Im a n00b to this site and to ethical hacking altogether.  I have a BS in ISS from ITT and have worked in IT for the past 12ish years.  Im 30 and have finally decided to expound on my knowledge and get into the security side of IT to actually use my degree in security.  Ive read a few threads here about what to learn but still have a few questions.

I use a MB Air as my primary machine and have installed Linux Mint, and BT5 in Parallels so I can learn.  I undersatnd that I need to start with the basics of programming with Python.  Keep in mind that the BS in ISS was more theory based than hands on, and I graduated in '09 so Ill have to refresh myself with any *ix that ive learned.

My goal is to further my career in the IT industry *in* the field that interest me most.

Ive worked as a network engineer, sys admin, and project manager since I started IT but my passion is security and ethical hacking to provide a better means to secure the assets I am responsible for (along with others). 

I guess my question is, while working primarily in a M$ environment, what would the best place be to focus my learning on?  Do the tools Ive listed above provide me with the required assets to ensure my training is sufficient to perform "white hat " hacking?

If anyone can link me to info, that woud be great.

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong spot, I couldnt find a suitable place I thought would get the visibility Im looking for...

TIA,
Turb02