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

I want to move from customer-service rep to something with more stability. 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. Did you take a pay cut?

I began with informational chats, then a short online course, then a related entry-level role. It took about 13 months.