...to complete your education.
I was on my own at 16 and didn't finish high school, but when my circumstances changed I passed the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) exam and got a New York State high school equivalency diploma which allowed me go to CCNY and get my B.A., though it took me more than four years to do.
Later I enrolled in a master's program at Hunter College but didn't finish -- by then I was on my way up in the music publishing business.
It takes persistence, but if you have the will you can do it.