Have you thought of temporarily pursuing something that's not exactly what you want but close so that you can get closer to what you want?

I'm not trying to tell you what to do but I wanted to say that's how I got close (and am getting closer) to what I want as a career. Most people in the "middle" and in the "top" get to where they eventually want to be by this approach.

When I was around "high school/entering college"-age I wanted to be in computers too. I didn't know the direct path because there is no direct path for a vague goal. The goal and the path get refined over time.

I ended up going into power engineering after realizing over time in school that not only is it less competitive (depending on who you talk to, what school, what region etc) but you actually can have a career doing the same things a computer-engineer/scientist/researcher would do like hardware/software development, research in emerging tech like wind/solar/power electronics, web development you name it.

The point I'm trying to make is that while your first plan might not work don't give up! I agree that yes money is a big factor in getting places but the vision comes first. Money will come and help you get places if you can start to define a path and figure out where it is exactly you want to go.

If I couldn't get into school I would try to get a job that's IT related. Here you'd be getting paid, getting a little experience, and you'd be around computers. I'd get into some school ASAP. I admit, school sucks and you're forced to meet requirements that might not translate directly into your optimal career. But it does give you skills that you can help you as you keep pushing towards that career. And most importantly the credentials you earn are very helpful for employment(depending on what you do). I'd recommend getting it out of the way as soon as you can. Good luck.