Without a licensed surveyor mentor to tech you and vouch for your qualifications and experience, the other path to sitting for the SOIT is education. Find a program and continue learning. You first goal is 24 surveying credits. Having a BS already some boards will not require an AS, but do not consider an AS a step down in your education experience. There are some states that would accept a surveying certificate and fewer credits but would most likely be looking for you to be working within those states for a licensed firm.
As to vouching for your experience, not all references need to have also been employers. But you can bite the bullet, I did, leaving full time work as a PE to field crew for an LS. I considered it a cost of my experience, and a much higher cost that the college education credits.
Paul in PA