Ditching the Day Job: A Realistic Guide to Making AV Your Second Career

Somewhere between the third Zoom call of the day and a particularly soul-crushing performance review, a lot of people start daydreaming about doing something with their hands. Something that feels real. For a growing number of folks in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s, that something turns out to be audio-visual work.

Over the past couple of years, the AVP Users forums have seen a steady uptick in threads from people asking some version of the same question: I've been messing around with AV gear in my spare time — is there actually a path into this as a full-time gig? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is what this article is about.

Why AV Is Actually a Smart Second Career Move

Let's get one thing out of the way: the AV industry isn't a fallback. It's a skilled trade with genuine demand, and that demand is growing. Live events, corporate AV, houses of worship, higher education, healthcare — the list of sectors that need qualified AV professionals keeps expanding. According to AVIXA, the global AV industry generates over $320 billion in revenue annually, and the US market makes up a huge chunk of that.

What makes this particularly interesting for career changers is that the industry has a skills gap. There aren't enough trained technicians, systems integrators, or live event engineers to go around. That gap is your opening.

Taking Stock of What You Already Bring

One of the most consistent pieces of advice shared in our community is this: don't assume you're starting from zero. Depending on your background, you may already have skills that translate directly.

IT and networking professionals are arguably the best-positioned career changers in the modern AV landscape. Today's AV systems run on IP networks. Dante, AVB, NDI, AES67 — these are audio and video transport protocols that live on the same infrastructure you've already been managing. If you understand subnetting, VLANs, and QoS, you're already ahead of a lot of people applying for AV integration roles.

Construction and electrical workers bring a different but equally valuable skill set. Low-voltage wiring, conduit runs, blueprint reading, and job site coordination are all things that AV installers do every single day. If you've pulled wire or read a set of drawings, you're not starting from scratch.

Teachers, trainers, and presenters who've spent years fighting with projectors and PA systems in classrooms or conference rooms often have an intuitive understanding of what end users actually need — something that's genuinely rare and valuable in client-facing AV roles.

The point isn't that your existing career makes the transition automatic. It's that you probably have more relevant experience than you're giving yourself credit for.

The Certification Question: Should You Get Your CTS?

If you spend any time in AV career conversations — here on AVP Users or anywhere else — you're going to hear about the CTS. The Certified Technology Specialist credential, offered by AVIXA, is the closest thing the industry has to a universal entry-level qualification. It signals that you understand the fundamentals: signal flow, system design basics, decibels, aspect ratios, the works.

Is it mandatory? No. Is it useful? Genuinely, yes — especially for someone coming from outside the industry who needs to show employers they're serious. The exam costs around $299 for non-AVIXA members (less if you join), and there's a solid prep guide available through AVIXA's site. Several AVP Users members have mentioned that simply studying for the CTS gave them a vocabulary that made their first job interviews dramatically easier.

Beyond the base CTS, there are specialty credentials — CTS-D for design and CTS-I for installation — but those typically require documented field experience. Think of them as goals for year two or three, not day one.

The Union Path vs. the Integration Route

This is where career changers often hit their first fork in the road, and it's worth understanding both options clearly.

The union path — primarily through IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) or IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) — is most relevant if you're interested in live events, touring, broadcast, or theatrical production. Union work can offer strong wages, benefits, and a clear apprenticeship structure. The tradeoff is that getting established often requires patience and some willingness to work your way up through call lists. It helps enormously to live near a major metro area with active entertainment infrastructure — think New York, LA, Chicago, Nashville, Las Vegas.

The integration route means working for an AV systems integrator — a company that designs, installs, and services AV systems for corporate offices, schools, government facilities, and similar clients. This path tends to be more accessible to career changers because integrators are often actively hiring and willing to train people who show aptitude. Starting as an AV technician or junior installer and working toward a systems engineer or project management role is a well-worn path.

Neither route is inherently better. It depends on your lifestyle, your location, and what kind of work actually excites you.

Let's Talk About the Age Thing

It comes up in almost every career-change thread on our forums, so we're going to address it directly: yes, some corners of the AV world skew young, and yes, age bias exists in hiring. That's real, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone.

What's also real, though, is that maturity and professional experience are genuine assets in client-facing and project-oriented AV work. A 45-year-old who can run a job site, manage a client relationship, and troubleshoot calmly under pressure is not a liability. Several of our community members who made the switch in their 40s have specifically noted that their previous career experience accelerated their advancement once they got their foot in the door.

The strategy most often cited: don't try to compete with 22-year-olds for the same entry-level gigs. Lean into the experience you bring. Target roles where project coordination, client communication, or technical depth matter more than raw physical endurance.

Salary Expectations: The Honest Version

Entry-level AV work — and that's where most career changers start — typically pays somewhere in the $18–$28/hour range depending on location and role. That's a pay cut for a lot of people making the switch, and it's worth going in with eyes open.

The ceiling, however, is meaningfully higher. Experienced systems engineers, AV project managers, and senior live event technicians regularly earn $70,000–$100,000+, with some specialized roles going well beyond that. The ramp-up time varies, but most community members who've made the transition report reaching income parity with their previous careers within three to five years.

Getting Your First Reps In

Before you quit your day job, find ways to build real-world experience on the side. Volunteer at your local house of worship, community theater, or school. Reach out to local AV companies about weekend labor calls. Take on small residential or small-business installs for friends and family. Document everything — photos, project descriptions, what you learned.

That portfolio matters more than most people realize when you're interviewing without a formal AV resume.

The Community Is the Shortcut

Here's the thing nobody tells you about breaking into a skilled trade: the fastest path almost always runs through people. The AVP Users community exists precisely because AV professionals tend to be generous with their knowledge when someone approaches them with genuine curiosity and respect.

Post in the forums. Ask specific questions. Attend local AVIXA chapter events if there's one near you. Go to InfoComm if you can swing it. The connections you make will open doors that no certification alone ever could.

The basement hobby can absolutely become the career. It just takes a realistic plan and the willingness to start somewhere.