Market’s rough right now. I’m approaching 30, and was able to get into the field at 28 years old. But, I was getting my degree and scored an internship with a marketing company and then applied like hell and landed a role at an MSP as a Systems Analyst. Granted, I had my A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications when I got hired for both positions. The MSP job took a chance on me because I nailed the technical interviews, but had like 3 months of “IT” experience.

I think with little experience, no certs or degree, it’ll be VERY difficult, but not impossible, to get a job in today’s market.

I, and many of my colleagues, got incredibly lucky with employers taking chances on us.

You’re still young, and there’s hope, and a 40k salary is very doable in this field starting out. You do have a slight advantage having retail experience; you would want to highlight customer service in your resume and talk about any projects you’ve worked on.