I only have a desktop. I thought about getting office space from the chamber of commerce for 250 per month... and I can use their fridge to save money on food (Greek yogurt, Jimmy Dean sandwiches, and string cheese is all I need)...
Don’t rent an office space. You dont have the runway to make that work given the current tech market. Focus on getting a solid enough job to get you actual housing. Temp agency, county jobs program, take anything that will pay you a living wage and provide stability.
> I only have a desktop.
Sell it. It's a paperweight for you right now. You can find a really nice open-box/used laptop for $300-400 that will allow you to work from anywhere. You can charge the laptop at a cafe or a library. $5 for coffee and you have a working space to take calls and work.
DC-AC Inverter will let you run the laptop from the car as a last resort..
Usually there exist also dedicated car chargers for the lighter socket.
will cost you energy though, making battery less reliable or wasting fuel. Best to charge where you get energy for free.
Chamber of Commerce is swimming with other hungry sharks. You'd be better off finding a coworking space (NOT a chain one like WeWork). Talk to the owner and explain your situation, ask for a month or two discount while you get your bearings and attend every meetup they have. Meet everyone, tell your story, share your skills. A small community will help take care of you in ways a CoC will not.
Kiln just opened in St George, I have a dedicated desk, but they have non dedicated desks for I think $150 or so, and has more amenities (and free snacks/coffee to save a little on food costs)
Is this a joke? Genuinely the worst advice I have ever read on this site.
> Start taking on as much contract work doing "freelance tech" that I can find
Why do you think he could find any?
Stop driving Lyft/Uber. It's for those who don't have any skills beyond driving a car.
Sit down and determine what are the skills that you currently possess that are the most valuable on the market right now. Then sell those to the highest bidder.
My two cents, that isn't a job.
> I know I can earn 3-4x more doing freelance tech, but I can’t do that from a car.
Yes, you can. That's a limiting belief; it's just holding you back. All you need is a laptop. Need to make a meeting? Go to a local cafe. Nobody will even notice. More importantly, if you're doing remote contract work, perfectly acceptable to ask a percentage of the total upfront. That will go a long way to get you out of a car and into an apartment quickly.
> What would YOU do in my situation to break the cycle?
1. Stop driving Uber, stop renting motels, stop paying any bills, bring my costs down to near zero.
2. Start taking on as much contract work doing "freelance tech" that I can find, with as much paid upfront as possible.
3. Once I have 10k in the bank, rent an apartment and start cleaning up whatever mess is left.
4. Start making quality of life decisions. Maybe you don't want contract, but want a job? Maybe a nicer laptop? Closer to your kids? Live your life.
#1 is the hardest, because you're risking everything on your ability to deliver. You have to believe in yourself.