my chances in the (software?) job market

i've recently been considering getting a proper job when i've finished doing my phd, rather than sticking with academia, which is what i'd always planned to do. the reasons, other than enjoying maths a bit less these days, are mostly financial/not wanting to leave london. anyway, i've never given this much thought up til now, so my cv is great for academic stuff but shit (i'm guessing) for everything else. does anyone have a clue what use a (pretty much) perfect academic record will be?

my first thoughts are towards programming jobs - admittedly i have pretty much zilch skills at the moment, but i used to be a keen programmer as a kid, and i imagine i could still be good. i'd also have a year and a half of spare time around phd writing to acquire some skills if i decided to go for it.

umm, obviously i should go to the university careers service, but it strikes me that there are probably people around here who've decided against academia quite late in their education, and i'd be interested in any advice...