Rather than plunge ahead blindly, take some time to tap the minds of existing LEOs who are already doing what you want to do. You may find out that it's not feasible to gather competitive credentials holding your current position, or you may find that it's quite feasible on the one hand but there is some preferred way to go about it. We had this kind of question a few times in the last few years here as well so search older threads to see if any apply.