Mid-level developer that can't find another job

If you don't save any money as a developer, even outside SV, you're doing something wrong. At least if we're talking the US or Europe.

You might not be as highly paid, but pretty much anyone should be able to save 20-30% of their salary. Which is enough to start a company as a developer after 2 years, because all you need is a laptop, an internet connection, a suit and maybe some dev tools and some money to live without a salary for a bit.

That doesn't mean that starting a company is easy, or that your idea is great, or that the time investment can be combined with say, having a family.

I live in North Carolina not SV. My father emigrated from Brazil when he was 17 and worked his way through college and business school. I grew up on food stamps. I started a company. Many of my dad's friends from Brazil and Mexico started businesses because they weren't able to get jobs. My point is simply that if society doesn't give you access to opportunity then some times you have no option but to do it your self. It's not easy. It's not fair. But there are a lot of other ways to start a business other than raising venture capital. Stay lean. Focus on profitability. On a side note. My brother was the first employee at a first round backed company (as a developer). He lived in the converted living room of our apartment for $400 mo. And lived in New York for a year for only $8000. He saved the rest of his $110,000 salary to provide the seed capital for any future ideas. Was it nice? No. It sucked. But he was focused on a goal. You can do it. Don't give up. It is actually really fun (even when money is tight).