It is great to have a 15 year plan, but beware that as you plan for the distant future you might be missing opportunities that are right in front of you in the short term because of a focus mismatch.
Concentrate on the short term. The best way to get into IT is through internships. Can't find one? Get on an open-source project. Even if you can't contribute, keep reading other people's already reviewed code (open source tends to have better code than what you'll see in school). At least it will give you some experience in distinguishing good code from bad. IT is all about patterns, some of the newest coolest technologies you see around are based on the same ideas as the one that solved a similar problem 10 years ago. You will see patterns as you get more experience in reading/writing code. Once you feel comfortable and start making contributions to these projects, it will help with your resume as well.
In the mean time, keep doing what you do today. You have a gf, going to school, learning more. Take it one step at a time and keep a positive attitude. Also, talk to people from this first group that you mentioned. You will be surprised how much of a difference connections make in getting an internship, and maybe you'll get to work with a couple of them on good projects for school.
Concentrate on the short term. The best way to get into IT is through internships. Can't find one? Get on an open-source project. Even if you can't contribute, keep reading other people's already reviewed code (open source tends to have better code than what you'll see in school). At least it will give you some experience in distinguishing good code from bad. IT is all about patterns, some of the newest coolest technologies you see around are based on the same ideas as the one that solved a similar problem 10 years ago. You will see patterns as you get more experience in reading/writing code. Once you feel comfortable and start making contributions to these projects, it will help with your resume as well.
In the mean time, keep doing what you do today. You have a gf, going to school, learning more. Take it one step at a time and keep a positive attitude. Also, talk to people from this first group that you mentioned. You will be surprised how much of a difference connections make in getting an internship, and maybe you'll get to work with a couple of them on good projects for school.
Good luck :)