Krafty, Unrepented made some pretty good points about doing auditing and so did some of the others (non-negative) ones.
The point is to make yourself marketable and in a way, promote yourself so to speak.
Bros here can only help you so far, you got to stand up for yourself and what you believe in.
Before you go into any endeavours, write down what you want and also the pros and cons of the options listed by the bros here (non-negative ones of course) and decide for yourself which makes the most sense and is the best(not necessarily the easiest)
Start by setting small goals for yourself and accomplish them for the family and yourself. Its not just for them to see but to restore any lost confidence in yourself. Lots of our fellow bros are stuck in your situation or even if they are luckier, they may be only slightly better.
A good qualification can only get you through the first filtering of resumes, in short, it can only get you this far. Why not pursue something non academic or something that will enhance the skillsets (relevant ones) in the industry that you are keen to go in.
Remember one thing, the show ain't over till the fat lady sings or in this case, when your coffin lid closes on you. Until that time in life, you are still free to chart your own destiny, forgive those who are cruel to you, they may be under even more pressure than you and know not how much their unintentioned words may have hurt you. Give them the benefit of the doubt, non of us(unless born in an ivory tower) are born with any manuals or clear instructions in which to live our life.
Words from one of my ex boss:
If i had succumbed to all the naysayers i have met through my life, i would still be stuck in the same shit as them now and never be better. Naysayers win when they see you fail and they WANT to see you fail so that this proves you are a loser too, JUST LIKE THEM.
Thank those who help you but also those who throw stones at you, who knows, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
To put in a cliched term: Never give up, never give up your dreams and never say never.
Being a taxi driver is definitely not a sin and should not be a blemish on your records. You should try not to put it into your resume though when applying for jobs in SG, rather explaining any gaps with reasons that you were upgrading yourself or to further your education (useful for SG companies)
That said, honesty is still the best policy and an employer(easier in the states) that can accept you for what you are, deserves you.
Age is also not a big issue in the states or actually alot of places for that matter.
Only in efficiency-centric Singapore is one automatically deemed slow and useless the minute they hit 50. They still can't get past their manufacturing mentality of replacing older parts even though its working well and forgot about the old adage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. They probably failed to realise that using older workers and treasuring their experience is one simple solution versus importing foreigners wholesale as we have an aging population. (Rather than seeing them as a liability, why not make more use of them as an untapped resource?)
Thats why places like China town, after having their "magic" touch, fails and why even now we likely don't have anything to hold tourists attention for long despite their best efforts. Everything is too artificial and "manufactured" if you will.
Singapore is an island on this earth but the earth is not Singapore. The world is much more and bigger than that, do whatever you need/whatever it takes to get in the direction you need and set sail. At least even if you fail, you have at least tried.
Don't be washing plates, cleaning tables or being a security guard at 80 and cursing yourself for not having tried while you still can.
The coffin lid has not closed yet, live your life the way its meant to be lived, be what you are meant to be.
The only people in this world who cannot do a bit to change their lot in life(forgive the pun) or have all the peace they want are in their coffins where their lids are already closed and nailed shut.(unless you believe in vampires/zombies)
I wish you all the best.