One Word (Score 0)

Helpdesk.

It may be the IT equivalent of a McDonalds burger-flipper, and you'll hate (almost) every day of it, but it will get your foot in the door.

That's my experience anyway. I started out as a lowly helpdesk analyst for a small biotech firm in RTP, NC almost 9 years ago, and am now a senior programmer working for the 3rd largest bank in the US.

I think my 11 months on the helpdesk has made me a better programmer, because I've seen first-hand how frustrated users get when software barfs up unhelpful error messages, or worse, pulls a total crash and burn for stupid reasons. I actually have the reputation of writing some of the most bulletproof code in my division, and the helpdesk experience is a big reason for it.