Changing careers at 17 years into a job, is it realistic? - what worked for you?

After 17 years as a pharmacy technician I am thinking about moving into a different field. There are 17 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I have a little time and a small budget for training. 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 3 months.