Step 2 If you know ML/AI then send 10000 applications this weekend for job positions (whatever you may like).

Step 3 Wait till Monday.

Then decide between option1 or 2.

Option 1: Start by taking a "random IT integrator/service job" to keep your flat and food on the table, stop even thinking about building and "vibing" something. Just take a job, large "consulting" companies are easy to join as entry-level and will give you enough to survive, but far from your 10k dream.

Stabilise your finances, take time to refine your ideas and plan the next step without the stress to not knowing if you will be homeless or hungry next month.

Option 2: Play the local lottery and tomorrow, GOTO option 1

For example, if I were to say "I want to improve my German, make me a personalised tutor" and you thought that sounded good, 300 other people who lurk here without commenting will immediately go "ooh, interesting" and also make the same app (and as everyone will be vibe-coding from almost the same prompt, most of them really will be the exact same app down to the style choices and the number and names of achievements).

This was already a problem before LLMs, where copy-cat apps sprung up the moment anything new got famous and interesting. Clones of Flappy Bird and Wordle, even Apple did this with Sherlock and Microsoft with Internet Explorer.

So, my advice here, is to think small-scale. Find individuals and small businesses near you who are willing to pay for the work of a day to a fortnight, where the hard part is talking to them and learning what their needs are, not individual big projects that bring in $10k all at once. (For a fortnight sized project, you might get lucky and find someone who's up for $10k, but don't count on it).

Nothing new under the moon in the last few centuries. There is no magic pill or secret ingredient.

Each path has its trade offs.

I’ve tried both. Reaching 10k in software engineering salary took longer but easier and more predictable. My first profitable business attempt was a tiny bootcamp school (about software engineering obviously) and it never reached 10k of my own income due to lack of business experience and motivation.

Choose a field where 1. There is enough capacity to reach the number with just a hard work (software engineering, finance, law, real estate etc)

2. You feel comfortable and genuinely longterm interested in (most important criteria).

What else do you expect to hear on a forum like this?

I bet LLM would give you similar answer :)

For me, getting a Skoolie and subletting my apt in NYC gave me a great foundation

1. I was able to sublet my furnished place in nyc for $1k more than rent and make money while traveling.

2. I was able to work remote visiting clients and spending time in nature.

3. It provided a certain kind of daily challenge that was great for me.

4. The adventure was incredible and I fell in love with the road. I thought I’d spend a month or three cruising around but it ended up about over 3 years.

5. I followed my heart and the weather to hot springs Arkansas to watch the total eclipse and met a woman who I just got engaged to (while in Antarctica at an AI conference).

6. My business has been the best it’s ever been and put me into a top 1% income.

I wasn’t broke when I started but it was amazing to have a sense that even if I was I could buy a big bag of beans and rice, head to a gorgeous piece of free federal BLM land, run my laptop on solar and use my cell WiFi to figure it out.

Beyond that, figure out what problem you want to solve for the world and go find people working on that problem and help them.

Painting walls. Fastfood. Construction helper. Anything.

Only then start thinking about meaningful jobs.

Career is a steep ladder for us mortals that don't have rich families to lift us to the 100th floor with their financial and network elevators.