ok, firstly, i'll admit im nowhere near an expert/professional programmer, but here are my 2c basic is an easy language to start with. its powerful up to a point in the right hands (windows defender was written in vb until microsoft converted it to c++). however, for moving to another language it can be pig awful. its syntax and the way it works sometimes is nothing like c++ or some other languages i havent had experience with java, but on what courses i've done in college and people i know have been on, the courses either use vb or java (ive had the luck to always be on a vb one, which i already know ). i know that the syntax of java is more like c++, so this might possibly be a good option to move on. it also is more cross-platform c++ is where the real power lies, and if you can learn it without learning other languages good for you personally, i learnt QBASIC at the age of 10, moved onto VB by the time i was 13 and now dabble in whatever i feel like. i am 20 now. i have tried to break into c++ a few times, but im too stuck in basic. i can get my head around php no problem, but c++ confuses me (i try something, it throws up an error, and i dont know whats causing it, try various things, no luck, give up). ive got the feeling that it might've been easier if i started in java, but... in the end, i see it 2 ways. either go with vb and learn it easier yet have more trouble moving on, or go with java, have it a bit harder to learn, but when you want to move on it will be easier