its pretty close to 50/50 on what employers are looking for in their IT staff... the old line of thinking was to hire people who had schooling and certifications (MCSE, etc). Now the trend is shifting slowly to looking at people with real world experience, documented personal development and knowledge (portfolio type of experience) instead of hiring only people who have been indoctrinated with the blessing of good 'ole M$.
If you're looking for an immediate jump, help desking is a good idea. it definitely entry level and can be pretty shitty hours / pay, but it is a good place to work up from and get exposure to current issues and get "up to speed" on the IT issues of today.
If you're looking to move slowly and land a good job higher up initially, pretty much 2 options... take classes or start documenting self learning and get some hands on experience. Even a basic portfolio of setting up a home network with active directory, server2k3 and exchange out of cheap-o fixer up ebayed machines could be an impressive start to landing a very decent IT job.
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