You will be considered independent if you turn 24 before December 31, 2017. Your AA degree does not matter if you’re 24.
However your plan to “enroll in some school for a severely discounted amount” might not be as easy as you are making it seem. The amount you pay in tuition does not change because you’re independent and you don’t automatically get additional financial aid just because you’re independent.
You CAN qualify for more financial aid because you do not have to put down your parents’ information, so if you’re not making any money you might get more aid than you previously did when your parents’ information was included. Regardless, there isn’t a ton of financial aid out there.