>>1
Yeah. beware of all of those --notice they are runtime / webserver centric. A nightmare when all you are us an IT guy who wants to manage workstations internally or create an actual APP for something small and deployment friendly (custom wallpaper changer, proprietary screensavers...)
Anyway, note that like me you'll have to make a choice between web programming and systems programming. The latter has nobody notable here in New York, for example. C today seems to only be for teaching, game makers, Microsoft, hardware companies (drivers) and random small payroll solutions written still for DOS (yuck, but win32 isn't easy unless you go with VisualBasic.)
Large colleges, banks, financial corps and medicine field software groups are looking for people, but the latter 2 usually ask that you have a minor in their field, or sometimes a full degree, to even let you send the resume. I'm about to switch from tech work to some smallish private company where programming is at the entry level, though I am intermediate in skill.
Check C, C# and VB and go to craigslist for a feel of the field near your state. Be ready for MFC applications or scripting. Feels ugly but the ain't nothing else.