Best of luck mate! I was a McNair scholar in college, even though I am caucasian I still faced my share of challenges and lack of what privelage can bring. To m

Best of luck mate! I was a McNair scholar in college, even though I am caucasian I still faced my share of challenges and lack of what privelage can bring. To me, that privilege is largely in the sense of self-worth and knowledge about little things such as applying for Pell grants. Financial aid can be enough to allow one to live on in cheaper school areas. A college education for many is less important, but coming from a background such as yours can help establish credibility quickly and provide a broader sense of life. I'd recommend considering it, and especially fill out the FAFSA to see what help you could get (https://fafsa.ed.gov https://fafsa.ed.gov). College is still expensive and particularly so in a big city like Seattle. I live in Boise and would highly recommend moving to a more inexpensive city such as Portland or Boise. Rent in Boise, for example, is often only $400 for your own. The job market is also often better in these smaller towns. However, family ties often bind us to a place, so there may be smaller outlying towns around Seattle which have community colleges and such while still being cheaper. If you decide college still isn't for you, I'd heartily recommend doing what many of the other posts say: start hacking! Committing to open source projects is a great way to build a portfolio. Another good approach is to start offering to build websites for friends, family, colleagues, and well anybody. You probably know people or acquaintances who have small businesses (construction, stores, ...) that would like to have a website or inventory system but don't realize that it's both relatively cheap to get a website. Listen and offer to do cheap help setting up websites on WordPress, etc. A side benefit is it can help your own community in a positive way. For example, help make a website for "Aunt Matilda's lawn and gardening services". I would also recommend reading classic authors who overcame difficult situations and valued practical skills [Up From Slavery - Booker T. Washington](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2376 http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2376).