Ask HN: Desperate for a Job, but I'm a disabled from a third world country
I have been physically disabled since 10; I can't talk, I can't stand for long periods. But I can do office work without any problems. I don't have a degree, I only have a high school equivalent degree that got me nowhere, I live in a town in a relatively well-off African country.
My story:
I always liked computers, when I was 14 I used to play with WordPress, and I used to make custom WordPress websites for family and friends, Until a local software agency saw my work, And they hired me to make a custom WordPress plugin in PHP that they sold on Codecanyon, over the years this agency hired me for small projects, I taught myself PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, NodeJS.. and worked hard to convince them to hire me full time. I started from making around $300 (unstable), eventually they hired me full time, my last paycheck was $2000 (well above average in my country).
Sadly, the agency owner passed away in 2023, Me and everybody who worked there were laid off in November 2023, I'm in my early 20s, I don't have a profilo, No CV, No Linkedin, I don't use social media, No degree, I have been living off saving, Now with my saving running out and my family depending on me, I'm desperate to find a way to make a living again.
My title was "software engineer" but i was more of a swiss knife, over the last year at my work I made:
1. A Desktop app and server for internal meetings and communications, I used Typescript, React, Go, WebRTC, Redis, Sqlite, Postgress and Pion.
2. Fixed bugs and collaborated on development and QA for Node.js and Go projects
3. Made a custom WordPress block themes, using React and PHP.
4. Few landing pages in Astro.
I've built everything from CRUD apps to cloud native apps, I communicate well through writing, collaborate on GitHub, and deliver work on time, I can work with or without tight specs, I write tests, I think have basic understanding of CS concepts, I'm willing to put effort to learn anything new, I can work under tight deadlines, I can work 16 hours a day.
My problem:
I don't have any personal project to show, All my attempts to get a job have failed (Remote and local), often because of where I live, not having a degree, or being disabled and unable to attend face-to-face interviews. I've even offered to work for free at times, but it still hasn't led to any paid opportunities yet.
I just don't know where to start to get an income again, or show people what I can do, i thought of making a SaaS startup or selling software but I don't have stripe on my country (or any alternative). If you've been in a similar situation or have advice, I'd be deeply grateful.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.