The Catch-22 of trying to get your first job in a particular field is that everyone wants experience. It’s easy enough to understand why potential bosses would prefer someone with a background in the field, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Whether you’re looking for your first “real” job or making a career change mid stream, try the following to get some experience under your belt:

1. Previous non-related work experience matters (try to milk some related work out of it if you can)- Even if your previous jobs came with an apron and a hairnet, it’s better to mention it than give the impression you have no work experience at all. Bosses like to know that you can show up on time and be reliable. If you’re working in a non-IT job at the moment, try to squeeze some relevant responsibilities out of it- look for an opportunity to help redesign the website, or select and install the new inventory tracking or accounting software, and so on.
2. Build your own (awesome) site- Have a website that does the kind of stuff you’d like to do for work, and take the time to make it really polished. Don’t just slap a bunch of half-hearted stuff up there- it takes many free weekends to create something that will impress a hiring manager.
3. Build something for a group you’re associated with or a hobby- Perhaps your rugby team or the hospice group your Mom volunteers for need a website. Failing that, pick a topic you love and build something cool for it. Build something that’s a bit more unusual and unique than a website, like a simple game.
4. Volunteer to use your skill at a non-profit- much like #3, but with the chance to work at a larger, more established organization. Just tread carefully with anything that may be somewhat controversial (such as some religious or political groups).
5. Become an online expert in your niche- Start a blog on your topic and develop some SEO mojo to find a readership. Write articles for other sites, too, and syndicate your articles. Speaking at conferences and other industry events is great, but pretty tough without experience (unless you have a boatload of education and some interesting research to present).
6. Do an internship- Yeah, it’s a must. All things being equal, try to get an internship with the most well-known and respected employer possible where you’ll spend as much time as possible doing relevant stuff. The only thing that trumps that is the opportunity to intern somewhere you may eventually want to work- that’s always a good thing.
7. Try temping- again, a good way to get a little experience and get your foot in the door. Just be sure you’re clear up front about exactly what sort of assignment you’d be willing to take.
8. Take a class, but don’t expect it to do everything for you- There are not a whole lot of jobs in the software world where having a certificate, degree, or class under your belt guarantees employment- you’re almost always going to need a combination of training and some sort of experience. Before you plunk down a whole lot of money for training, go through several job sites calculator in hand and see what percentage of jobs (from employers, not agencies) for your target job title mention that certification. Unfortunately some courses on offer aren’t worth a whole lot in the job market.
9. Do a couple of freelance projects, but be careful- The best way to get some experience is to dive in and tackle some projects. Be aware, however, that legitimate freelance projects are hard to find, and as a “consultant” you’ll be expected to have all the answers, newbie or no. If this kind of opportunity comes your way, great, but watch out for sharks and for quagmire projects outsourced because no one internally wanted to touch them.
10. Be a “joiner”- Join a relevant user group (or two, or three). Go to the meetings, try to say some smart stuff but don’t try too hard, and go out for kebabs afterwards too.  User groups and the like are the best concentrated source of people who all work in the field you want to be in and know what’s going on and who might be hiring.
11. Do the math and work your network- Plan on applying for 100 jobs to get one that’s right. Now, that’s not saying you should throw your CV at any position you see (in fact, you shouldn’t; HR people will start to remember you, and not in the way you’d like); just expect to have to put out a lot of feelers before you find a job that fits someone with no experience. It’s not personal, and if it happens faster, great, but if it doesn’t don’t get discouraged. And remember to look anywhere and everywhere for an “in”- the Career office, parents friends, people you went to school with, and anyone else. Help can come from some fairly unexpected places, so just let everyone you can know what you’re looking for.