Haha, yeah - there is a bit of a difference. :)
A while back, some of us made a thread trying to determine the differences between the two systems. You may want to check it out. link
Regarding skills (which you made a very good point about listing them all in order to help learn them all): in 5e when you call for a skill check as a DM, you say roll a Wisdom (Perception) or a Strength (Athletics) check. The associated ability score is always put in with the skill or tool. This does two things - 1) lets the players know which ability score to roll if they don't have proficiency, and 2) allows you to change the associated ability score if you want (say you want a Decterity (athletics) check instead). Compare that to pathfinder, where you rarely change the associated ability score, if ever.
It also means that when you have a check you want someone to roll and you think a proficiency bonus might apply, you can just give them that bonus. 5e requires a lot of judgement calls from the GM. They purposefully left out a lot of rules in order to allow the GM to have greater flexibility. Compare to PF, where you have to have the right skill points in the right spot (and your skills points can vary by the skill).
Lastly, you don't always need to call for a check or roll. If you think someone should just pass, then they pass. If you think they should fail, then they fail. The check is only for when you think the results are uncertain. Typically, if the consequence of failure is nothing, don't even try for a roll, just have them succeed after so much time. I usually have my players make a check when either the results are uncertain or when the situation is interesting.
Skills in 5e and Pathfinder can look deceptively similar, but there are differences. And if you enter the game with a pathfinder mindset, you may find some of those differences to be aggravating.
Thanks, bookrat! :)
WE Ray: I think I posted my email address in one of the earlier messages. If not, let me know and I'll post it.