Thank you for the responses everyone, they are very appreciated!
To clarify, my rather vague "customer service" position is working the overnight shift at a hotel. When I started here everyone I interviewed with had started from the bottom and worked their way up, which I found promising. Since I was hired the company restructured and promotions from within became the exception rather than the norm, and I've been passed over enough that I'm ready to move on. The advantage of the job, as mentioned before, is that it does afford me at least 3 hours of downtime a night in which I could learn a new job skill or two to transition my way out of here.
Really this is something I should have done years ago, just got too comfortable with the easy job that paid well enough to get by. Anyways, on to the responses!
BlueHouse, I am most interested in your response, expect a PM momentarily! But because I like responses, let me go through the rest.
Coding:
I have now completed 7 lessons on Codeacademy.com, have found them to be rather straightforward and well laid out. I'm a bit more confident this is an area I could do well in given time, practice, and the right learning resources.
In my research I've read that the biggest area codeacademy is lacking is in theory. I know there are some good free intro to computer science classes floating around out there (including one from Standford University) for the basics, does anyone have any further recommendations for resources? I imagine that if I want to turn this into a viable job skill, I need to know not just how to do it, but the why as well. I would also appreciate any other books or other learning resources to supplement codeacademy.
Also, anyone have any estimates on a timeline from self-studies to being reasonably able to enter the field? I can rather comfortably commit 10 hours a week to this just in downtime at work, and it wouldn't be a huge stretch to double that. Also curious on the logistics of how to transition from self-study to landing a job, and what type of job that might be.
Actuary
This is also an interesting idea, and one I never would have even considered given I had no awareness of its existence. I have a good head for numbers and Statistics might have been my favorite math class I ever took. I think coding might be a safer field to pursue, but not counting this one out either. If anyone has gotten a job as a self-taught Actuary, I'd love to hear about it!
Trades
This is something I looked into a few months ago. Talked to someone at the local plumbers union and someone at Seattle City Light about apprenticeships. There is a bit of a wait list in either case, which I could live with. However, I'm really not very good with my hands. I love the idea of getting paid to learn something, and if I decided to go this way I think I could be ok at it with enough time and tenacity on my part, but I'm not sure its something I could ever really excel in.
Sales
A few people mentioned sales positions. I have some aptitude here and did well when I worked retail, but I also find it very stressful. I'd do it over what I'm doing now, but I like any of the above options much better.
Thanks again all! I love the community here =)