What Is The Best Way To Jumpstart My IT Career Towards 40k?

I'm a 26M. I currently hold an Associate's in IT, graduated with honors, no certifications. I recently gave up pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science due to lack of motivation.

All positions I have held have been under a year, so I probably look like a job hopper. Some online job applications don't even give me space to explain employment gaps, like leaving a job to focus on being a student.

I live near a big city on the east coast with a strong financial sector. I was recently hired at a major non-profit organization to process donated computers. It only pays $13/hr, the most I have ever made is $15/hr.

This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I wanted to go into IT, but I needed a job. I applied for an entry-level government help desk that would pay 40k-45k, but their online account still says I'm eligible, but nothing as been updated in 2-3 months so who knows.

My goal is for my next job to pay 40k, I'm not sure if this is realistic, but I really want to advance past low pay hourly wage work.

My resume shows the following: Current job

Small office data entry with some light tech support - 5 months

Software call center representative - 9 months

I figured aiming for help desk positions is the way to go, but even entry-level positions seem hard to get. I'm not sure if I should wait a year before applying for more positions.

I would like some guidance on what to do. Should I work at my job for a year or more before applying for anything else to reduce the job hopper look? Should I just apply for what I want anyways while at my current job? Any advice would be appreciated.