I'm very poor. I'd like to turn my life around. I want to become successful and have a good career.
Here is my step-by-step advice: 1. Look at the job postings in your geographical area and try to find out what languages/technical skills they are looking for. There should be a fairly common job title, such as "SAS Analyst." You are going to paint yourself as the ideal candidate for this job title-it should be pretty common amongst different companies, but also specific enough that anyone will know immediately what you're looking for if you say "I'm looking for a position as an XYZ." Being overly broad ("I'm looking for a position as a programmer") is the kiss of death here! 2. Learn at least one of those languages/skills really well, and try to get some proof. This may be a certification or some sort of app you build. I recommend SAS if it's desirable in your area-it's very easy to get SAS certified and get SAS jobs in my experience. 3. Follow this approach to applying for jobs: i. Network. Talk to people in your local area, especially those who are interested in the skill you learned. Tell them you're looking for a job as a XYZ (your chosen job title). Since you have a specific position in mind people will very easily be able to refer you if someone they know is looking for a person in that field. ii. Learn how to write a good resume. One very important tip is to add the keywords related to that job. I found the advice at this site [1] very useful, although beware that some of the other content on the site is a little out there. iii. Apply to jobs using your improved resume and network. Note that even with a great resume maybe 10% of job postings will reply-don't be discouraged, this just means you have to apply to a lot and network a lot.
This advice is not optimized for getting you your ideal dream job-it's optimized for getting a $50k job that will help improve your situation and give you the resources to continue improving your life from there. Feel free to ask/email me any questions.
Embrace failure, embarrassment, confusion, pain. Don't go seeking them exactly, but don't avoid them. If you are at all ambitious and adventurous in anything -- entrepreneurship, grad school, dating, whatever, then you will fail spectacularly and often. It will hurt. Badly.
But don't flinch. Consider it a good thing, it means that life has not forgotten you. As my Buddhist friends like to say, experience what it's like to feel pain. Remember that it will make a good story to tell your grandchildren, and try again.
Take care of your health despite the cost and inconvenience. You may be able to get away with a lot of self-neglect at 20, but it's much harder to repair later.