The time has finally come, and I would like advise.

As you may or may not know I had to postpone attending college for the post several years for differing reasons, but now all of that changes. I'm finally able to attend college. My apartment complex has a rule that I can't be a full time student there though, breaking this rule is grounds for eviction. I found a way around that by attending two colleges part-time. In order for this to work optimally I'm going to need to work especially hard to both test-out of at least a third of my basic classes and know beforehand my planned course of study. I'd love to study physics on the quantum level, however I'm not certain that I can find a job in that field. Should I study physics and hope for the best or go with structural engineering and architecture as a dual major with graphic design as a minor (mostly CAD to create a 3D model of whatever structure I'd design)? Which is the best option in your opinions? Why choose one over the other?

First of all, congratulations on overcoming all the obstacles in your life in order to attend college.

With regard to what you want to do academically, I'd say take a step back and reevaluate what you want to do. A lot of kids who jump into engineering for the money usually drop out because of how demanding it is (I'm almost guilty for this). I'm studying civil engineering right now, which is the broad field that structural engineering belongs to. Trust me, it's pretty fucking hard. Architecture is also not easy; many of my architecture major friends get on average 4-5 hours of sleep on a GOOD day. So don't shoot for a engineering/architecture double major. You'll probably kill yourself from overwork.

If you really want to study physics because you truly enjoy it, I'd say do it. You'll undoubtedly get good grades because you enjoy the subject, so your GPA will be really strong. Plus, I personally feel it's better to spend your money studying something you enjoy instead of laboring through classes you couldn't give two shits about.

Study physics instead of engineering.

You have to decide what you want to do yourself. That said, it may not be possible or feasible to go to two colleges because that would seriously affect your ability to get a degree. Honestly, I would suggest finding another apartment and going to one school full time.

Agreed. Test out everything you can, and then PLAN it out so you can move and attend a single school. This might delay your graduation what with moving costs & finding an apartment where you can do this, but you'll be in better position overall.

Also, don't aim for a science/technical degree just because you could earn more money post-graduation. Aim for the degree you *want* to learn. The skills you learn that aren't academic (time management is a big one) will help you even if you don't land work in that field or a related one. You'll learn them better by working towards something you *want* than something that'll, in theory, pay better but you're not as interested in.