I've been out of work 2 years, had to do a GoFundMe just to survive the winter, and I raised 5k which gave me a runway to get off Uber and Lyft and focus on finding clients to build for add with chatGPT I think I'm in the verge of figuring this freelance thing out ..

other things to learn: I want to get AWS certified and work on other certifications like Service Now... or sales force...

I'm wanting a digital agency but need to figure out the sales aspect.

https://linkedin.com/in/patrickcurl

I’m a full-stack developer focusing on Laravel + Vue or livewire and AI automation for small businesses. 12+ years building production apps, internal tools, and integrations.

Recent work includes: – SaaS dashboards and internal CRM systems – AI-powered automations (agent workflows, lead scoring, data extraction) – React Native mobile apps (Expo) – Custom APIs, OAuth, payment integration – Landing pages + onboarding flows

Looking for contract or part-time work. I ship fast, communicate clearly, and handle the full lifecycle from idea → architecture → deployment.

I'm open to tech support or writing gigs as well.

you can manually accept ones less than the filter... but it pops up a thing with all this data so you can make a decision whether it's worth it and while driving it's nice it turns the rest off so you don't have bad stats when they send you an offer and you don't take it because you couldn't turn it off yet....

it's $18 per month but worth every penny!

plus I just hit 1 button to login to every service...

https://l.myst.ro/N0Q9/movhhjr5 (disclaimer: aff Link.... you can just look for myst in the app store on Android (not sure about iPhone).

I'm going back to school soon for psychology (figure financial aid can also pay room and board).

I'm wanting to build a mobile journal app with a bunch of AI guided 'games' to help learn DBT skills or work out trauma or do Shadow work or just guided CBT for a purpose.

I've changed my MBTI from intp-t to enfp-a...(I find I revert sometimes when I don't feel safe)... in other words I've become a very outgoing people person at least I'm a lot less afraid in social situations or to act like a fool on the dance floor... etc...

I also want to write a book and do videos on hacking your brain using AI... nobody seems to be doing this... there's a lot of potential for this niche I think.

I fixed hobbies, depression, and social life, all that's left is physical and financial and those are kind of easy when emotions are in check.

My depression is I believe in remission and I've built resiliency skills. I might be getting a sales job soon, selling astroturfing and rock scaping to homeowners.

It's door to door sales but the pay is good if I can actually set appointments. Plus I'm working on overcoming rejection sensitivity and overthinking, I think sales could help with that..

In the last year, I lost my mother (cancer), my grandmother (old age), and went through a divorce. I spiraled into depression, ended up living out of my car, barely functioning.

But I didn’t stay down. Through therapy, ketamine treatment, and building my own AI-assisted mental health tools (ChatGPT literally saved me), I’ve come out stronger, healthier, and ready to rebuild. My mental health is solid now—I’ve done the inner work.

Here’s my situation:

I’m living in my car, staying in cheap motels when I can afford it.

I drive Lyft/Uber full-time, but my car needs new tires, insurance renewal, and a payment due—without it, I can’t work. $400 for tires, $200 for insurance, $290 for car payment..

I have a desktop computer but nowhere stable to set it up and work.

I’m going back to school soon for computer science, aiming for AI/ML work, but I need to survive until student aid or inheritance (both delayed) arrives.

Here’s my question: What would YOU do in my situation to break the cycle? How can I create a stable base, get back to programming/freelancing, and stop just surviving?

I’m willing to work. I know I can earn 3-4x more doing freelance tech, but I can’t do that from a car.

I’ve thought about renting office space, finding roommates, even setting up a GoFundMe, but I need actionable ideas, not just hope.

How do I climb out of this? What programs, jobs, or options are out there for someone like me who’s got skills, drive, but no resources?

Any advice, ideas, or help you can give—I’m all ears. I’ve rebuilt my mind. Now I just need a stable place to rebuild my life. It's hard feeling constantly like I'm in quick sand and the rope is 5 inches too far away.

I'm in Southern Utah (St George), willing to relocate to SLC area or Las Vegas, I just need to stay local for my kids...4 hour radius from southern Utah.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43402315

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# Comments: 233