Completely agree with above @JustOneDad , try ROTC or the military and then college afterwards.
Considering a.) you need a lot of money for college b.) your mom wants you out of the house and c.) you’re not really sure what you want to do, joining the military is the perfect option. You’ll earn educational benefits, be making a little money (not a lot, but some), and have time to figure out what fields you’re interested in/mature a little. If money is already tight, there’s no point in rushing off to college with no field in mind but rather a degree. Plus, the military is killer on a resume as employers know you’ll be respectful, mature, and hard-working.
Although the military is certainly an option, it is not the only one, and should be considered only if it appeals to you in ways other than a means to a college education. Enlisting (or joining via ROTC) means a commitment to serving your country by fighting and if necessary sacrificing your life, and should not be undertaken lightly and for the wrong reasons.
While the military is an option, realize that it isn’t a matter of enlisting, then heading out the next day to boot camp. The process can be many, many months longs. I know people who have been waiting for well over a year. That doesn’t help much if you don’t have a place to live.
See if the college you eventually want to transfer into would accept CLEP credits. Some folks are taking free MOOCs, then producing college credits from that by taking CLEP tests. Just an idea.
In many states, high school students with at least a 3.0 GPA (some states have lower limits), can participate in Dual Enrollment (DE) Programs (Early College Program) as early, as their sophomore year. This allows them to take College courses at their local community college or even 4-year institutions close to the home. In many (most?) states, the tuition, fees and books are paid for by the state and/or their local school board. In some state, high school juniors and seniors can spend the last two years (or senior year only) on the campus at their local community college, where there is an actual High School co-located on the CC campus. Through DE, HS students can complete 60 transferable credits (some get their AA degrees) to a 4-year university at no or minimal cost. Many of the DE programs allows CC courses to also the satisfy their HS graduation course requirements.
DE is a surefire way to reduce your overall 4-year college cost, yet many HS students fail to take advantage of this opportunity. Even scarier, is the number of students/parents who are not aware of this option in their state. One of the added benefits of course, besides the cost, is DE students can can complete their 4-year degree much earlier than their non-DE peers.
^Our school district allows Dual Enrollment, but all costs are the responsibility of the student and his/her parents/guardians. So this may or may not be an option for the OP.
ACC is a very good community college system. Your best bet is probably to go to ACC first to get core complete and then transfer to a 4-year or to complete an Associates or a certificate at ACC so you can get a job in an area you are interested in. You can transfer your courses to a 4-year university later. ACC has transfer agreements with all of the Texas state universities and a lot of the private universities in Texas as well.
I am not familiar with your area but we have a university in my town that is a smaller state university. With all fees included and going full time it is about $4000 a semester. I really am not sure how common this is in other areas.
