Go to college, worried about paying? Get loans but if you do make sure you stay the course and finish your degree!
Go to a community college to knock out core general ed requirements, and transfer to a university to complete your degree.
Personally, I ran into this crossroad 20 years ago, and I chose to go to school and educate myself. I came to that conclusion by asking myself a simple question, do i want to be exactly where I am right now in 5 years? My answer was no so I did something about it.
The 'elders' came to visit me to discourage me, but I simply told them that my responsibility as a man was to care for my family too. Shortly thereafter, I left the organization, and to this day I don't regret it. As for you, whether you stay or leave is a personal decision, but don't waste your life working for free.