Max and Maya may have been programmed by guys from the same schools, but there are a lot of differences. As far as a jumping off point, I'm not sure. I'm going the other way, Maya > Max, and it sucks. In Maya, most things are manual, as in you have control over them. In Max I am finding that you have to find ways around the pre-programmed things.
Maya is particularly awesome at animation and materials. Going to Max I've found most people prefer the compact material editor for example. Maya is more a Hypershade environment. Maya is based more on understanding what affects what, not pushing buttons and expecting a result.
I know this is a cynical viewpoint, but I've seen people move from Max to Maya and it seems more difficult that the other way around due to the way they are programmed.
You will be a better artist to learn them both! Trust me, Maya is rough, comparatively, but it teaches you elements of the art that a lot of Max users barely recognize.
If you have any questions please let me know. I've found very little info online going from Maya to Max, it may be different going the other way. Most operations are named differently, or have different effects!
Best of luck, and if you have tips on the other direction, much appreciated!
Cheers,
Matt
