Serious education exists.

For devs programs, search for Vinteum, Chaincode Labs, Btrust Builders, Bitshala, Liberia de Satoshi. How to get funded is one of the things we talk in the programs.

Also, I have a regular Bitcoin course for CS and engineering programs at the Univ. of Brasília and I'm helping update the MIT course.

So, for your question of how to survive, we have undergrads that went straight to a bitcoin grant or job, we have guys that saved from their 9 to 5 job and used that to finance themselves until they've built enough proof of work to get funded, and we have guys that do as a side job while they build enough proof of work to quit.

Could be better, but funding is out there and tends to improve. It just is not actively advertising as in a regular company. Once you build a track record of smaller contributions, you'll find a way to reach a decent grant.