Being a computer engineering major, I'll say just a few things...
A Bachelor of Science in Comp. Engr'ing is like graduating from h/s.
A Master's in CE is like graduating from college with a B.S.
A doctoral degree finally gets you noticed. By this time you're working on 30 yrs. old, at least...
If your ENTIRE LIFE / EFFORT isn't in the business, it will fail, no matter what degree you have. You're in college to LEARN, so don't just do things to get grades!
How do I pay? Scholarships pay for the tuition/fees, and I have 2 seperate job (plus freelance website work) to pay for room/board, and expenses. I get absolutely no money from either parent, since one of them can't pay due to money problems and the other doesn't pay even when she promises to...
You can do it without loans, etc...you just have to find the will to finish it.