Need Advice Finding a Job

So I have a CCNA, security + and juniper jncia certifications but that's it, no degree, no experience. I'm trying to find the appropriate path forward for my goals. I've been reading around and it seems like I could really screw myself up going the wrong direction to become a network engineer if I don't start out on the right path. Ideally I'd want to end up working at a data center managing a server room or multiple server rooms or working aboard a research vessel managing the network onboard. That is the perfect end result for me, doesn't mean it's going to happen but that's what I want to shoot for just network engineering/system administration in general would be fine too if I miss. I'd like to be working independently as a team of one or two people in charge of managing large and/or complex IT systems for the full-service of those systems to keep the network running smoothly while also provisioning new machines as needed.

Some people have suggested internships or co-ops through university, (considering going back to college for a bachelors in computer science and doing this simultaneously). Some have mentioned staffing agencies like insight global. Others have mentioned job boards like indeed looking for NOC or SOC jobs.

My concerns are that well first, I cannot find jobs where I live within 100 miles around Tampa FL through job listings that don't require a bachelors there's a grand total of (3) at any given time that pay less than my current full time job and I've got bills to pay, so I'm feeling a bit disheartened but maybe I'm just not looking in the right places. This is just to get experience in anything networking related IT while also paying bills I'd even consider working 80 hours night and day if necessary

The other concern is that I think that I may be trying to climb the side of a mountain when there's a bridge called university that will get me across to where I want to go much easier and without being first on the list to be laid off wherever I go. Is this a valid concern in the industry? Could I actually get a guaranteed stable NOC or SOC job or work for an ISP at any old position within the ISP and chart a path to managing a server room at a data center or is that something that requires a bachelors degree and working at a data center specifically to accomplish. I guess I'm asking how much experience is really accepted as transferable job experience from one area of networking IT to another? If I choose to work at an NOC/SOC/ISP will I be stuck at one of those three areas because the jobs I could do without a degree don't translate to managing servers at a data center? I don't want to be answering phones for 20 years about computers running slow or field tech calls to replace a router because I went down the wrong path.