Handy if you get really good at it because "the rest of your life" will be indicated by the unavoidable countdown timer that shows up in your vision!

How did you swing that transition? Did you study for PMP before applying around, leverage network to get in the door then backfill skills, or what?

Yeah, I got my PMP before applying around, combined with some luck I suppose. My IT role was basically a solo sysadmin before where I basically was the technical PM + engineer in one, and I did that for about 8 years so I had a ton of experience I could spin on my resume.