I had to reply to this post. I was in your situion only a few months ago. I had graduted from a local university with a Bachelors in Information Systems/Application Development. I've always wanted to get into the Computer Security area, but found myself doing web devleopment for a very large company. Today, however, I'm living my dream - doing some very cool computer security work - and getting paid for it.

So - my adivce. I read books, researched info on getting a masters in InfoSec and spoke with many many people in the field. What paid off for me in the end was the "informational intrerviewing" I did with people. I located several people who were currently in the field (using my carrer center at school and also locating people at my work who were in the field) and setup interviews with them. In these interviews I asked questions about the field and let them know I was interested in getting in the field and would do what it takes. I even picked up a mentor who taught me what to read, what to study and was there if I had any questions. In the end, it was my mentor who got me my job. Not my skills, nor my degree, although I am sure they helped :-)

This is kinda long, but my conclusion is that it helps to know the right people. Get out there and make contacts!

Best of luck,
Smartin