I'd say don't waste your time going through C++. Python is a great language to get started with, and will serve well for many web focused startups, as well as with dev ops and systems administration. This course will likely emphasize giving you the broad base of tools and habits you need to succeed, not drilling code syntax and algorithms into your head (which you can always do later). So imho, do your CS101 and dive in. // CTO, and tech advisor to several startups