Just starting out and have some questions

Hello all!

I am looking into getting into the Health Information field. I have no experience in a hospital and my degrees are completely unrelated to IT or Health (I have a Masters in Japanese, I was going to be a professor but now I've completely changed my mind for various reasons). HIM/HIT looked like it would be a good field to get into since there will be jobs there, so I was looking at what I'd be doing and how to get into the field.

Basically, I don't want to get a degree that won't turn into a job.

I'm not sure what the progression is. Do I first get certification to become a coder, i.e. getting a CCA, then work as a coder for 25-30k for a few years, then go for an RHIT? After which I can become a manager? I'm just having a hard time envisioning what jobs there and how each of the progresses to higher salary levels. I just want to have a clear progression so I'm not making some sort of mistake and getting certificates that aren't marketable :P

I've researched this a ton on the internet, and I have an idea, but I'd like to hear from experienced people about what the opportunities are like, what's a realistic timeline for progression is, and what your typical day is like on your job?