I also wish I had gotten into this when I was 18. Just a few jumbled thoughts as they come to mind...
Your student loan debts will work against you in qualifying for a mortgage. They subtract it from your income even if you're still in school and don't have to pay them back yet.
From what I understand, the only factors lenders look at are credit, income, and debt. Not age. Start building your credit right away, increase your income, and avoid debt. A balance on your credit card is good, but pay it off every month like clockwork.
By going to college, you're building debt, and limiting your income potential. A lot of people go to college because other people put pressure on them to do it. Then they wake up one day with a massive debt they'll never live down, and find out it didn't really help them increase their income after they graduated. College can set you back big time, so make sure you really want that degree enough to spend the money for it. Think of it like a purchase instead of an education, and in addition to the price tag, you pay with years of your life.
By the sounds of it, you want to be a real estate investor, which doesn't require any degree. And it will make you rich, especially starting young. Let's say you decide the degree is worth the time and money you'll spend on it. What if you delayed enrollment for a year (they'll let you do this), and instead spent that year earning money and building your credit? If you can live for free somewhere while doing this, you can save up a ton of money. By the end of the year, if you're savvy enough, you might be able to buy a duplex to house hack. Then go to school, and the duplex will pay for itself and build your equity. If there's a requirement to live in the dorms your first year, you can usually avoid this as a transfer student. If you really can't avoid it, pick a different college.
The community college idea is golden. Community colleges are cheaper and easier to pass than at big universities, in my experience. People hardly care where you got your degree once you start working, but literally nobody cares where you took the classes that counted toward that degree.
One last thought — see if you can get a job that will teach you home construction and repairs. Otherwise take some time to volunteer for Habitat For Humanity. If I were in your shoes, I'd skip college, get a construction job or something that pays well, save as much as possible, and start investing ASAP.
