pheeror 12 Light Poster

Hi there,
I'm using linux for several years and i would like learn windows to get some new experineces in IT and ... get better salary :-)

1) I'm little afraid of it, because i have no idea how i can do something like package managment (easy install and automatic updates of whole system) without making own WSUS. Is there something like WSUS with a lot of 3rd party software freely available on the internet?

2) Second thing what could be problem is User Interface. Is there any project what makes windows UI as good as KDE ?

3) And finally can i get any "edu" version? (I'm currently a student, but no chance to get it on my school :-() or maybe free w2k8 beta?

thanks in advance for your replies
and yes, i know my english isn't perfect :-)