[nscalf]

I do a ton of different things, but none of them are quickly accessible and all lean off my strengths. I love economics, and MMA, so I've been gambling and trading for years and getting better at them over time. Any unique venture you go into, expect to lose money for a significant period of time (I'm still losing money on making startups).

That being said, you have the most in demand skill set in the world, and you're highly experienced in it. As some others have said, you should extend out the period of the demand here and look for ways to lean on your software background to make more money. So here's a list of items you can take action on: * If you're in an expensive healthcare area, travel to get treatment * Take a loan to extend the time you need that full dollar amount by * Reach out to your network and see if you can find a contract on the side * Find a new job---last I read people are getting a 20% raise finding a new job versus a 4% raise annually. No clue how real those numbers are, but this is business and you are a financial fiduciary for your family. You have obligations to do what is financially sound to take care of your family, and you don't owe anything to a business.

Just a note about good financial hygiene here, at the end of the day it's easier to spend less money than it is to make more money. Making money on different things takes time and practice. I meal prep my food saving hundreds per month on take out. I don't buy a lot of things. I don't own a car, and my rent has been relatively low most of my life. I regularly run through my monthly spending reports and cancel recurring payments. I make all transactions through a credit card for the points and consistently pay it on time. Finances seems to be a game of small wins and allocations. 1% saved money with an average of 8% annual growth over a lifetime becomes a fortune.

[srckinase123]

Interested to know more about your MMA betting. I'm big on MMA too. If you are willing to share, what is your net profit from MMA betting?

Note to OP: I do not recommend gambling or betting to make your side income.

[nscalf]

I’ve done it in such a variety of ways and splitting bets with buddies that it’s become a giant pain to figure out the net profit, but it has been relatively good——it’s definitely not getting me to retire anytime soon. You learn where a lot of the randomness is (heavyweights who can kill each other in a single hit), and where people are able to have asymmetric control of the fight (overwhelmingly dominant wrestlers determining where the fight takes place). Betting on the better wrestler who isn’t extremely outclassed on the feet will probably get you close to +EV.