Survival depends on doing things with which we are uncomfortable or expending greater efforts elsewhere.
Education is great if you teach yourself basic math, writing and so on, but education is most often a distraction to getting down to actual work that makes money. The failure of ourselves is when we let pride or ego get ahead of rational self-interest.
There are plenty of blue-collar skilled trades that pay 100k+/year that academia-brainwashed people look down upon. Welder, electrian, plumber, carpenter, mechanic, on and on. Check out Mike Rowe's nonprofit for more... Nuclear industry rated and underwater welders make crazy money. Btw nurses and medical will always be needed and the pay is great. Want a niche technical OR specialty that doesnt always require an MD? perfusionist (heart lung machines). You would honestly be able to say you were legally sanctioned to kill people for a living without the morass of being a PMC, because you would be that person that flips the switch at EOL.
If you have the sand, fishing and crabbing makes coin by being hard and risky. Taxi drivers also on dry land.
Just pick something, try it out, move on if too terrible, don't waste time on analysis paralysis because it's just procrastination.
Military (army, navy, Air Force, marines, coast guard) has tons of logistics service jobs, and will pay for university. My stepbrother started off as a navy radar tech, lived all over, did college, air school and now flies f/a-18's.
This is my opinion: since you're 18 you have a God-given right to mooch. :) Consider how hard it is for college grads to get good paying jobs these days.
Be humble with your parents and try to get work such that you can pay some rent and maintain your dignity. If they don't require you to pay rent when you're working, you should pay them something anyhow.
As others said, your side projects are going to help you get into companies. Work like a bastard on them when you're not working your day job. Work like a bastard on your side projects in any case for as long as you have the energy and passion - it will set you apart.
College is an option too since you have your GED? Community college is more purgatory don't do that if you can avoid it, but state or private college isn't. You'll actually learn real computer science fundamentals and wire up your brain right technically and socially.