The help desk: Dead end or launch pad?

It is a widely held belief that getting stuck at the IT help desk is a one-way ticket to Palookaville. An individual gets hired for that job and never leaves, in stove-piped organizations where systems analysts, network managers and other IT professionals are segregated from one another. But some tech pros are rejecting the "old school'' party line, saying that the job can in fact provide a good education and maybe even a career stepping stone. Help desk technicians, they say, can gain valuable experience working with end users throughout the enterprise and learning what makes the business tick.

For more on this unusual career path:
- Check out this Computerworld article