Internships in Silicon Valley are most certainly not unpaid.  The company I work at pays our interns really well.<p>It sounds like you need to increase the breadth of your knowledge.  No one hires for Lua, and although Node is pretty popular right now, you not being able to get a job indicates that you are probably missing some fundamental knowledge, like algorithms, etc.  You probably need to increase the quality of your coding, and increase your preparation for interviews.<p>You are 1 hr away from SF, which suggests to me you live in Livermore or Tracy.  You probably need to study up on things that companies are expecting.  Go to sites like leetcode.com and glassdoor and work on your skills, maybe that&#x27;s where you&#x27;re lacking.