Hi, Rudy, welcome!
On the one hand, yeah, the software coming with the controller very strongly influences you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still use VirtualDJ.
However, if you’ve already bought the hardware and have the license of Serato, then I can understand not wanting to pay full price for VDJ on top of all you’ve already paid – especially with how expensive it can be if you don’t get the discount for buying a “participating” controller.
Serato’s a great piece of software, though, so I wouldn’t stress too much about it. However, if you find that the workflow doesn’t work for you, you might give a quick glance at Mixxx – it’s Free/Open Source Software, so it will cost you nothing to give it a go, and it has finally gotten to where it’s ready to play with the big boys. There are also a lot of other pieces of software that are a lot cheaper than full VDJ.
That said, though, I think you shouldn’t have too bad a time going from VDJ to Serato – I found the workflows to be kinda similar, more similar than, say, Traktor vs. Serato.
I also started DJing late in life, so you are not alone in that regard… all you need is a love of music. A desire to share that love is a bonus, but honestly, there’s nothing wrong with someone who’s into it just for their own enjoyment either.
Have a great one!
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