Career change after a layoff, where to begin? - what worked for you?

My layoff made me rethink whether to stay in my field. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. I have good customer skills and I am comfortable with spreadsheets. How did you start?

I began with informational chats, then a short online course, then a related entry-level role. It took about 12 months.