Changing careers at 16 years into a job, is it realistic? - 5 weeks in

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 a little time and a small budget for training. How did you start?

I began with informational chats, then a short online course, then a related entry-level role. It took about 9 months.