Escaping the nine to five

[Spaced]

I do not believe my reason for incarnating here was to expend my energy on 40 hour workweeks for companies I don't even like, but due to the need for money to pay bills and rent and buy food I find myself unable to break free from this system. It wouldn't be so bad if I had the energy to pursue my own projects but I don't have a lot of energy to begin with so after a long work shift all I want to do is read or stare at a computer screen. I suppose it doesn't help that since I do not have a post-secondary education the only jobs I can find are low paying manual labour type ones.

What I want to know is if anybody has managed to find a way to secure a living without having to sell their labour? The common bit of advice is "follow your passion" but it seems my passion is sitting around and contemplating things or else exploring new concepts and I am not sure how I can monetize that

I have been getting very sad these days because a part of me feels like I am "missing the boat" and my dreams tell me the same thing. It feels like I am wasting time and that I should be doing something other than this silly job.