If the reason you can’t get financial aid is because of your parent(s) income, that won’t be an issue for you in a few years because once you are 24 or 25, you can declare yourself as independent. You can also do that if you are married, have a child, or are a veteran. (I wouldn’t recommend doing any of those things just for financial aid though.)

You said that one of your job interviews is at a local prison. One of the great things about government jobs is that they often come with tuition benefits. If you get a job with the state or federal government (or maybe even the city or the county), they will often pay for your tuition. You may have to work there for 6 months to a year before you can do, but still, that’s a great benefit.

You may want to check out what other businesses near where you live offer those types of benefits. Where I was living recently, there was a group of gas stations that offered those benefits. I don’t know if McDonalds pays tuition but I’ve heard that they offer scholarships to their employees.

You can also check out the local community college. Tuition is usually very inexpensive there and perhaps you could afford to pay for a class or 2 at a time, just to get started.

And about your credit, that doesn’t matter if you are looking for a student loan. They are guaranteed by the government so your credit rating doesn’t matter.

Also, do you know what you want to study? If it is a field that is in high demand, there may be special funding sources available. My state just started a new program to help people pay for college if they go into some of those most needed fields.

Go talk to someone at local job training center and/or local college. They can help you find sources of funding if school is what you really want to do.

Good luck!