[rhapsodic]

I would say work with a recruiter. That's how I got my first programming job, with only two semesters of CS education but a lot of time invested in teaching myself how to program. Recruiters should have a good idea for what their clients are looking for, and how flexible they are WRT unorthodox educational backgrounds, no professional experience, etc. They won't waste your time with clients with which you wouldn't stand a chance. (Not that they care about your time, necessarily. They wouldn't want to alienate their client by sending someone who is in their not-a-chance-in-hell bracket.)

Also, if you're trying to work for a big tech name or some hip startup, go for the enterprise IT shop instead. A bank, insurance company, hospital system, grocery store chain, etc. Because working in those places is considered unsexy, and they know it, they have to be more flexible than the places that are flooded with resumes from hotshot coders. Again, that's how I got my foot in the door. Work there for a year or two, do well, learn as much as you possibly can, and you'll be firmly established on the career ladder.