As far as programing either c++ or java is a good place to start. Java is easier because it automatically handles some stuff that you have to do manually in C++ . Java also is completely object oriented so you are forced to learn oo programing which is very handy for working on larger projects. You can also run java programs on any os or platform.
C++ while being more difficult is also lets you be a little more hands on. While that's a good thing it also means there are more things that can go wrong and you can run into problems like memory leaks which aren't always easy to spot. C++'s main advantage is performance, because it doesn't have to go through an interpreter like java.
The syntax between the two is very similar so I would start with java since it's easier. If you decide to move to C++ later it shouldn't be to hard of a transition.