/](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](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...](http://images.wikia.com/sfhomeless/images/e/e2/Daily-Meals.pdf)

*

And, for more resources in San Francisco:

[http://sfhomeless.wikia.com/wiki/San_Francisco_Homeless_Reso...](http://sfhomeless.wikia.com/wiki/San_Francisco_Homeless_Resource)

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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

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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.

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_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.

~~~
_pius
OK, I have a small (few hundred dollar) gig I can farm out to you. If you can
get it done by Friday, I'll pay you the same day. Ping me.

~~~
stolen_y
Sent you an email

