Yes you can, if you're realistic in your expectations. There are a lot of mini tours around the country where you can gain invaluable playing experience. Try to find one of those first and see how you do. It's gonna cost you some money though, pro tours aren't cheap.
Keep in mind though that once you turn professional, you can't play in college or in any other amateur event per the USGA rules.
I would think twice about a swing coach; if you've only been playing for 8 months and you're blowin off a 76, an instructor might only screw you up.
Putting is a totally different beast. A lot of tour players are starting to look at specialized coaches for different parts of their game. Find someone who specializes in the short game or who is comfortable not messing with your swing and see if they can help with just your putting. That's where most of your strokes come from though, so you're gonna have to do something about that before you go any further either professionally or collegiately.
Good luck either way. Hit em straight!
Edit: the real hassolof, if you don't like golf, stay out of the golf section. There's a basketball category here too. The kid was asking about his golf game, not his jump shot.