I'm a software developer and have been for decades now. Here's my two cents.
If you really want to break into the field of IT, not all jobs are created equal. Know what you want to before jumping in. If you want to be a software developer, do not work at an entry IT job doing helpdesk or NOC stuff. You'll never get out of it. Not that many people don't like doing that stuff. If that is what you want to do, then more power to you. The pay starts lowers typically, but can end up somewhat comparable to what you make now in your area.
NOC and helpdesk stuff really aren't all that interesting to me since I like being creative and being a problem solver. Which is why I like doing what I do. I solve problems and make stuff. But there is still a fair amount of BS as a software developer you will deal with just like any job. No white collar jobs where you work for someone else will ever get rid of dealing with "management" or should I state mis-management. It happens everywhere. Some places worse than others.
If you plan to be a developer you will need a Bachelors degree. That will get you in the door most places. Although having a nice portfolio of code you've done helps a ton. I do it with some of my work. Remember developers are like artists in a way. You create something that is uniquely your own. You need to be able to show off what you've done to others while being able to explain it.
Stay away from places that grill you with rote memorization syntax questions at an interview. Those are not places you want to work for ever. The amount of minutia in any development language is far to much for any one person to have memorized. That's what the internet and book references are for.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to answer rudimentary questions at least. But anything you can't remember just always remember there is a website with the answer out there more than likely when it comes to "syntax" stuff.
If you switch to a developer though, you will start fairly low in most places. Worst place I ever seen only started people at $20K a year. Which is almost as as minimum wage. Worse in some ways because most of the time you will be working more than 40 hours a week and not getting any OT.
Typically, depending upon area, the entry development jobs are going to pay $35-$50K a year starting out. Some sectors, such as government contract work, will pay quite a bit more, but have their own problems. Mainly being unstable work, and no were to move up. Not to mention you'll be lucky if you have any benefits.
Still, once our foot is in the door, you can actually shine and sky rocket up if you are good. Least those places that let you do so. Some do and some don't. If it looks like you may get a job offer from somewhere I say it behooves to ask how they promote/move people up the pay scale.
I will say development work can be very hectic some days, and laid back others. It can be very fun/challenging some days, and boring as hell on others. More than likely you'll get pigeon holed though just like in the medical arena. How you are pigeonholed is based upon the OS you work in and the tools you work with. Microsoft or Linux are the two biggest OS's out there. Then there is C, C++, C#, Java, and web development as the next major category of being stuck into. Although there is some lesser stuff like COBOL, Python, and such. The last category is either being a backend, front end, graphical, mobile, or embedded developer.
Or you can be sill like me and get stuck in places that make you do ALL those things at once. Which brings about its own headaches when you do it all. Ugh.
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