From what you've told us you seem like a very bright woman. Why not finish that final year of high-school to get into college? Here in the Netherlands there are tons of schools for "high school dropouts" and most offer a one year program to get your diploma (even if you still have two years to go), and they're filled with people your age, hell, there's even the occasional 40-year old that's going back to finish what he or she started decades ago. Having no money for college is no excuse, even if colleges in the US tend to be expensive; how do you think most students pay for that? They get a student loan!
Not every student is a 'trustfund baby' nor a semi-professional basketball player - so nearly every student pays for it by getting a loan. Everyone does it, everyone pays it off - I never heard about someone getting into heavy financial difficulty paying off their student loans after college. Once you have a degree you get a job and usually pay it off within 5 years or less if you're lucky. When you have a degree you'll have no trouble finding a good paying job, it's that simple. Besides college is not just about getting a degree - it's a life-changing experience, socially, culturaly etc. it'll enrich you unlike anything else in life, ask anyone here who's in college or has a degree. I've just applied for a 4 year film academy study and I'm dying to get in
