I had a similar realisation when I started my IT career. I handled it by keeping my work and ambition separate. But not distinctly apart. Started my career in 2

I had a similar realisation when I started my IT career. I handled it by keeping my work and ambition separate. But not distinctly apart. Started my career in 2007, I was assigned to a Java maintenance project, while I had interest in databases and data warehousing which was lucrative during that period. So I tried to gain knowledge in that space during my personal time. During a meet the topic came for discussion that's when I volunteered to do a proof of concept. It worked for me. Idea is to achieve the thing that you want to do, without losing what you already have. Career is a journey and not a destination, and never make money the driving light. It may sound philosophical but this worked for me. Hopefully it will work for you as well.