The story of this intern’s perseverance will totally blow your mind.
Levi Joseph was wrapping up his degree at the University of Texas Austin when he landed an amazing summer internship near Seattle. But, not realizing how tough it would be to find a cheap place to live for the summer, Joseph waited too long to find somewhere to stay.
He did eventually find a room to rent with a friend who had a roommate moving out. The only problem? The roommate wasn’t moving until July. Joseph needed a place to stay for all of June.
He did what any resourceful early-career professional would do: He lived in his car for 40 days.
Joseph, who shared his story with Business Insider, wanted to make sure camping in his car was legitimate, so he booked a space at a privately owned campground for about $600. The campground had an outdoor kitchen, which made it possible for Joseph to brush his teeth before bed and use a Jetboil to make oatmeal and coffee.
But Joseph also joined a rock-climbing gym for $56 a month for access to the locker room, an iron and WiFi. He’d hang out with other people, mostly climbers, living out of their cars. At night, Joseph visited a neighborhood library or hung out in his car.
He was able to dry-clean his clothes at the office and every morning, before he walked in the front door, he’d check his shoes for mud from the campground.