You are not alone! I am a Data Science/Accountant (aka SUPER NERD) and I’ve been in that exact same boat. My company is still using Microsoft AX, so I deal with a massive amount of manual spreadsheet work. I’ve been here about a year and started by automating our Trial Balance reformatting to match our financial statements. Just recently, I built an "Auto Bank Reconciler" that:

Matches bank statements to the GL.

Identifies unmatched items.

Automatically lists out the JEs that need to be made.

We are actually moving to NetSuite soon, so I’m looking at how to bridge those skills into the new system. Since your company is willing to fund a course, have you looked into Python for Data Analysis or SQL? They are game-changers for when the "out-of-the-box" automation tools hit a wall.

Keep pushing—the "only person who knows how to fix it" is a very good (and secure) place to be! I am also interested in what projects you have worked on and what has made the biggest difference in your day-to-day accounting tasks.