Yeah I found him too. SD. His portfolio actually looks really good. Like seriously intermediate to senior level. I think if he kept applying someone would consider him at a discount thinking they were getting good deal for the money.

I've been applying since November and I've run out of money and time, April is the last month we can afford, and interview processes can last weeks. There's like a 5% chance I'll get a job during this time which is why I came here for help. I did get several good pointers from people and am going to follow them. But my programming knowledge is between junior and intermediate despite my experience, since somehow I end up always getting hired by companies that want to do things the weird way instead of the normal way, so I barely have any experience doing any programming the "normal" way. You know, I've always said I want to quit the programming field and just work in a factory, maybe this is my chance.

Dude, work in a factory until you get a programming job. If I was a CIO I would hire you in a heartbeat. You got passion, chops, and obvious dedication, and honestly could probably be got at a steal. I wouldn't give up, personally.

It's like penetration testing...no matter what kind of defenses a company has built... it takes is ONE opening to own all of it.

Thanks for the advice. It may come down to working at a factory and moving my family to the slums so we can afford to live. In fact that's looking more and more likely. We have only enough money for April, and based on my calls today there's pretty much no chance I'll get a job and a paycheck before May.