Changing careers at 7 years into a job, is it realistic? (update)

After 7 years as a paralegal I am thinking about moving into a different field. There are 7 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 14 months.