Going on 20 years of IT/AV, but how do I leverage this to better jobs?

I was in school during the mid-00’s IT crash, got an AS in Networking Tech, then a BA In Computer Info Systems Mgmt, but could never land a solid IT job. I hung around the Higher Ed world for most of my career doing a variety of helpdesk, systems admin for AV systems, worked as a hardware engineer for an AV startup, then did project coordination for AV system installations. Now I’m in low voltage systems design with my CTS and a host of AV/physical security system credentials. I enjoy the work and mix of functionality, but the AV world doesn’t seem to have as many places to go at a higher level as far as equivalent roles in IT. While it seems that numerous areas of IT are struggling to fill roles and more lucrative. Along the way I’ve also earned a full stack dev certification and Instructional Technology Masters Certification, but neither panned out to be more lucrative than other jobs offered in the AV world when I started to job search.

Is it realistic to transition what I have into something higher level in IT as far as project management or systems development? Would I have to start over in lower IT positions?