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.