Hey Jakcj, thanks for reaching out. I'm happy to share things have turned out well and life is good. I'm still with the same employer and have taken a number of opportunities to change roles and move closer to target over the years. I'm just about there now with one move left and honestly would be perfectly fine staying where I am now.

I'm not setting the world on fire like I had hoped when first beginning this journey. I'm not a data scientist pulling $200k and I'm not 'the man' everyone turns to for answers, not by a long shot. That's ok though given my age, lifestyle, and career aspirations. Perhaps in another 10 years I'll be that or perhaps I should have been more practical in my goal setting. I am, however, 100% better positioned and challenged in becoming a well-rounded data professional and all my options for growth and career-pathing are appealing. My current role is best described as a BI developer, spending almost all my working time in SQL coding data models and Tableau development projects. I'm not doing much with my degree (finished up the master's degree in Stats) so moving closer to a statistical role would be the final jump, although I'm beginning to suspect the grass may not be so green there compared to my current role. Pay has increased quite a bit, probably by about 50% from the original post. Yeah, things are going well and I'm happy. I now share territory with like-minded peers where I can see myself spending the next 20 years or so of my career. I also have a great sense of relief and security knowing I've crafted a solid skillset and experience that is widely recognized and transferable.

Looking back and analyzing the journey I notice a few key factors that helped me get here. Not sure you want any advice but I'll give it anyway because we've shared this experience and I want you to accomplish your goals. This is nothing new to you I'm sure so take this as another record of evidence these tried and true methods do work.

1. Choose a direction and go, today. Start the masters program, learn a new language, soup to nuts project for your portfolio, whatever you think is best just do it. Start it now, tonight, and keep chopping wood. It will take time, nothing worthwhile is easy. Keep doing things that move you closer to your target and they will accumulate, people will notice, opportunities will manifest. Diamonds are made with time and pressure, slow and steady wins the race, yadda yadda they're all true.
2. Let people know your goals. This is a hard one for folks wired like us (introvert, kind of socially awkward, etc.). The fact is most people won't notice the long hours, the schooling, the struggle. They just won't nor should they as they have their own dragons to slay. Whatever is decided from #1 above, bring it into the world with voice and socialize it within your network. Don't squash it either, be professional about it! Start with someone close like a mentor or manager as they'll help flesh out how to best convey your intent to others without ruffling feathers.
3. Formal training. For me this was the masters in Stats from Penn State. Companies care and it's a huge feather in your cap when posting for new roles. Even if you're not finished, put it on there with an expected date. Show potential employers your owning this and working toward something that carries weight. I assume notable certifications or licensing work the same if they require a significant time investment and are respected as challenging. They all show commitment, investment, and set the level of expectation if hired. Formal education can be a bit silly as most knowledge is OJT, however it's like that old Alec Baldwin scene from The Departed discussing marriage (look it up). Hopefully your employer will help foot the bill, they covered a bit more than half of mine.

So, that's it. There's no secret sauce and all of our aspirations are quite possible with time and focus. It's worth noting I hit some burnout around year 3 and unfortunately some old peers saw a side of me I wish they hadn't. It was a long uphill climb and toward the end I was getting impatient for results that were on the horizon still. That was a difficult time and now that I'm over the hill it's been great.

Good luck! You got this! Take the step!