I am a student and I don't have enough money (not even nearly enough) to file a patent. I strongly believe in my idea and therefore I would give and do anything in my power to secure this patent. I have a couple of questions though:

* I am from the EU, can I file a worldwide patent in my country?
* What are the benefits of hiring a patent attorney? I have huge trust issues and I would rather do this on my own.
* What are the chances of my patent being rejected? I know this it is hard to assess the probability on a specific basis, but what are general rejection percentages?
* Would a bank (EU) give me a credit in order to file this particular patent?
* Is it correct that it would cost me 15-25k USD to file this patent in its entirety?
* How long does it take for the patent to take effect (in general) from the initial filing to successfully being granted?
* Let's say I would not patent my idea and roll it out myself. What is the likeliness of big players crushing me like the cockroach I am?

There already are very similar (software-)'products' on the market. Is it likely that they are going to accept it if my idea is different in its nuances but these define and make the software unique?