>(people my age, 23, already have masters in very respected fields).

Don't compare yourself to others. Its never a good idea.

Please get out of the mind set that you must go to college for this. You don't need to take out huge loans and be stuck in a class for a cs degree.

You can learn the skills for free and with your time.

Pick a project and start learning how to make it happen.

Free Harvard courses. https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/computer-science

Free MIT courses. https://ocw.mit.edu/search/