I think it depends where you're at and what you're looking for. I've never really had much of a problem getting an IT job anywhere I've lived, but in some places like in the midwest, I had to go with contract-to-hire jobs rather than just going for fulltime jobs because there just wasn't the market. In the bay area there are bazillions of IT jobs so I could quit today and start interviewing by next month and probably have a new job the month after that, which I've done a couple times now. I don't have a degree, but I went to college long enough that I should have had one. I know a lot of people beat themselves up over rejections and not hearing back but that really should be expected. No one is going to fit everyone's need and a lot of companies get hundreds of applications per job so sometimes they don't even see your application. But just keep applying and you'll get some hits... its just probabilities imo.