[quote user="Kyanar"]
You probably wont like my suggestion, but consider getting a completely unrelated job where you think you might be able to "show off" your skills to improve your experience. Three and a half years ago, I started as a market researcher (yes, one of those annoying folks who calls you up at whatever time is least convenient for you) doing cold calling. It paid the bills. After six months there, they noticed I had a few skills they were sorely lacking in their data processing unit. I was promoted, and began doing data processing virtually full time (at $13 per hour, straight out of high school. Complaints? Heck no!). I noticed a few opportunities to "streamline" and "increase efficiency" in some of our repeat work by developing small applications in Delphi (three years later they're still using them, no recompiles since January 2005) which allowed me to drop "Software Developer" on my resume. One year after that I saw a web developer opening at their parent company. I applied and got the job - paying $35K/yr, but it's a start. A year and a half after that, I left there and now work in ICT for a central government department - paying $45K/yr (with benefits).
You've just gotta be able to see opportunities in unlikely places.
[/quote]
Well, any advice is appreciated. And I'm certainly not going to suggest that it's 'bad', but it sounds like this is just something where you just kind of stumbled into the field, whereas I am actively trying to get into it. While I don't want my skills to stagnate sitting around my parents house waiting for the "dream job" to come along, I also don't want to just settle on something that might give me the break I need sometime down the road. I realize that a degree alone isn't really enough in this market to easily get me a nice job, but I'd like to not be overly pessimistic and hope that with some patience, my four years in college won't prove to have been a complete waste of time.
Since my last post, I have gotten a few call backs. Given the bad time of the year, I'd like to think that it's a good sign. While I know that phone interviews are only the first step, and not any guarantee whatsoever, I do think progress is being made since I'm no longer just getting the standard "we've reviewed your resume and have no position for you at this time" form replies to those longshot jobs I took a stab at. In fact, I'm finally getting a few calls from people stating that they're actually looking for people in entry level jobs, alleviating my fears a little bit that it's absolutely hopeless to think that a degree and no experience will get me in the door somewhere.
Like I said, I'm not going to sit around forever, but I also don't want to take the first job that promises a paycheck. I've seen too many college graduates not do anything related to their degree out of college, only to lose sight of their goals as soon as they start making enough money to barely live on. As soon as they start making "just enough," they don't even try to find 'actual' jobs. I want to feel as though I gave it a fair chance before I throw in the towel and reach desperation levels.