Latest news with #DoorDashing
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Face looks familiar': Doordash delivery reunites Springfield woman with former teacher
Every year for her late father's birthday Loreiny Penalo has made ordering Dominican food a tradition in his honor. This year, that tradition took on a whole other meaning when she realized her former high school science teacher, Wilmer Melendez, was at the door with her order. 'I told him like 'Hey all your work paid off as my science teacher, I went on to study at UMass and studied public health and got my master's in physician assistant studies,'' Melendez tells Boston 25 News. Melendez retired in 2013 after more than 38 years from teaching but picked up DoorDashing to help pay for his son's engineering degree. 'He didn't put pressure on us to help out and I said 'No I will help you out' and I started doing DoorDash, even that he didn't know,' he tells Boston 25 News. In a spirit of gratitude for their reunion, Loreiny shared the story of their encounter on TikTok and a comment to start a GoFundMe page led her to raise more than $40,000 in a week. 'My dad was very helpful while I was in college and was such a big support to me and so seeing Mr. Melendez being such a supporter to his son just was very near and special to my heart,' Penalo tells Boston 25 News. Both Penalo and Melendez say they feel like it was a divinely guided reunion and now they feel like they are forever connected. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Software engineer lost his $150K-a-year job to AI—he's been rejected from 800 jobs and forced to DoorDash and live in a trailer to make ends meet
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has predicted that AI will be doing all coding tasks by next year—but an existential crisis is already hitting some software engineers. One man who lost his job last year has had to turn to living in an RV trailer, DoorDashing and selling his household items on eBay to make ends meet, as his once $150k salary has turned to dust. Tech layoffs are nothing new for Shawn K (his full legal last name is one letter). The software engineer first lost his job after the 2008 financial crisis and then again during the pandemic, but on both occasions, he was back on his feet just a few months later. However, when K was given the pink slip last April he quickly realized this time was different: AI's revolution of the tech industry was playing out right in front of him. Despite having two decades of experience and a computer science degree, he's landed less than 10 interviews from the 800 applications he's sent out. Worse yet, some of those few interviews have been with an AI agent instead of a human. 'I feel super invisible,' K tells Fortune. 'I feel unseen. I feel like I'm filtered out before a human is even in the chain.' And while fears about AI replacing jobs have been around for years, the 42-year-old thinks his experience is only likely the beginning of a 'social and economic disaster tidal wave.' 'The Great Displacement is already well underway,' he recently wrote on his Substack. K's last job was working at a company focused on the metaverse—an area that was predicted to be the next great thing, only to be overshadowed in part by the rise of ChatGPT. Now living in a small RV trailer in central New York with no lead on a new tech job, K's had to turn to creative strategies to make ends meet, and try to replace a fraction of his former $150,000 salary. In between searching incessantly for new jobs, checking his empty email inbox, and researching the latest AI news, he delivers DoorDash orders, like Buffalo Wild Wings to a local Holiday Inn, and sells random household items on eBay, like an old laptop. In total, it only adds to a few hundred bucks. He's also considered going back to school for a tech certificate—or even to obtain his CDL trucking license—but both were scratched off his list due to their hefty financial barrier to entry. K's reality may shock some, considering that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has consistently labeled software engineering as one of the fastest growing fields, but stories like his may soon become all more common. Earlier this year, the CEO of Anthropic Dario Amodei predicted that more software jobs will soon go by the wayside. By September, he said AI will be writing 90% of the code; moreover, 'in 12 months, we may be in a world where AI is writing essentially all of the code,' he tells the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2024, over 150,000 tech workers lost their jobs, and so far in 2025, that number has reached over 50,000, according to 'It's coming for basically everyone in due time, and we are already overdue for proposing any real solution in society to heading off the worst of these effects,' K wrote. 'The discussion of AI job replacement in the mainstream is still viewed as something coming in the vague future rather than something that's already underway.' Despite being unemployed for over a year, K still hasn't lost hope, nor is he necessarily mad at AI for replacing him and still calls himself an 'AI maximalist.' "If AI really legitimately can do a better job than me, I'm not gonna sit here and feel bad about, oh, it replaced me and it doesn't have the human touch,' K says. What's frustrating, he adds, is that companies are using AI to save money by cutting talent—rather than leveraging its power and embracing cyborg workers. 'I think there's this problem where people are stuck in the old world business mindset of, well, if I can do the same work that 10 developers were doing with one developer, let's just cut the developer team instead of saying, oh, well, we've got a 10 developer team, let's do 1,000x the work that we were doing before,' K says. This story was originally featured on
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I moved out of my mum's basement to live in my car – it's helped me save £45k in six months because I work in here too
A MAN has revealed how he ditched his parent's house to live in a car instead. Michael Hickey, from the US, took to social media to reveal he was spreading his wings to make his own way in life. 2 The 24-year-old revealed he had moved out of his mum's basement as he was 'too old' to be doing that anymore and decided to live in his tiny car. While living in the tiny car, he also took on a job as delivery man, meaning he works, lives and sleeps in the tiny space. He used a large sleeping bag to keep himself warm and had a fan to cool him down. Taking to TikTok he said: "I'm living in my car trying to save $60,000 in six months. "It's day 143 and so far I've saved $57,300, (£45,000). After waking up in his car and taking off his window covers it was time to start work. "After I take my window covers down and get my car driveable, it's straight to doing deliveries," he explained. He first went to do an Instacart delivery and he also works for DoorDash and Uber Eats. Michael revealed he was spending his day constantly working, as well as earning money through social media, so that he could buy himself a tiny home. He also revealed he planned to buy his mum a new car once he got his tiny home. *SINGLE USE* Watch as couple living in a tent reveal they've saved thousands "I've decided for my next money-saving challenge, I'm going to buy my mum a car by DoorDashing every day and living in my car," he added. "Once I'm done with the tiny home build it's right back to the grind." The clip posted to his TikTok account @ themichaelhickey has since gone viral with over 7 million views and people were quick to support him in his journey. The rise of tiny homes By Jonathan Rolande Property expert Jonathan Rolande told Fabulous: The reason we are seeing more creative ways of finding a home: super-high property prices and rents. Younger people are remaining in the family home later in life to avoid paying high prices and to save for a deposit. With increasingly busy lives, staying within a larger family group makes sense, chores such as gardening and housework can be shared. Garages are rarely used for their intended purpose as cars are far more reliable and less prone to rust and so are perfectly happy outside. On the other hand, the amount of property space per person has been shrinking – converting a garage can make great sense. Things to consider. (the boring stuff) Usually easier than building from scratch but still a lot to do to turn a garage in to a habitable space. You'll need to check if you need planning (more likely to be required if the garage is detached). Building Regulations stipulate many things to make homes safe and secure. Consider Walls, are they cavity? Roof height Windows How will you get plumbing, electrics and drainage connected Insulation – it will be cold! Fire safety Damp proofing Also consider if, by converting, you are adding or deducting value from the main home. Garages can add value in busy urban areas where parking is limited. Another commented: 'doordashing sucks so bad I can barely make it 3 hours a time, 12 hours is insane." "Commenting so you make money," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "Seriously, I showed this to my son. He's 11, but we talk all the time about the importance of working for what you want. You are killing it!! I'm hanging on till I can see the tiny home!!" "I'm so mad that I didn't think to do this before I had a kid man. I coulda been making so much loot if I just got over my pride,' claimed a fifth. power to save."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This single mom in Portland, OR fell for a con artist on Tinder, losing her heart and $40,000 to his online scam
Katie Powell was a single mom looking for love, so she turned to Tinder to try to find it. What she found, instead, was a con artist who managed to scam her out of $40,000. 'It's turned my life upside down,' she told the New York Post. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Americans with upside-down car loans owe more money than ever before — and drivers can't keep up. Here are 3 ways to cut your monthly costs ASAP Her so-called online match claimed to be a civil engineer working in Turkey. The pair chatted for more than a month before he began asking Powell for money. And that's where things took a serious turn for the worse. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reveals that in 2022, 70,000 people reported romance scams, with total losses of $1.3 billion. The FTC believes the figures are likely higher but these scams tend to be underreported because victims feel embarrassed.. The median reported loss was $4,400 — a significant sum, but nowhere close to the amount of money Powell lost. What's even more unfortunate is that Powell had a sense that something wasn't right. Read more: Gold just hit a historic high of $3,000/ounce on Trump's tariff moves — while US stocks got slaughtered. Here's 1 simple way to prevent more pain within minutes "Why would you be asking me for money?" Powell thought to herself when her online match first made his request. Her would-be mate said he was in hospital and couldn't rely on family for support. He sent Powell a doctored picture of himself in a hospital bed to guilt her into sending money. After she did, he kept in touch for months, texting her and repeatedly asking for cash. Powell eventually trusted her gut and cut off communications, realizing she'd been had. 'It was physically, psychologically, emotionally, just draining,' said Powell, who now has to work a second job as a fast-food delivery worker. 'I curse him every time I'm out DoorDashing.' Powell has started a GoFundMe to raise a little money for her cause and is sharing her story to reveal that it can happen to anybody, and help prevent others from falling for online romance scams. Unfortunately, Powell broke the No. 1 rule of online dating: Never send money to someone you've never met. Block any so-called match asking for cash, gift cards, or any item of value. The FTC notes that scammers often use sob stories to get victims to hand over cash. Be on the lookout for anyone who claims to need funds because they're sick, in jail, or in the military. It's also wise to steer clear of people who claim to have knowledge about a lucrative investment and who encourage you to invest with them. Recovering from a major emotional and financial loss like Powell's isn't easy. But there are steps you can take to move forward — and to prevent others from experiencing the same thing. If you are the victim of an online romance scam, or suspect one, report it to the FTC. If your credit score took a major hit, you'll need a debt payoff plan to build your credit rating back up. Beware of credit repair scams that offer to instantly wipe out your bad credit score for a fee. Set up a budget to gradually pay down debt and build up your savings. You can choose whatever budgeting method works for you: spreadsheet, pen and paper, or app. A financial adviser can help you make better use of your paycheck so you can allocate money where it needs to go, whether toward savings, debt, or your retirement account. You may want to look at debt consolidation. A legitimate debt relief company can assist you with a debt payoff plan and potential settlement. Finally, don't forget about your mental health. Falling for a scam — especially a romantic one — can take a toll on your well-being as much as your finances. Don't hesitate to seek the help of a therapist if you're having a hard time coping with your current situation. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
