Outsider looking to enter IT

DMa47

I currently hold a BS in Biology and have been having a little bit of trouble finding employment in my desired field. As a result of this I've been looking at other career paths and have been heavily considering an IT position (such as SysAdmin / etc..)Science has always been my passion but dealing with computers and electronics is my number one hobby. I've built a few computers from the ground up, have experience trouble shooting printers / routers / home networks, and know most entry level problems can be solved via google. At this point, I wouldn't mind at all working with computers in some way. The only hesitation I have is getting my foot in the door. If I were to pursue this avenue I would start first by going for some certifications. I would obviously start from the bottom up (IT help desk for example) but I'm just curious as to how long it would take to make some "real money" (talking 50k+ year positions). I would also plan on going for my Masters of Information Sciences (I believe that's the correct term) as I was getting deeper into the field. So the tl;dr version with questions: Have a BS in Biology : Is this considered any kind of help, or more so neutral? How many years of experience will it take to get a "good" job? What are some good first certificates that can get my foot in the door? Any other information you'd all like to add go ahead. I just need a little bit of advice and research to make a full step in any sort of direction.