[notsure357]

Your dreams of making it in AI sound far fetched to me. I would look for a more solid career path such as within a trade. Learn basic plumbing or electrical work. You might be able to find someplace to work as an apprentice as you learn too.

[gremlinsinc]

I was making 50 per hour doing freelance programming two years ago but I've had trouble finding clients and then I didn't have a place to work from, making it even harder. That's my biggest obstacle. I've got 10+years experience with PHP, JavaScript, laravel. etc...

[prawn]

Is there a reason you're hooked on the desktop computer? Maybe you invested a lot in it as a gaming setup? I'd offload it, get a laptop and you're then capable of charging at a library, working there or in the car, in a park, etc. If you're on the cusp of a worsening situation, gaming might be the least of your worries.

Lots of people live in vehicles quite intentionally. It's harder and very often not ideal, but I don't think it's your biggest issue here.

[gremlinsinc]

it's got PHP and tooling and Arch Linux it's just what I'm comfortable with but I've got a MacBook (someone gifted me one from this thread) so yeah I'll definitely be using that for freelancing soon.

[nicoburns]

You could consider looking for a job at a software development "agency" that specialises in those technologies. There should still be plenty of such jobs for an experienced developer (especially if you're willing to accept a lower-then-"big tech"-but-still-good salary).

They'll not only provide you with a regular income (no need to find your own clients), but will likely provide you with a work computer and an office space too.

[jyounker]

I say this as a person who has spent the last month mostly living out a minivan: You need a laptop.

A laptop will vastly expand the number of places you can work from.