Ask HN: Is it realistic for a developer to move to a differemt IT field?

I remember reading a comment on an HN thread a while back where a commenters noted they initially wanted to be a developer, but ended up becoming a network engineer because they found it worked better with how their mind worked. This resonated with me to an extent and made me curious. How realistically could someone who's already a developer move to a field like that?

I know the potentially salary cap is much lower, but it still pays relatively well, particularly if you aren't living in a tech bubble. My main concern is starting at the bottom. My understanding is that most IT fields have you start out as helpdesk, which from my observations normally pays terribly. While a pay-cut would be inevitable moving from a developer to a low paid help desk position would be too extreme.