Have you considered gig work on Fiverr? (Or similar. There are many others, e.g. PeoplePerHour.com) You're an American and speak English, so you've got a leg up over a lot of your potential competitors. And since you actually know how to code, you'll probably do much better work than the low-effort vibe-coders who have taken over all such platforms.
If I were you, I'd build a profile on all of those sites, and post multiple listings on all of them.
As for AI, just consider it natural language coding with severe memory/context limitations and you've got the gist of it. Since you don't have money to burn on subscriptions or API tokens right now, use this: https://chat.deepseek.com/
Those markets are very bad for anyone at the moment. With AI this, AI that, there is a higher likelyhood of building suboptimal things in weekends than outsourcing small projects to subject matter experts.
For the dogs situation, I would recommend reaching out to petfriendly groups for help, and vetenerians that might do things probono.
This is a serious situation, and as a human, you are more valuable than a dog. You need to prioritize yourself over the dogs. Maybe look for a temporary shelter or a foster program for your pets, and when you are doing well, you will be able to take care of them again.
I understand the sentiment but it's understated how important a dog is/can be for people, especially those living alone. OP should be aware of all options but a win-win solution enabling them to keep the dogs is paramount.
I have big concerns about the "tying them up in the woods" part, however, and do not want to be verbose with my thoughts without being prompted by OP.
I can relate to your situation. I strongly suggest you broaden your job search and look for anything that pays decently. A lot of this will depend on your geo location. Maybe some sort of night time work will help with the dog situation until you get back on your feet. Happy to expand more but just a quick start. Best of luck to you
"former software developer" does not say much... which field of expertise, which tech stack are you comfortable with ?
In current AI trends coding means very little compared to system design, solution architecture and (argh!) prompt/context engineering... any proven experience there ? a public portfolio ?
and i am sorry, but it does not seem feasible you can afford pets currently...
I'm sorry to say but it sounds like you cannot afford dogs. They will likely be better off somewhere else with someone who has some financial means.
You need to figure out how to rent a room, or even a garage or ADU from someone. It is going to be drastically easier without the dogs. Maybe you can find someone you know who will take the dogs so you can still visit?
You then need to find ANY job. Drive uber for 30 hours a week, study and practice coding/AI skills/resume building for 20 hours a week, etc.
I find it highly unlikely you're going to go from living on the streets to a high paid dev job. Instead, you need to make a realistic three year plan.
You cannot keep your dogs and expect to do this, you tried, it was a noble effort, but you gotta give them up man. It's just too hard to find cheap places to rent. You need a home base to stay healthy enough to sleep, study, and learn the new skills you need.
Free or low-cost neutering, obviously location-dependent (lists)
https://www.bestiepaws.com/nearby/free-or-low-cost-dog-neute...
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/low-cost-spa...
(CA only)
https://lowincomerelief.com/california-pets-resources/
Have you considered gig work on Fiverr? (Or similar. There are many others, e.g. PeoplePerHour.com) You're an American and speak English, so you've got a leg up over a lot of your potential competitors. And since you actually know how to code, you'll probably do much better work than the low-effort vibe-coders who have taken over all such platforms.
If I were you, I'd build a profile on all of those sites, and post multiple listings on all of them.
As for AI, just consider it natural language coding with severe memory/context limitations and you've got the gist of it. Since you don't have money to burn on subscriptions or API tokens right now, use this: https://chat.deepseek.com/
Those markets are very bad for anyone at the moment. With AI this, AI that, there is a higher likelyhood of building suboptimal things in weekends than outsourcing small projects to subject matter experts.
For the dogs situation, I would recommend reaching out to petfriendly groups for help, and vetenerians that might do things probono.
This is a serious situation, and as a human, you are more valuable than a dog. You need to prioritize yourself over the dogs. Maybe look for a temporary shelter or a foster program for your pets, and when you are doing well, you will be able to take care of them again.
I think firstly you should send the dogs somewhere. They won't help you to get more money/find an apartment.
I understand the sentiment but it's understated how important a dog is/can be for people, especially those living alone. OP should be aware of all options but a win-win solution enabling them to keep the dogs is paramount. I have big concerns about the "tying them up in the woods" part, however, and do not want to be verbose with my thoughts without being prompted by OP.
He can send them wherever he wants, but they don't help him to survive, unless he gets into a fight with other animals or humans.
I can relate to your situation. I strongly suggest you broaden your job search and look for anything that pays decently. A lot of this will depend on your geo location. Maybe some sort of night time work will help with the dog situation until you get back on your feet. Happy to expand more but just a quick start. Best of luck to you
Where are you, roughly?
Do you have any family/friends you could stay at? This situation is preventing you from taking the time to make smart next-moves.
Sometimes, gut feeling guides well!
get a coffee job first. Especially if your daily cost now includes token
"former software developer" does not say much... which field of expertise, which tech stack are you comfortable with ? In current AI trends coding means very little compared to system design, solution architecture and (argh!) prompt/context engineering... any proven experience there ? a public portfolio ? and i am sorry, but it does not seem feasible you can afford pets currently...
1. Give the dogs away. You can't take care of other beings until you can take care of yourself.
2. Get a job on a ship doing dishes or anything else. Then you have an income and free food and board. As well as time off to plan your next move.
Ask people in your neighborhood if you can walk their dogs for money.
I'm sorry to say but it sounds like you cannot afford dogs. They will likely be better off somewhere else with someone who has some financial means.
You need to figure out how to rent a room, or even a garage or ADU from someone. It is going to be drastically easier without the dogs. Maybe you can find someone you know who will take the dogs so you can still visit?
You then need to find ANY job. Drive uber for 30 hours a week, study and practice coding/AI skills/resume building for 20 hours a week, etc.
I find it highly unlikely you're going to go from living on the streets to a high paid dev job. Instead, you need to make a realistic three year plan.
You cannot keep your dogs and expect to do this, you tried, it was a noble effort, but you gotta give them up man. It's just too hard to find cheap places to rent. You need a home base to stay healthy enough to sleep, study, and learn the new skills you need.