My 2 pence if I may chime in...
Java is a fun first language and it was mine. Very accessible, free, and object oriented so you will learn a lot of the modern programming languages paradigm from it.
It's also cross platform meaning anything you create can run on anything that can install Java VM, be it Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, etc
You'd be surprised what devices run Java VM. Many set top boxes and Smart TVs even run it.
What I learned with Java I was able to instantly apply to C# and I'm pretty certain much of it will apply to any other object oriented language.
Any program written in a language that is not object oriented, if I'm not mistaken, would work much as a program built within a single class in an object oriented language, so even if you learn an object oriented language first, you should still be able to apply much of the knowledge to older, non object oriented languages, too, like C.
Of course I'm not very experienced and people programming longer will have more insight. But that's just my 2 pence.
Take a look at this as an example of what one can do with Java. You could copy and paste this code into netbeans and have a snake game running cross platform once compiled.
http://zetcode.com/tutorials/javagamestutorial/snake/
Whatever you start with, I would recommend getting yourself an introductory book and learning the basics. You could then have some fun following that and playing around with what you learn.
If you do decide to go with Java, good books I found useful for Java are:
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Sams Teach Yourself Java in 24 hours (This is a great introductory book containing 24, 1 hour lessons to get you started. It takes you from a simple Hello Word program, tells you about the ins and outs while giving you a little background and through to some basic graphics) This book got me through my first year project from knowing nothing, with a little help from a very kind Moijk who took the time to assist me with one of the more advanced features of my program as I was having trouble storing passwords outside of the program and this book didn't cover it enough.
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Head First Java (this one explains in more detail and is very accessible for the non programmer as it goes into detail explaining what objects and methods are, how variables work etc in plain English)
Everthing to get started for Java is free, do a quick google search for "netbeans and JDK" and you should find an installer from the Oracle website that will install both the language and the development environment on your computer. There will be an installer for Mac, Linux and Windows.
The best advice I can give you is don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed or intimidated at any stage. I ended up starting about 8 years later than I otherwise would have because someone told me "its too hard, stick to repairs and networks"... Foolishly, in spite of having done some C64 BASIC as a child, I listened, not having any knowledge of where to begin these days.
Programming is about having fun. The more fun you have the more you'll learn.
Good Luck on your journey
icard 
I think Java might be the place to start as for projects that will be my next stage after I get the environment working and try a few demos to see If I can get the hang of it.
