[cwilson]

As others have said, you need to get out of that town.

I live in San Francisco and love it, but the cost of living here isn't exactly low and unless you have a job lined up or are already freelancing, it's going to be tough.

Instead consider other towns. Others have already mentioned Seattle, but I'd also consider Austin, specially because you mentioned both tech AND audio engineering. Austin is the live music capital of the world for a reason, and it has a great tech scene to boot (not to mention a really low cost of living... I say all of this being born and raised in Austin).

If you'd like some contacts in Austin (or more advice) I know of a few tech startups hiring, freelancers who could help you find good first gigs, and have a ton of friends and even family in the music industry in the city. Shoot me an email and I'll see what I can do: [e-mail]