I'm only on my 2nd programming job. I was at my last job for right around 4 years and had about 8 months of unemployment before I took the current one. The las

I'm only on my 2nd programming job. I was at my last job for right around 4 years and had about 8 months of unemployment before I took the current one. The last (1st) programming job was at a market reasearch company doing ASP, SQL Server 2000 and some MsAccess. I hadn't touched any of those technologies. I had/have no college degree or any college credits for that matter. I didn't even take programming courses in High School. What I did have, however, was a small handful of personal websites I had done in PHP and MySql, most using E107 (a PHP CMS). I couldn't code a PHP site from scratch, nor properly setup a MySql install. Heck, I could barely write queries. But I was fortunate enough that the company didn't have a proper CTO, so I interview with the IT/IS team directly. A couple of those guys had gotten there start the same way, so they gave me a go and things worked out really well. I came in severaly under qualified, on a probabtionary 90 day $10/hr wage. I left, after 4 years, as the Director of IT. I don't think I was necessarily qualified for that position either, but attained it more through attrition and ability to work well with the rest of the department and company. I guess the point is, there is always someone who will give you a shot regardless of qualifications. If you show that you have a technical mind, are motivtated and a quick learner, you have the base you need and some people will looking past the inexperience. The tricky part is finding them. Until then, just keep working at it.