Well, I'm 41, and have about the same amount of experience, so you're not alone. In the USA, the main barrier for education is whether you can afford it, or don't mind being strapped with massive debt.

It's not a great time for us, but freelancing has been a lifesaver. Have you tried getting on a freelancing platform? It's probably easier to get work as a C++ developer than have to compete with the thousands of Wordpress devs.