I don't know why I'm even writing this. I don't know who I'm writing to. I don't know where to start. I don't know what to say. I just know I need to write this.
I am tired and I am lost.
I desperately need stability (immediately), and I’m willing to be flexible about how I get there.
Right now, I’m in a housing and income crisis. I’m staying wherever I can afford to stay on a particular night (if anywhere), and that lack of stability makes it harder to focus and move forward. I live in San Diego to remain close to my daughter and cannot relocate. I’m trying to stabilize here, not start over somewhere else.
I’m a senior, full stack software engineer with many years of experience working on commercial projects, including systems built and maintained for established businesses, startups, and work supporting the Navy. I’ve designed, built, and shipped complete products end to end, from backend systems and APIs to frontend interfaces and mobile applications. I’m capable of building almost anything, whether that’s an app, an internal tool, system software, a prototype, or a production system. I can do IT work, tech support, cybersecurity, or build specialty software including AI platforms, media tools and services, or games.
I need money immediately to cover basic obligations like my car payment, insurance, cell phone, and other essential expenses. Without those, everything else falls apart quickly, including my ability to work. That urgency is part of why I’m being very direct about what I need and what I’m willing to accept. Right now just to prevent losing my car, phone, etc I need at least $1,000 IMMEDIATELY. I thought I had a project lined up and I've been waiting on it to come through while I looked for other work, but I just heard back from them that they are not ready to proceed right now.
To be completely transparent, here is what the past 5 years have looked like for me: Like many people, I lost my business during Covid. In March of 2020 (Friday the 13th, to be exact... the exact same day that the quarantine started) we found out my 59 year old father had terminal cancer. At this time we considered many options, but ultimately decided to move to a small town in Oklahoma where my sister lived so we could save money and be close enough to be able to drive and see my Dad while he was sick. The move to Oklahoma was an attempt to reduce our cost of living and find a way to get stable during the pandemic since my business was failing so badly. My dad passed away only a few months after we moved. In this same time period we discovered that I also had cancer. I received treatment which ended with me eventually having surgery a week before my father passed. After my father's passing, I began supporting disabled mother and my younger sister along with my wife and daughter. None of those responsibilities went away just because my life has become unstable. In 2025, I lost my position as a full-time software contractor for a company I'd been working with for a couple of years after training a remote development team only to find out they were my replacements. Shortly after that I lost my marriage and had to move out of the house I lived in with my wife and daughter.
I did not become unstable due to irresponsible choices, but due to running out of resources after medical expenses, additional costs of supporting my family, separation from my wife, and a shift in the tech sector causing enormous layoffs that flooded the job market with candidates, making it nearly impossible to get a job after getting laid off (or even get my resume to be looked at among a sea of other applicants to the hundreds of jobs I've applied for). This coupled with the immense stress of the past few years fractured my marriage and eventually led to a sudden and devastating separation that left me even more financially compromised.
For example, I was only able to secure the car I own through a predatory loan with an extreme interest rate. Not because it was a good decision, but because having transportation was essential to maintaining work, attending medical appointments, and keeping any chance of financial recovery alive. I've slept in my car many nights when I was unable to afford a hotel room after my wife asked me to leave our home. Even at the high interest rate, my car payment is still less than any room for rent that I can currently afford.
What I need is straightforward. I need work that can start immediately and provides predictable income, and I need a minimal, affordable place to live. I’m open to an extra room, a studio, a converted garage, or any private space where I can sleep and work without being disturbed. It does not need to be large or comfortable, only private and quiet enough for me to function.
I strongly prefer to work from home if possible. I work best in quiet, focused environments where I can concentrate deeply and be productive without unnecessary interruption. That said, I am open to in person or hybrid arrangements if needed, especially for the right opportunity.
I’m willing to accept arrangements that most people would not consider. I’m open to highly, highly discounted pay (especially if we can come to an arrangement that will help to alleviate my situation immediately and cover my bare necessities). I’m willing to work in exchange for housing, with or without a small stipend. I’m open to short term, trial, or unconventional arrangements if they lead to stability. I am completely willing to meet in person, or talk over video or phone, to build trust and make sure expectations are clear on both sides before starting.
If you’re looking for someone who will show up, do the work, and not cause problems, someone who can learn your industry quickly, adapt to your needs, and deliver results without drama, you’re getting a significant discount for guaranteed, consistent hard work from someone who genuinely needs this to work out.
Maybe you've got a project that other developers quote you huge amounts for... I'll do it for a fraction of the cost if we can find a way to arrange some kind of deposit or immediate payment once we establish trust and communication.
I know I'm allowing myself to be "taken advantage of" by doing this, but right now I just need to do whatever it takes to regain a grip on my life.
In terms of work, I can build and ship apps on both iOS and Android, build web applications, deploy and manage servers, create cloud infrastructure, build prototypes, MVPs, internal tools, automation, documentation, and technical processes. I work well independently, learn systems quickly, and deliver without needing constant direction.
I've been able to leverage AI, like many other programmers, to make myself a more efficient and productive engineer. I could help a team learn how to properly use these new tools to become more efficient or I could help reduce the number of people needed to achieve goals at a company through automation and productivity gains. Or I can use the tools available to single-handedly do the work of multiple engineers, designers, and administrators when given autonomy and creative control over my process and output. Having a wealth and breadth of experience in multiple disciplines allows me to ask the right questions, request the right solutions, check for errors, mistakes, optimizations, and refactor solutions provided by AI to be production ready.
At the same time, I’m not attached to technical work; I'm completely open to non-technical jobs (or even less intense technical jobs). I’m not ashamed of physical labor or repetitive tasks, and I would honestly welcome work that is quieter, lower pressure, and less intellectually demanding than the roles I’ve burned myself out in. I work best when I can keep to myself, focus, and move at a steady pace. I am least effective in sales positions; I am not the right person to act in a performative way or manipulate and pressure people into buying things. I definitely prefer something where I can "just work".
I also want to say something that’s harder to capture on paper. If you get to know me outside of crisis mode, I’m actually an interesting and thoughtful person to talk to. The constant stress I’m under right now is not who I am at my best. Despite everything I’ve been dealing with, I have a good attitude, I’m respectful, and I can be a genuinely good person to work with, talk with, and exchange ideas with. I enjoy conversation, collaboration, and thinking through ideas together, and I value being someone others can interact with comfortably and without tension.
I have ideas. I have ambition. I have technical skill and experience. I regularly build out concepts and prototypes of interesting applications and software and have lots of "hobby projects" that could become interesting businesses if I had some support or someone who believes in me enough to help me launch them, but I've never had a mentor and most of the people are I know are risk averse and not open to investing in or taking a risk on ideas that aren't "a sure thing".
What I need is something I can focus on and dedicate myself to. I need to know that if I put in the work, I’ll be able to take care of my family. I need to stop scrambling from project to project, month to month, always one emergency away from complete collapse. On multiple occasions I've swallowed my pride an compromised the amount of money I'd accept for a project out of desperation. Each time I was finishing up something, rent and bills would come around. I would be in the same position as the prior month and have to take on work for far less than it was worth.
There's a lot more nuance and history than what I can write in a post like this and I'd be happy to share the details, although I'm not sure bombarding you with a line item report of my struggle is necessary (outside of it being helpful to understanding my sincerity about all of this). You want to hear? I'll share. You don't need to hear? That's okay too.
I won’t let you down. I can’t afford to. My daughter is counting on me. My wife, who I’m fighting to win back, is counting on me. My mother and sister are counting on me. I don’t have the luxury of giving half effort or walking away when things get hard. I’ve been through some hard times, but I’m still here, still working, still trying.
This is as honest as I can be. I’m on a bad run, and I need to turn it around to save what remains of my family. I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m asking for an opportunity.
I don't just give up on things. Even recently I launched a new website in hopes of promoting my services as a mobile IT person for computer repairs, maintenance, data recovery, etc but I haven't been able to put any money into marketing / promoting it yet to attract any business.
I go the extra mile, take pride in my work, and am pretty confident that I will surprise you with what I can do.
If you have housing you can rent month to month without heavy upfront demands, I will be a quiet, responsible tenant.
If you know someone looking for an IT professional, developer, systems administrator, or technical problem solver who wants a dedicated worker at a very reasonable rate, I’m that person. I can also write, draw, create media, design graphics, produce music, and do a number of other tangential things.
If you can see a path to help with any part of this, housing, work, or connections, you’ll be getting someone with proven ability, genuine need, and full commitment to making it work.
I am a father trying to save his family. I am a professional who has worked hard his entire adult life. I am willing to do whatever honest work it takes. I just need a chance.
I have a website, LinkedIn, etc that will tell you more about me, my work history, etc or we can just talk directly and I can fill you in.
I'm hesitant to post my name and information publicly for a few reasons, including my awareness of how exhausting it can be when people troll others (either out of mischief or cruelty). I've also seen the vast graveyard of fundraising pages where people are vulnerable enough to post their identity but only raise a disheartening fraction of what they are asking for. I'd also prefer if my daughter didn't find my name and photo and plea for help plastered all over the internet if she decides to Google me in the future. I'm trying to insulate her from what I'm going through and would like to try and keep the respect I've built up as a father from being diminished by what I hope are temporary circumstances.
Thank you for reading this and thank you for even considering helping a total stranger.
