Good story. I did my undergrad in history and came out wanting to do something else.

I spent a year on help desk, two years as a system and network administrator (skills I acquired by studying while I was on help desk) then I transitioned to development (which I studied for while doing admin) and now I lead my own projects. Like other have mentioned, it's all about dedication, tenacity, and passion.

However, I don't want to overlook the importance of the people along the way who took a chance on me. Those people were just as important to me being able to continue down this career path as the my own efforts.