Hoping someone will have some advice for me here.
I'm looking to relocate back to NC (no real preference for where, though most of my job search has focused on the Raleigh or Charlotte areas), and I'm looking for some sort of business analyst position. Problem is, I don't have any BA experience, and most entry level spots (which, hey, I'd take an entry level spot!) are looking for recent graduates. I graduated in 2012, and in the worst decision of my life to date, immediately took a shit part-time job (which turned into a shit full-time banker job). Quit there in January 2014, moved up here to RI, and ended up getting hired with the same bank, but in a legit job, in the sense that it pays fairly well and requires a college degree and all that. The issue here is that the job is really just fielding inbound client calls, and it was always supposed to just be a holdover while I found something I actually wanted to do. Two years and a promotion later, I'm still in a customer service phone bank, and while I think I'm getting paid really well for what I do, I want to make a move. The usual career path for my position involves going the wholesale banking route, which is something I know I don't want to do. I've been applying internally for "Analytics Consultant I" positions, to no avail. I minored in comp sci, and I know my way really well around Excel/C++/Java, am trying to teach myself Javascript and SQL. I dunno. I just feel like I'd be reasonably qualified for all these positions if I actually had, like, experience.
I guess I have two questions:
1.) How the shit do I find an entry level gig in my preferred field, 4 years out of school? When listings say they're looking for recent graduates, and I apply anyway, am I filtered/dismissed out of hand?
2.) If I'm applying to an NC position, how do I indicate that I'm willing/able to relocate? I feel having the RI address on my resume is an automatic dealbreaker, and my buddy offered me his Raleigh address to use, but I think that would bring up more questions than it's worth.