How to learn how to become a penetration tester/ white hat hacker

[halo_fan]

I know this website is not really for this type of stuff, but I would appreciate it if anybody could point me in the right direction.

I am a teenager, and want to have a job in network security. However, I do not know anything about hacking. I do have a good foundation, however, and am a very fast learner. I know multiple programming languages, including Python, Java, Javascript, BASIC, and a little C, and I am learning more as I go along. I also know about encryption and how that all works, as well. I do go to hackthissite.org and have completed all the basic and javascript missions and two realistic missions. I am not very experienced with Linux, but do know my way around the shell. In other words, I know the theory of how it works, but I just don't know how to apply it.
What linux distro should I get? I know kali is good but I heard that it is very unstable. What software should I get? i did write a short list down here: http://pastebin.com/Z2pqH98Q
Where should I learn? I am a teenager and do not have any source of money, so I cant buy any books or pay for classes. I have gone to my library and read all the books that they had on the subject, however. Are there any good websites, forums, or IRC channels to go to?
What then, how do I apply my knowledge without breaking the law? I can hack into my router, and my families devices, is it legal for me to hack my own email?
I live in a rural area, and my high school doesnt offer any computer classes and nobody else knows anything about computers.

Really any information you can give me will really help

[DaveLembke]

I am a teenager and do not have any source of money, so I cant buy any books or pay for classes

If your willing to do military service and can pass testing you could serve and get the training you need as well as college degree and land a job sticking with military or outside military there after. A benefit of military under your belt is that you would get clearances that allow for you to land the really fun cyber security jobs that pay 6 figures. www.usajobs.gov has lots of fun looking jobs for security and white hat type work.

If I only stuck with my path of Electronics Warfare Specialist that I was enlisted as under delayed enlistment and served in the USAF, I would have been so much better off than I am now I feel. I ended up taking 4 years off after High School graduation and landed a job working in Electronics. I then realized when I saw engineers with nice cars, nice homes, and money flowing like water that I need to get a degree in EE. But I didnt have any money. I ended up going to college when I really could not afford to. I was living on my own due to running away from home before graduating high school and had to work a full time job + part time job + college. It took me 6 years to get my IT/MIS degree through VTC. Then I had to pay back $50,000. Its all finally paid off, but I think back now at if I went the route of the USAF paying for my education and no rent and very little bills and medical and dental benefits, I realize that I could have been in a better position today if I stuck with my military path that I had started. BUT the military path was more of a forced path by parents due to issues at home and poor grades in school due to issues at home and thats why I backed out and was determined to just go my own way and do it my way. My grades flipped to A's when I left my parents house midway through senior year and 18 years old to do my own thing. Able to study vs argue etc. And in college I did really well for only 4 hrs of sleep a night sometimes less!