Ask HN: Who needs help this holidays?

Healthcare costs: Does your uni or city offer free legal consultation? They might be able to help with how to ask your health insurance for monthly rates or a delay in bills.

Rent: How close are you with your friend? Would it be a possibility that they temporarily loan the rent, so that you can cover your unexpected bills?

Work: How close are you too finishing your studies and how close are you to the maximum study duration? If possible, you could reduce the amount of ECTS you're taking for the semester to make time to work up to 20h or more during semester breaks / exam phases. Taking a semester break for paid internships / any work is also a good possibility, unsure what you mean with credit point requirements. You could argue for an official "vacation semester" due to personal hardships. Working any job to make a living and cover your expenses is honorable. If possible, focus on building a track record of technical jobs. How comfortable are you with programming? Please try applying as working student or freelancer to companies in your area, as programming jobs likely pay higher per hour and build career capital for your next application. Likely, mid/large companies have no open headcount at the end of the year, headcount for these companies typically comes early in the following year. Startups, small local companies, and web/marketing agencies looking for freelancers might be different and also are more likely open to hire someone with little experience. Most CS people I know overuse the internet to look for jobs and underutilize their network. Ask fellow students, friends, and extended family if they know any open roles.

Credit: Have you considered taking a Studienkredit or similar type of loan for students?

Wish you the best!

I'm a graduate student in the US, I need some major dental procedures done but am put off by the potential bills (even with a good dental insurance, it would still cost thousands of dollars; a lot of dark patterns, they can't give you a rough quote before doing an expensive checkup).

I did some research myself on where to find more affordable quality dental care in my area, and found that a top dental school nearby would offer care from students at a lower rate, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Happy holidays. :)

"Once I write down my professional experience or we talk, anyone with a brain can tell I'm at the wrong place--I should be working somewhere that's a good job."

The idea being that this sentiment is either stated explicitly by the other person during the interview, or it comes across in tone. I'm not saying or thinking anything like this. I don't feel like I'm owed a "good job". (I do feel entitled to dignity, on the other hand.)

I have been told outright to dumb down my resume and that I'm obviously overqualified. Anyone paying attention can pick up on the clues that I "shouldn't" be there, that it's only a temporary accident that I'm even available, and they're understandably hesitant to say "yes" if they feel they're just going to be back in the same situation looking for another worker shortly down the road, once I get back on my feet. They'd rather take a chance on a so-so worker who's not exactly reliable and is somewhat irresponsible if it means there's a chance that person will be around for an expected 2 or 3 years, rather than me, the wildcard. That leaves the people who aren't able to put things together. Accordingly, working for these people is generally miserable either by accident or takes a turn to being exploitative or abusive by intent (because "the cruelty is the point").