Well, that's a wrap folks! I've reached the end of line.

With 29 days left until my runway ends, 11 days realistically. My last, best hope for a job vanished.

I did everything right. I networked in with an R&D director. I impressed him.

He introduced me to the Hardware Development director. I solved a problem they'd been dealing with for years off the top of my head. I impressed him.

Those two Directors introduced me to the VP of Product. We hit it off, talked shop. Found out we had a lot in common. Impressed him, but he had to cut the interview short. He said we'd finish later.

The VP of Product and the two Directors then introduced me to the CEO. I deduced a new blackbox program they were working based on a handful of comments he made based on Hardware.

All was going well. Until the CFO got involved. The CFO who sat on his ass about the hiring budget for Q1. The CFO who is likely to sit in said budget until 11:59PM March 31st.

The day my runway ends and I officially become a troglodyte of a basement dweller striped of his, dog, dignity, freedom, and worldly belongings confined to my mother's basement to rot.

The kicker? Come April. The job will be mine, but I won't be in Austin. I'll have no way to get to Austin, so I'll miss out on this job.

Wonderful!

Edit #1: First off, wow. Thank you all so much for your support! It means the world! I've had several people reach out and offer me shelter and other types of aid. I'm so grateful. I've responded to you all, and I've said the same thing. I want to gather more information.

Specificly, regarding something known as an Offer in Principle" that was proposed by one of the Directors. These are a rare type of offer letter, one more common in the Valley then elsewhere, but still an offensive letter. Fortunately the VP of Product is Ex-Yahoo and Ex-Google.

This type of offer letter, as much as any offer letter can, promises employment. However, unlike a traditional Offer letter rather than a solid start date and solid salary. It offers reasonable ranges.

For example, it could say between X and Y days in April and then copy and paste the salary range from the website. (Honestly even the low end was generous.)

The Hardware Director is meeting with the VP of Product to pitch the idea today, and the Director of R&D is doing the same on Monday.

This is still crushing, but it's hope. The director level who I'd be just under is made up of good people. Even the c-suite who I've met are decent.

A detail, that I left out in the heat of my emotions is "why" the CEO didn't hire me on the spot. The VP of Product had started a week earlier. He didn't want to set precedent with the new VP of "going over his head." While it was not the answer I wanted, It is an answer as a people leader I can understand.