Picture of homeless Mountain View web developer goes viral after he's shown offering resume, not asking for donations
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KGO) -- "Homeless/ Hungry 4 success," was the message David Casarez, 26, held on the busy intersection of El Camino and North San Antonio Road.
Casarez told ABC7 News that he had been homeless for so long, he was starting to lose hope. He had the idea to print out his resume and spend a few days at the intersection, simply handing resumes out to anyone who would take one.
Fortunately, he didn't need days to get the message out, only hours and the help of social media.
Passing driver, Jasmine Scofield said she saw Casarez's sign from a distance.
"And it was like fate," Scofield said. "The light turned red and I was like, 'Perfect! I can at least take a resume.'"
She went a step further and asked Casarez if she could take a picture and post it to Twitter. Her intention was to share his information with friends who work in the technology industry, hoping that would somehow help the homeless web developer.
Casarez said he left his job at General Motors to pursue a start-up in Silicon Valley. He drove to Mountain View in mid-September, but issues with an investor made money even tighter for the Texas-native who was already living out of a van.
"Some people say it's homeless by choice, because I did live out of a van to cut costs. But a lot of people do it out here in California because the rent prices are so high," he explained.
The Texas A&M University graduate told ABC7 News he spends his nights on a bench at a nearby park. He said he also found a safe stairwell.
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He explained he wakes up at 5 a.m. to recharge his devices at a local Starbucks, for yet another day of job searching.
Even with his gumption, he said hopelessness was gaining on him.
He put on a shirt and tie and stood on the street corner for hours on Friday. Casarez wasn't asking for money. Instead, he was asking for a chance.
"I told myself, you know, if I could just get one person to take my resume, to give me an opportunity, I'd have hope," Casarez said.
He handed out 19 of the 50 resumes he had printed.
He said Scofield's Tweet did wonders for a potential life-changing career. Casarez said he's received hundreds of job opportunities, and a major tech industry has expressed interest as well.
"Opportunities out of state- even here for start-ups," he explained. "In Toronto, in Tokyo, it's been all over. It's incredible."
Casarez said he understands nothing is going to happen overnight, and he doesn't expect that to be the case.
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