Striving, first of all congratulations on being responsible and thinking about your future. No matter what you choose in the end, having thought out the situation (to the best of your ability) will give you a basic plan to live by.
Did you talk to your parents in terms of monetary support? It doesnt have to be an all or nothing thing. They might be willing to help with something every month (like groceries or rent) or even just allowing you to go on a family cell phone plan that makes it cheaper for you (myhusband and I do this with my mother – we barely use our phones so she added us to her plan which hasplenty of minutes. Its costs us $20/month instead of $100). Also, they may have furniture thats not needed that you can use in your first apartment (yes, my husband used a pink formica dresser when we first got married).
If your parents don’t want to support you (and I respect that choice also), think about how you are going to finish up through school. No matter what career you choose, it generaly takes at least 2 years to finish (such as nursing). Maybe it makes more sense to wait 2 years before getting married? At that point you might be able to fully support yourself.
Also, think about where you want to live.Figure out approximately how much the cost of living is there and see if you can get a job to cover that. If you cant, it means some support (parents, inlaws, government) is needed and perhaps you should reconsider.
One more option: Are you willing to forgo a wedding? Your parents and inlaws may be willing togive you the money they set aside for the wedding. That would at least give you a chunk of savings that could supplement your monthly income.
Just know – if people think you arent serious about Torah if you ask for a boy who is working part time, then they obviously wont understand who you are looking for. Its an unfortunate stigma for a guy nowadays who actually wants to help support his family :-/