Your story is admirable and I applaud y0u for it. However, just a note of caution: there aren’t as many entry-level positions anymore as there used to be. The job market is starting to get saturated with the huge influx of programming beginners looking for employment. Programming is the new Gold Rush and a lot of people will be disappointed (most gold prospectors never struck it rich).

Ultimately, you will probably have to start your own IT business. But as you well know, most startups don’t survive 5 years.