Techy Guy Asking about Finance Jobs

Hi All - I posted this in the RE forum as well and a friend suggested I try a different forum.

I work for one of the CRE software firms out there. I originally sought to break into an attractive CRE Finance gig but found my job opportunities limited relative to the high opportunity cost of leaving a technical job in software. Also, I found in CRE that image, connections, and pedigree matter a lot, which doesn't particularly work to my advantage.

Recently I was recruited to work for another software firm that makes investment accounting, portfolio analysis, and derivative accounting software (fixed income stuff).

As far as the software/technical aspects of the job goes, it's a no-brainer to take the new job because I would be doing similar stuff for more money. But, and this is the main point of this post, the finance side of the job is a little bit of an unknown to me in terms of how these skills are valued in the marketplace.

So would it be better to pursue fixed income/investment accounting vs more experience in CRE software...? I don't want to lateral into a new niche if it's not valuable "business knowledge," even if it is an immediate bump in salary.

My ultimate goal is to find a high-paying job in NYC in 2-3 years that leverages both my technical experience, but also knowledge in finance. I've heard stories of people becoming relatively successful this way (150k-200k salary), without necessarily having an Ivy league degree or IBanking pedigree (for the record I have a pretty decent degree, but not target school by any means).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.