Changing careers at 5 years into a job, is it realistic? (update)

After 5 years as a line cook I am thinking about moving into a different field. I am in Knoxville, in case local advice matters. I have good customer skills and I am comfortable with spreadsheets. Did you take a pay cut?

Try a small project in the new field before committing. It told me a lot about whether I would enjoy it.