What resources did you find helpful when changing your career to Project Management?

Take a good fundamentals class with lots of hands on exercises (3-5 days). Read PM Network regularly along with other online references. Find a seasoned PM willing to mentor you within your industry and ideally your company.

Being a project manager is not a change, is an evolution. In fact, being a manager is the same. Obviously if you like to make it seriously. If not, you can read lot of things and then go to the interviews to declame what you read and perhaps you will get a new job as project manager. Just the case, good luck on maintain it.

Mikel

Moving to project management is not about finding the right resources, its about having the right experience and as I suggest you find the right transition role which from experience would be a project coordinator and combine that in parallel with basic knowledge like CAPM or some project management class.

Those are my 2 cents.

RK

This was back in the early 90's, so the landscape has undoubtedly shifted....but, when I was transitioning into a PM role,I joined PMI and went thru the PMBoK in great detail. After a few years as a project engineer/project manager, I started studying for the PMP and passed the test. I also took advantage of internal PM related training at work (as well as a vibrant PM community). I eventually ended up doing project management related instructing myself (learn/do/teach). I also got actively involved in helping others prepare for taking the PMP.

In short, identify the available resources, and then jump right into the deep end!

My transition was a little sudden, so the research came after the decision was made. I spent a lot of time on gantthead.com (now known as projectmanagement.com) and the IT section of Toolbox.com (I don't know if this still exists), reading articles, asking questions, and interacting with experts. I started attending local PMI chapter events and interacting/networking with members. I also took some inexpensive/free online classes - my employer gave us access to an online learning portal.

In addition to websites and blogs dedicated to project management, look for podcasts. Cornelius Fichtner had one that I recall listening to. If you want something structured, you could get a PMP exam prep book - there are a few good books that teach PM principles and refer readers back to specific sections of the PMBOK Guide (avoid trying to read the PMBOK Guide cover to cover, unless you have insomnia). I am familiar with Rita Mulcahy and Head First books; there are more. However, don't send them to a PMP or CAPM bootcamp. These types of classes are specifically for preparing for the exam, not learning how to be a project manager (even though they will use an exam prep book).

You might also look into workshops, like those offered by Fred Pryor, or free online classes, like those offered through Coursera or Edx. If your group is just considering making the transition, look for inexpensive options until they are more committed to the transition. There is an industry dedicated to teaching project management; it's easy to spend a lot of money on it.

Joined PMI, went through PMBOK several times, talked to people with project management experience, and started asking questions on projectmanagement.com, attended many webinars and small group discussions.

Nice discussion. Based on observation and experience, I must agree with the comment that you evolve into becoming a Project Manager (PM). Being a good PM includes having a talent to see the big picture, having the ability to organize a multitude of complex processes, and being able to forecast and plan possible outcomes. It is like being an artist or musician, you can learn how to be one but you might not have the talent to be a very good one.
In my humble opinion, good project managers started as just a project team member, performing a small portion of the overall project management effort. They will realize they have a passion for project management and naturally evolve and move to positions of higher responsibility within the project team. Eventually, they become the Project Manager.
It is unrealistic to pretend that an individual will be able to take a course or complete a degree in project management and be able to jump right into the role without experience. For those starting, do not claim the experience you don’t have! You will just be setting yourself up for failure. Stick to the facts and don’t be afraid to state where your experience is lacking.