I think what the parent was saying was that you literally can't afford to go elsewhere to find a job. When you don't have money to pay your rent, you likely don't have the money to:
- Pay for airfare and a hotel to go out for a job interview (these types of jobs aren't flying you out and putting you in a hotel)
- Have living expenses to cover you for the time it takes to find a new job in the area (the types of jobs we're talking about here don't give you a relocation allowance)
- Rent a truck and gas to move a long distance (certainly not to pay a moving company)
- Pay first and last months rent and deposit
Moving is often "free" for the types of jobs the typical HN reader would have, the company trying to recruit you would pay all of the above. These aren't the types of jobs people discussed in the article have or can get. They are effectively stuck unless they take a huge, potentially even more devastating risk, or are fortunate enough to have some sort of a support network where they are hoping to move to, like family or good friends willing to let you couch surf for a while.
Thousands of years ago a Chinese gentleman wrote "The wise man must be prepared to abandon his luggage". Still true. Most of the behaviors discussed are 'conservative' meaning they try to keep what little you have and risk nothing. Its often an alternative to just 'get up and go', risking all. You can eat at the Salvation Army, stay with a friend or sleep in the park in a tent. I've known now-successful Engineers that moved to Silicon Valley with their wife and 6mo old child, slept in the national park in a tent while interviewing.
- Pay for airfare and a hotel to go out for a job interview (these types of jobs aren't flying you out and putting you in a hotel)
- Have living expenses to cover you for the time it takes to find a new job in the area (the types of jobs we're talking about here don't give you a relocation allowance)
- Rent a truck and gas to move a long distance (certainly not to pay a moving company)
- Pay first and last months rent and deposit
Moving is often "free" for the types of jobs the typical HN reader would have, the company trying to recruit you would pay all of the above. These aren't the types of jobs people discussed in the article have or can get. They are effectively stuck unless they take a huge, potentially even more devastating risk, or are fortunate enough to have some sort of a support network where they are hoping to move to, like family or good friends willing to let you couch surf for a while.