learning

sams has good books on most languages.
the for dummies series is also a good starting point.

specific os for developing on, to pick the correct set.
( sams teach yourself c in 24 hours, with linux programming in 24 hours )
to get a foundation for linux programming with c

AN easy programming language to learn that is just as robust but far easier and more logiocal then C++ is Python. It's free, Guido Van Rossum's (sp?) online guide is phenominal.

Once you learn this, if you CHOOSE to learn C++ afterwards (though Python jobs pay more and take far less time)it's just a matter of learning how to write more redundant (messy) code.

But Python and more importantly writing Python 'modules' will get you far. python.org

I know a few guys that are paid immense amount of money now because they jumped on a Python wagon abut 6 years ago and now they are hired for high paying contracts securing banking systems online ecryption and Public Key Infrastructures. It pays more because it is simpler to write, has less room for error and is easy to debug, while offering greater security than the same module written in C++.