I'm mostly self-taught. I just went out and borrowed a couple of books from the library and read tutorials from the Internet. Actually, if you want to know what makes learning easier, is to start learning, wait for a while (don't know how long), and come back. I really think so, because I learned C++ in 2 "phases": Once when I was 11, and again when I was 14-15, and now I think I can understand it pretty well.
C++ made learning everything else easier; I jacked a Perl book from a friend and learned it in 3 days. I guess you acquire some sort of "programming instinct".
Oh yeah, I agree, VC++ really does have a nice interface.
Suggested sites:
http://cprogramming.com ,
http://cplusplus.com. And try reading C++ newgroups, too; you can find newsgroups at Google, for one.
-Eric