Check the State of Oregon official website and look under "Employment". Last time I looked there were several agencies in the state looking for IT nerds.
I've looked there a few times before. Those guys seem really bad at getting back with you. Maybe it's the lack of degree, again. And the pay is usually atrocious.
And you need a higher level degree? Generally in telephony, experience is what counts. But seeing that you are on the IT side of the house, it probably is different. I guess I can consider myself lucky having been in wireless for 13 years now....without a degree(dropout).
IT side IS different. It's all about degree and certifications, experience matters very little. Or, rather, degree and certifications matter very little to the person actually doing the hiring, and experiences makes ALL the difference. However, the HR people filtering the resumes before they GET to the hiring managers can hardly turn on their computers without help, and so just check the submitted resume for a list of acronyms - most of which I lack. So, my substantial amounts of experience likely never even GET to the department managers.
Not sure if you have other telco experience or not, but it is fairly easy to get into a "field tech" position at a wireless telco that pays decent. Starters with little experience can usually make around $35-40k. As long as you can tie your shoes, you are qualified.(I'm just saying that because we have a couple idiots that work for us who have needed to get the boot for soooo long) Plus, you almost always get a company vehicle too.
I'd say borderline "virtually no experience" in that area. I learn quick, but....I dunno, think a more office-oriented job would be better. (Not opposed to travel OR field work, of course - but I'd rather not it be more than half the job)