Lots of free coding on the web to learn with. Heck even Visual Net Studio went to the free internet edition a few years back and that used to cost something like $900 for the license. Learn Javascript, CSS, and HTML and you’ll have 90% of what you need for an entry level web designer job. That’s why some kids can learn web designing on their own by the time they are 12. If you want a CS degree to design motherboards, it’ll take a much bigger skill set.
That bears repeating. Not only are the basics available on-line for free, including lectures at Kahn Academy, and many forums where people answer questions to help beginners, but there is really no upper limit on the availability of free learning resources. University level courses from places like MIT and Stanford are available for free online. You don't get credit, but if you want to learn nobody is stopping you. (Of course many people who sign up for the courses don't finish them because at that level it isn't easy anymore.)
Open source software development projects let advanced students learn about very complex code, and how it can be structured. With a few textbooks and a lot of work you can understand how very sophisticated software works. If you really can understand and work on, for example, Linux kernel drivers, you won't have trouble finding work.
Of course all of this ease of learning means you have to compete against people all over the world doing the same thing. That makes the competition fierce and prices low.