I started learning tenor banjo at the beginning of February. I have been playing guitar finger picking style for a few years, not to any great standard, but enough to accompany myself on a few songs.
I never could get on using a pick with the guitar, which was a bit of a nuisance as one of my hobbies is working on classic cars, and it is very difficult to to keep your finger nails in good nick when you're working under the bonnet ('hood' for those in US). So I was a bit apprehensive with regard to this with the banjo. I should perhaps mention that my aim is to be able to play Irish tunes, hence the short scale tenor with GDAE tuning.
I was determined not to teach myself this time, as I didn't want to get into bad habits, so I count myself very fortunate to have found a teacher only 10 minutes from my home who plays in a ceilidh band, and regularly sits in on sessions.
I've been set dancing for a number of years now, so I have a pretty good grasp of the rhythm of the various types of tune and am able to recognise a number of tunes. This has been very helpful, as I don't read music, but am able to cope with TAB.
My long term aim is to be able to play in sessions, so I am working pretty hard at it. However, in the scheme of things, I am an old dog, and these are new tricks, so wish me luck!

Rog