I own a software company so I’ll speak to that side:
I think some of these comments are silly such as programmers are a dime a dozen and avoid web programming like the plague. Yes H1B visas are a drag on wages but outsourcing doesn’t work out so well in most cases and there is still massive demand for US coders.
Take a couple of classes in either C# or Java. There are plenty of other languages to choose from with C++ being a good choice and you should do some research to see what is hot (has the most positions begging for coders) in your locale. Build a small portfolio. At that point you should have little difficulty finding at entry level position starting at $35k to $45k a year. In a year you will make $55k and in 3-4 years, if you work hard (and it is hard work) you will make $100k a year or better (frequently much better) and be able to work from home.
I took Basic, Visual Basic, and C++ while I was in college in California.