I was where you’re at 15 years ago; my language of choice was C++/Boost. I was advised to try C, not because it is a good language, but because it’s so hard to use, it helps you focus on the exact problem you need to solve. To this day I always “do one in C; do one in X”. I think Python (substitute any ‘batteries included’ language) can be good for this, too, as there’s no need to Yak shave with them.