I started my IT career right out of high school as a computer operator at a very large computer services corp. This is my 17th year in the industry, and I've held roles in tech support, engineering, administration, management, and development.

TBPH Help Desk, and End-User Support in general kind of sucks, but a stint in that role can give you a lot of exposure to how an organization works, and provide many opportunities to network with people from other departments. If it's a large enough company then that knowledge, and those contacts that will help you move around more freely; most companies post jobs internally first, and give preference to internal candidates when hiring.

In the corporate world getting hired, or promoted is more about who you know than what you know, and that was very true for me. I held 7 positions in the same company before eventually moving on, and I had little more than a vague understanding of what each new role would entail before taking it - i.e. I never took a job that I already knew how to do. I never kept a position past the point that I got bored with it [~3 to 4 years], and eventually I ended up as a developer full time. Looking back on it I'm sure that if I'd skipped my years in management to focus solely on becoming a developer then I could definitely have achieved that early on.

It's paramount that you understand that no one is going to give you anything in this industry - you have to work for it. You have to make what you have at-hand work to your advantage to get what, or where you want to be.

It doesn't really matter where you start - it's what you do while you're there.