So I've started trying to teach myself Visual Basic. So far it's not too bad, partly because I've been exposed to it at work. I've also found that computer languages are not as different as spoken languages. I would recommend to anyone that is thinking about picking up programming to start off like I did with something semi-simple like Python. The best thing about Python is that it is free to download and there is a decent online book that teaches you the basics.
Python.org - Click Downloads to pick a version
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist - Textbook I used for my first CS programming class
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist - Textbook I used for my first CS programming class
As far learning Visual Basic, I'm currently reading a book Sams Teach Yourself Visual Basic 2012 in 24 Hours. The name is a bit misleading, as it's not exactly that simple. It's broken down into 24 different "1-hour" lessons taking you step by step through the process of learning the Visual Studio environment and Visual Basic controls. I completed the first lesson last night. It was a simple program that allowed me to search for a picture file, load it into a picture viewer, and then close the program.
Look at that cute pup!
This may seem like something very simple, and in truth it was a very basic design with minimal code. The difference that I feel from using other languages like C++ and Python was the use of buttons and having access to a Windows Form. I once spent three hours in C++ attempting to just get a window to appear when I ran the program (and it was blank.) Python was a lot easier to accomplish this, but that's because people spent a lot of time creating add-ons (called libraries) that allow the user more control over the environment. Here is an example of a script that was written as part of a class assignment. The goal was to create a program that would test your math skills at different levels of difficulty.
Don't worry I cheated.
The book hasn't gotten very deep into the Visual Basic language. I believe this is done so that it doesn't overwhelm the audience and get them discouraged. I can say this is a very real thing, because there have been multiple fruitless trips to the bookstore looking for computer programming books. Surprisingly I found two on my last trip (the one I'm currently discussing and anther book on HTML/CSS that has lots of pictures.) I'm sure the future chapters will become more challenging and have less hand holding; otherwise, this book will never teach a person to create things on their own. To reference the old saying about fishing, the author gave us a fish in the first chapter to show us how tasty it was (it was delicious!). If he never gets around to teaching us how to fish, we will still go hungry.