You say uni wasn't a thing... could it be? I apologize; I don't know anything about life in the Netherlands (namely how funding and entrance requirements go) but a few years in uni might be a good career reset.
Not recommending it in this situation but know that there are things like The Open University (http://www.open.ac.uk/) which can get you a tuition without the prerequisite secondary degree.
Also idk about the Netherlands but in Finland there are "open path" routes to polytechnics (and probably universities) that you can attend for a small fee with no other requirements. The trick here is that if you study long enough and accumulate enough ECTS credits, then you may either get directly accepted as a full time student (thus making you eligible for all the usual benefits), or they can let you take the entrance exam and then become a full time student. All this without requiring the secondary degree that you'd normally need to enter.
Just something to keep in mind if you ever want to consider getting a degree.
