re: Financial modeling -- what to learn first

I will ditto the sentiment that the solid base Excel foundation is the prerequisite for models and bottles moreso than a language.

The macros and advanced stuff we write/use are usually time-saver oriented or pure bells and whistles as opposed to critical model components.

A language is lagniappe, and parsimony can be a beautiful thing. It can be very frustrating to create a monstrosity and it not work or have to spend hours correcting a screwup in your build design because you wanted to overcomplicate things.