starting programming

i've taken a passionate interest in programming and yet i'm having trouble getting started. i've learned quite a bit of basic C# (written a half-done Notepad clone, an email spammer, and an IRC bot) but now i'm stuck. i'm also taking a java class in which i learn noting because of the slow pace and outrageous similarity to C#.

1. what kind of programs should a beginner try making to further his/her skills without overwhelming him/her self?
2. should i continue to program C# and java until i've mastered them, or should i take the time for c/c++ right away.
3. what sort of goals should a programmer keep in mind from the start?

>>7
C# and java are both crap.  only thing they're good for is getting crap jobs.

lisp won't even get you a crap job.  i hear if you put lisp on a resume, companies actually start firing people instead.

learn c.  once you've got it down, just tack on a bunch of crappy OOP crap and you got c++ anyway.

asm looks like crap.  worthless unless you want to know how computers do crap.

anything with 'VB' in it is automatically crap.  it should be called VB.Crap on general principle.