What to do in a confusing situation prior to tertiary study?

the best educaton of all is on the job. An internship is indispensible and should be your main goal while in school.
if the school you go to doesn’t have a mandatory internship, then it’s up to you to get one. Once you have a couple years worth of work in your portfolio start the interview process. don’t worry about it now, even without a formal support system in place you should be able to find what you need at school.

work hard and good luck