[saden1]

1. You have to have passion for computers and software. If you just want to make a buck this is not the field for you.
2. You have to dedicate countless of hours outside of work or school to keep your mind in shape and evolve your knowledge (this is where passion helps).
3. You're going to start at entry level (tech support, support engineer, basically the guy people come to when they have issues they need resolved) and then move up.
4. If you want to get into the software development side a 4 year degree in a related field is a must if you don't have experiance.
5. Linux/UNIX administrators are in demand right now but times change very quickly. What I'm saying is you have to be versatile.
6. Get an internship of some sort while going to school. I would say this is an absolute must if you want to give yourself an edge.