Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

> It feels like you could easily pick up any entry level dev job? HN would always surprise me.

Don't underestimate the extreme prejudice in tech hiring. Everyone's looking out for "red flags" and excuses to turn down a candidate. It's especially bad if you don't have either 1) recent, relevant education, or 2) recent, relevant industry experience. Open source participation might save you but not as often as you'd think, if only because few people have time for substantial open source projects and if you have non-substantial contributions, that's rarely enough to overcome the prejudice.

Add any other things that work against you, for example lack of employment, ugly face, awkward speech or shy presence, yeah a lot of companies are just going to think you're a loser, or at least not the talented individual they need. Those who can afford to train people (= hire for entry level positions) are usually larger companies that siphon fresh grads and interns, and they seem to have enough supply that they don't need to look for people on the streets.

In short, very few companies are willing to take chances with someone who hasn't made it through the filters already, unless they see something exceptional. And the entry level filters are heavily biased in favor of students, and against unemployed people.

Unfortunately not, I don't have the requisite qualifications to actually enter university here.

Try contacting https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DoreenMichele, see contact info in her profile — she's been homeless (though in US IIUC) and writes openly about that, and about helping people in this unfortunate situation, she might hopefully be able to help and support you in some practical ways.

My initial thought was to suggest jumping right into freelance tech work, but after reading this comment I’ve changed my position.

Get whatever help you can from the government (and possibly a church as someone else suggested), then get a job - any job that gives your life some stability and structure, as well as some income. When you are back on your feet a little bit and have taken care of the necessities, namely food and shelter, start looking into doing some freelance work with whatever technical skills you have. I would focus on remote work - there are plenty of sites where you can sign up to do work for $50 or $100. A few hours of work maybe. That can help you build up some experience and you can use that to get more business (at higher rates) or help you land a job in technology.

I suggest remote freelance work because your appearance and clothing aren’t going to be an issue, and it should be easier to work around the schedule of your other job.

I’d also advise you seek out some mental health services. I’m not assuming anything about you or attempting to diagnose you, but at the very least being able to talk to someone about your situation and the circumstances that led to it will help you prevent it from happening again and help you move forward. If you are suffering from depression or substance abuse problems then by all means get help with that as well. I’m not sure about the Netherlands, but in the US there are some non-profit organizations that are specifically focused on helping the former homeless get back into the working world, even going as far as conducting mock interviews to improve your skills, and providing professional clothes to wear. You may be able to find something similar where you live.

Most importantly, know that there’s a community here that is in your corner and wants to see you improve your situation. Make sure you come back and give us an update when things improve.

BS.