[fusionstorm]

I've sold to IT personnel for over a dozen years, and count many managers, directors, VPs and CIOs as friends. None of them have a PM background, and I doubt even a handful have a PMP as a cert. The biggest leap obviously was going from an admin/engineer to manager. Typically, the path to achieve management was:

1) be a competent engineer while also demonstrating interpersonal skills
2) get "quality" certs and experience.
3) have a good relationship with your manager as well as any other IT management
4) move into manager role when an existing manager leaves or is promoted

An MBA has some value if you're looking to move into a VP or CIO role. At the manager level, it's more important to have experience and certs first.