Actually it can be hard to get your foot in the door especially with the economy the way it is now. What you have is a situation where people 3-5 times more qualified with tons of experience having lost their own jobs are "dipping down" into lower paying jobs - those entry level IT jobs you're looking for. What you have to do is think outside the box and learn that it really isn't about the IT certs you have, but who you know, who you can network with. You'll have to do some social interaction-engineering for a job. Develop contacts, develop new friendships with other IT folks, anyone you can find that's in any sort of IT position or who knows someone in the IT field. I keep a book full of names for people who work in IT in the banking, hospital, and other various businesses that support IT that I have met over the years.