Pivoting from dental hygienist to something new after 17 years as a dental hygienist

I want to move from dental hygienist 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 took a small pay cut for a year, and it was worth it for the growth afterwards.

I began with informational chats, then a short online course, then a related entry-level role. It took about 3 months.