As a Sr. Tech Acct Mgr. for over 15 yoe, coding/development/programming is the way to go. Other IT jobs like at the Sr. level like Network/Sys Admin or DBA are good too, but these require more experiences and certs to reach the top...entry level for transitioners will most likely be in a help-desk/call center environment. Since u been in the workforce and have some coding experience, I don't think u want this kind of a pay cut to make the transition. Coders are in the most demand and if u know a language that hardly anyone else knows then u can ask for almost anything u want with proven knowledge. To get knowledge check out FreecodeCamp course and join the GitHub community. In the meantime, u can ask the developers in your office what language they use and volunteer some small projects. This way u can get a feel for it. Now about Cybersecurity, it's a hot topic and u see it in all the headlines. All the websites are advertising come training with us in this lucrative field...don't fall for it. here's why: To get the highest pay, you need to be near a tech hub that values it like Metro D.C. (Fed Govt), Bank Centers (NYC, NC, etc). Small companies see the importance but will they pay 100k/yr for CISA for a 20 node office...they rather have their network admin do it who already knows the system give him the difference to keep him. Will they pay u w/ no experience and only education and certs? Good luck w/ that. Security Clearance is another major hurdle. The Govt. only wants people w/ security clearance (ck out USAJOBs.gov or another job posting sites). If u don't hv one, u need to be a sponsor by a contractor (if they do, they're not going to fork out the $$ to get u clearance and u walk away after a year) or having served in the military...no ways around this. Again, a contractor may hire u for minimum pay while they pocket the difference by saying u have certs but no experience or vice versa to justify their offer. CyberSec may "sounds lucrative" in the long run, but getting entry into IT via cybersecurity is hard as HELL. U rather be the guy/gal coding the software that identifies threat vectors and not be the one responsible for scanning ur network for breaches or discoveries to find out how the breach occurred...u can become a white or red hat but the required skills are acquired differently.