How often do employees jump from help desk support to software engineers in IBM?

Because of a great misfortune, my career was seriously ruined at a critical stage. After trying much, now i have got into the Help Desk but i dont see my future there...My aim is to become a top engineer. Please help me know if there is a good chance, not just a remote, faraway theoretical chance, that i could join them engineers...If so, how long would it take??...What should i do to convince them im good enough to be absorbed as an engineer?...btw i hold a degree in engineering