It depends on your goals. I use C and C++ everyday, but I'd suggest if you are trying to learn how to deal with very low level concepts than C is probably the

It depends on your goals. I use C and C++ everyday, but I'd suggest if you are trying to learn how to deal with very low level concepts than C is probably the best thing to learn initially. So much has been written in C over the years, and so much continues to be developed in C that it is really a powerful tool to know and understand. There are plenty of good code bases to look at for either C or C++, but C will give you a rooted understanding of core concepts. Plus look at it this way, every time I use a higher level language I know that it is helping me get things done faster, but I also know everything it is having to do for me at a lower level. Which means when I debug it, I look at things differently than others whom don't have the same low level understanding. So IMO it makes you a better all around programmer even if you decide to work mostly in a higher level language. One draw back to that too, is you have to look at the obvious first and not get lost in the weeds.