[hello_newman]

Although I cannot say I hav been in the same situation as you, I can empathize and offer my sincerest sympathies for your struggle. I noticed you want to be a programmer, there are m any options.

Check out appacademy.io. They are a 10 week programming bootcamp learning ruby, rails, JavaScript and HTML5. Because you already have programming experience, you are above the rest and may have a better chance getting in. It's completely free to attend and you only have to pay if you get a job after the program.

It's run by a group of hackers, and you can email Ned Ruggeri and apply once you check out the site. They have classes in San Francisco and NYC.

I hope everything works out for you man. Not to sound too cliche, but what I have found is it truly is the darkest before the dawn. I attended college (I'm 21), got tired of it, started a couple businesses but I wanted to do more. I applied to Dev Bootcamp and got in, and I will be there in April. Keep your head up and never stop hustling to get what YOU want.

Best of luck.

[ruswick]

Does Appacademy offer housing? If not, attending the program would be near impossible, as rents in NYC and SF are exorbitant, and would necessitate working another part-time job just for the luxury of sharing a room with several other people.

[hello_newman]

They seem to help students with housing in terms of hooking them up with hacker houses, hostel locations etc. I could be wrong, but that was the info I got when I was talking with them. I know one student even slept on a couch in App Academy when he was attending.