I enjoy perodically getting dumped into a 'sink or swim' situation, as long as the expectations are realistic. That's how I started in SQL years ago (my database experience before that was primarily Access).

My new challenge is a complete revamp of our network based fax system (it has a SQL backend) and I am rapidly learning about telecom hardware and protocols (the vendors involved are lending considerable expertise to the project). It's a bit scary, but exhilarating as well.