The post struck me the same way as well. In particular, how he mentioned more than once that he was ready to give it an "earnest attempt" this time. As if there were other times he was on his way up but didn't fully commit (I imagine he said the same to his friends/family).
All in all, I wish him the best but I won't help. I think he's fully capable of pulling this off himself and I hope he does.
It's a bit inappropriate to use third person in a person's presence.
I never said such things to family and friends in recent years. Past help was simply for food before finally giving in to obtain EBT. Once I lost my vehicle, it was easy to qualify for food help. Your speculation is not correct in this case.
I've worked odd jobs in recent years for food money, or for other consumables such as clothing or toiletries. Such work has dried up or become infeasible. I am in a remote area unsheltered. There's one coworking space within biking (or in my current routine, walking) distance.
It's far more difficult than you realize to "pull myself up" with no resources to do so, not even transportation such as a bicycle, as well as while under pressure for my next meal.
If you really must know, I have a hearing condition that prevents me from being able to use any power tools or play music. I gave up performing and recording music a long time ago. I have tried doing labor jobs but am limited on the types of blue collar jobs I can sustain, lest my tinnitus and hyperacusis flare up. It has taken me decades of managing sound exposure in order for my T and H to become manageable.
In my current predicament, I have a backpack with my phone, a hydro flask, phone charger, and personal docs/wallet. I walk everywhere. I have warm clothes stashed many miles where I am safe, from any stores/non-residential areas.
Programming stress affect my T and H but I have little choice but to try again and attempt to find a balance that minimizes stress for a given sustained effort.
I have turned down programming opportunities while homeless in recent years. Less social than most, yes. Programming while homeless especially during the pandemic where even Starbucks has no outlets is not as feasible as one would think, to say the least.
Programming in public is not for everyone. In the past (5-15 years ago), I worked most productively from home. No distractions. Coworking space is a suitable interim compromise.
I tried a large coworking space about four years ago. Large, loud crowds and shoulder surfing not dissimilar from a coffee shop. The local coworking space here is a small boutique shop.
Per other comment, any transient work done in recent years was non-technical. One exception: I tried doing one local full stack programming job last fall on an old laptop. Spent better part of a week setting up my env on a machine with a 7,200 RPM HDD and 4GB RAM. (I use VBox at a minimum for Linux server dev work). Gave up after a week of frustration.
If you'd like more info on my personal situation I'd prefer to discuss it in a more private context.
> criminal record
I have no criminal record.
> drugs, weed, alcohol
I don't use drugs, haven't smoked any weed in some time, and rarely drink (maybe a few drinks in recent years).
I burned out on programming years ago and went through a bunch of other difficult life changing events simultaneously. The pressure added up and overwhelmed me. I don't have any family nor long term friends within 2,000 miles.
Legitimate questions.
Yes, I am quite capable. I've tried getting back on my feet but need an organized effort to have hope to actually sustain any productivity in line with my historical norms prior to going homeless.
Part of this process has involved getting past burnout, which I feel has occurred.
Also, I'd like to get even with Dr. Hathaway (moral imperative). This last statement is just a joke but may resonate with some.
Perhaps someone will hire me for very lowball, low stress coding work. I can sling PHP, MySQL, Python, JS, Node, MVC frameworks, build API's or perhaps spend time learning TS or whatever you kids do. I have a lot of experience with Windows, Linux, Mac, I know AWS basics, automated test development processes, continuous integration, strong comprehension of business processes, etc. Background in EE/CS fundamentals. I've dabbled with many more languages and stacks. PHP/MySQL with or without a framework, and/or any modern front end framework are the most obvious fits where I can immediately produce.
Thus, no charity, just an advance to do practical work. Please don't throw something at me I don't know or can't easily learn. I don't know solidity or salesforce for instance and would probably fail trying to quickly ramp up on such tech.
FAANG etc are not in my future. I work best as a 1099 remotely on small/medium projects. I've independently managed complex monoliths up to 300 tables in a RDBMS but can work on granular archs as well.
OP, you should try posting on Reddit if you haven’t already. There are subs where people can request money they desperately need and subs where people who are more familiar with homelessness can give better advice.
I recommend you get ear plugs if you haven’t already. Our environment is terribly loud and most people don’t realize how useful earplugs are. A pack costs like $5 but in your case I think they’d be worth it.
If you provide general location (like city, county, or state) and what you’ve already tried, maybe someone could direct you to more specific help like opportunities in your area or places where you can stay and people won’t rob you and treat you like shit.
Unfortunately I really don’t know much about homelessness except that it’s a vicious feedback loop (hard to get a job when you don’t have sleep food shelter security). Your story sounds reasonable and you have my sympathy, but I don’t have a solution.
I don't have a reddit account but could try tomorrow. I am ideologically opposed to using reddit but can override that and try anyway. It's a large community after all.
I have a lot of experience with plugs, muffs, musician-specific molded flat freq response earplugs, and noise cancelling headphones and earbuds.
Even using plugs and muffs doesn't work for loud power tools like a miter saw. The vibrations are too much. A small slip up with earmuffs and a single miter saw cut puts me in hell for days on end. I can't live in cities. I have issues in any structure generally, but have found that bose noise cancelling earbuds are good for sleep in a residential suburb/rural area.
Plugs increase my perception of T. Even covering my ear increases it.
Bose noise cancelling buds seem to alleviate the T. There are other brands that apparently are effective for managing T. iqbuds iirc. More $$$. I do not have any headphones or muffs at this time.
I was a prof. musician briefly, played loud rock music for a long time, worked in high end music studios, worked loud construction jobs incl'g concrete cutting, and somewhat frequented loud dance clubs as a teen. It added up to a reduced quality of life and struggle for the past >20 years.
I can get by on light noise jobs with buds and muffs, but surpisingly many contractors think I am a dork slinging wheelbarrows around with muffs on and won't bring me on public facing jobs.
Eventually, any sustained exposure to sound invokes stress, then anger. This has consistently been the case on any attempt to do blue collar work in recent years. The only solution that works is low stress (hence -- in part -- current situation of no coding for years), and low noise (I sleep in a peaceful spot in the countryside outdoors).
I am still walking all the time. I am very healthy as a result physically but working on top of that in any sustained capacity has been challenging.
I've exhausted resources here that will work. I can get rental assistance if I have a lease in hand. It's there for me but I need a place first. Getting a proper lease will require professional work and proof of recent income. Chicken / egg / hard boiled.
The shelters here are not suitable. I really just need to work in my profession, which is computers, build some capital and regroup. It's possible. Uphill is far more appealing to me now than constantly mulling suicide due to destitution. I've experienced a gnarly cycle of being partially housed to inadequately housed to unhoused, back and forth numerous times this past year. Each downgrade invokes more stress and helplessness. I'd like to try a different path now.
Yes, I've sought lots of help locally, have been robbed, conned, and exposed to criminality by drug users and the like. I've learned more than expected about street life and the struggles of the poverty wage class. It's a bitter sweet mix. A number of folks with little will give you the shirt off of their back. Humbling experience in many respects. I'm still here because many people don't view relationships merely as transactional. It's been an eye opener.
I've kept notes on help provided by others and would also like to compensate them in return when possible.
Look. I’ll be completely honest. I obviously don’t understand the complexities of being homeless, so I apologize if I’m missing something. But a person that claims to be homeless and trying to focus on getting electronics to code, to me doesn’t have their priorities straight. I may not understand your situation, but that’s what I feel. You are not obligated to demonstrate anything to me or anyone, however.
You seem like a sane and eloquent person and I would think that in todays market you should be able to use the same eloquence to get a job at a local non-corp place that will understand your situation as long as you put out decent work. Not being a drug or alcohol user gives you a great advantage over a big portion of the workforce, and even bigger over most people in your situation.
8 comments
[ 4.9 ms ] story [ 30.6 ms ] threadAll in all, I wish him the best but I won't help. I think he's fully capable of pulling this off himself and I hope he does.
I never said such things to family and friends in recent years. Past help was simply for food before finally giving in to obtain EBT. Once I lost my vehicle, it was easy to qualify for food help. Your speculation is not correct in this case.
I've worked odd jobs in recent years for food money, or for other consumables such as clothing or toiletries. Such work has dried up or become infeasible. I am in a remote area unsheltered. There's one coworking space within biking (or in my current routine, walking) distance.
It's far more difficult than you realize to "pull myself up" with no resources to do so, not even transportation such as a bicycle, as well as while under pressure for my next meal.
If you really must know, I have a hearing condition that prevents me from being able to use any power tools or play music. I gave up performing and recording music a long time ago. I have tried doing labor jobs but am limited on the types of blue collar jobs I can sustain, lest my tinnitus and hyperacusis flare up. It has taken me decades of managing sound exposure in order for my T and H to become manageable.
In my current predicament, I have a backpack with my phone, a hydro flask, phone charger, and personal docs/wallet. I walk everywhere. I have warm clothes stashed many miles where I am safe, from any stores/non-residential areas.
Programming stress affect my T and H but I have little choice but to try again and attempt to find a balance that minimizes stress for a given sustained effort.
Thanks for your well wishes.
I have turned down programming opportunities while homeless in recent years. Less social than most, yes. Programming while homeless especially during the pandemic where even Starbucks has no outlets is not as feasible as one would think, to say the least.
Programming in public is not for everyone. In the past (5-15 years ago), I worked most productively from home. No distractions. Coworking space is a suitable interim compromise.
I tried a large coworking space about four years ago. Large, loud crowds and shoulder surfing not dissimilar from a coffee shop. The local coworking space here is a small boutique shop.
Per other comment, any transient work done in recent years was non-technical. One exception: I tried doing one local full stack programming job last fall on an old laptop. Spent better part of a week setting up my env on a machine with a 7,200 RPM HDD and 4GB RAM. (I use VBox at a minimum for Linux server dev work). Gave up after a week of frustration.
If you'd like more info on my personal situation I'd prefer to discuss it in a more private context.
> criminal record
I have no criminal record.
> drugs, weed, alcohol
I don't use drugs, haven't smoked any weed in some time, and rarely drink (maybe a few drinks in recent years).
I burned out on programming years ago and went through a bunch of other difficult life changing events simultaneously. The pressure added up and overwhelmed me. I don't have any family nor long term friends within 2,000 miles.
Legitimate questions.
Yes, I am quite capable. I've tried getting back on my feet but need an organized effort to have hope to actually sustain any productivity in line with my historical norms prior to going homeless.
Part of this process has involved getting past burnout, which I feel has occurred.
Also, I'd like to get even with Dr. Hathaway (moral imperative). This last statement is just a joke but may resonate with some.
Thus, no charity, just an advance to do practical work. Please don't throw something at me I don't know or can't easily learn. I don't know solidity or salesforce for instance and would probably fail trying to quickly ramp up on such tech.
FAANG etc are not in my future. I work best as a 1099 remotely on small/medium projects. I've independently managed complex monoliths up to 300 tables in a RDBMS but can work on granular archs as well.
I recommend you get ear plugs if you haven’t already. Our environment is terribly loud and most people don’t realize how useful earplugs are. A pack costs like $5 but in your case I think they’d be worth it.
If you provide general location (like city, county, or state) and what you’ve already tried, maybe someone could direct you to more specific help like opportunities in your area or places where you can stay and people won’t rob you and treat you like shit.
Unfortunately I really don’t know much about homelessness except that it’s a vicious feedback loop (hard to get a job when you don’t have sleep food shelter security). Your story sounds reasonable and you have my sympathy, but I don’t have a solution.
I don't have a reddit account but could try tomorrow. I am ideologically opposed to using reddit but can override that and try anyway. It's a large community after all.
I have a lot of experience with plugs, muffs, musician-specific molded flat freq response earplugs, and noise cancelling headphones and earbuds.
Even using plugs and muffs doesn't work for loud power tools like a miter saw. The vibrations are too much. A small slip up with earmuffs and a single miter saw cut puts me in hell for days on end. I can't live in cities. I have issues in any structure generally, but have found that bose noise cancelling earbuds are good for sleep in a residential suburb/rural area.
Plugs increase my perception of T. Even covering my ear increases it.
Bose noise cancelling buds seem to alleviate the T. There are other brands that apparently are effective for managing T. iqbuds iirc. More $$$. I do not have any headphones or muffs at this time.
I was a prof. musician briefly, played loud rock music for a long time, worked in high end music studios, worked loud construction jobs incl'g concrete cutting, and somewhat frequented loud dance clubs as a teen. It added up to a reduced quality of life and struggle for the past >20 years.
I can get by on light noise jobs with buds and muffs, but surpisingly many contractors think I am a dork slinging wheelbarrows around with muffs on and won't bring me on public facing jobs.
Eventually, any sustained exposure to sound invokes stress, then anger. This has consistently been the case on any attempt to do blue collar work in recent years. The only solution that works is low stress (hence -- in part -- current situation of no coding for years), and low noise (I sleep in a peaceful spot in the countryside outdoors).
I am still walking all the time. I am very healthy as a result physically but working on top of that in any sustained capacity has been challenging.
I've exhausted resources here that will work. I can get rental assistance if I have a lease in hand. It's there for me but I need a place first. Getting a proper lease will require professional work and proof of recent income. Chicken / egg / hard boiled.
The shelters here are not suitable. I really just need to work in my profession, which is computers, build some capital and regroup. It's possible. Uphill is far more appealing to me now than constantly mulling suicide due to destitution. I've experienced a gnarly cycle of being partially housed to inadequately housed to unhoused, back and forth numerous times this past year. Each downgrade invokes more stress and helplessness. I'd like to try a different path now.
Yes, I've sought lots of help locally, have been robbed, conned, and exposed to criminality by drug users and the like. I've learned more than expected about street life and the struggles of the poverty wage class. It's a bitter sweet mix. A number of folks with little will give you the shirt off of their back. Humbling experience in many respects. I'm still here because many people don't view relationships merely as transactional. It's been an eye opener.
I've kept notes on help provided by others and would also like to compensate them in return when possible.
You seem like a sane and eloquent person and I would think that in todays market you should be able to use the same eloquence to get a job at a local non-corp place that will understand your situation as long as you put out decent work. Not being a drug or alcohol user gives you a great advantage over a big portion of the workforce, and even bigger over most people in your situation.