Get out of industries that typically pay poorly. I suffered for years in retail and foodbev and barely got by. I used those customer service skills to get an govt IT position. After just a few years experience I was able to get multiple offers for 90k+.

There is a woman who started around the same time as me. Her only tech experience was helping run the computer and projector at church. She started as an intern, but now that she has a clearance and has demonstrated how efficiently she organized the office, she makes 80k, doing a largely administrative position. She was a hairdresser before.

The jobs are out there. Don't be afraid to take an internship for $16/hr if it gets your feet into a better industry with upward potential.