Looks like a great approach. Tell you what, I’m signing up! 
Years ago I taught myself C++ from a book but hit a wall and never really used it. More recently I’ve had a go at learning Python which is much easier, not just because the syntax is simpler but also because having struggled through C++ the core concepts (loops, objects etc) are familiar, which is half of the battle. Although it could be handy for my job, I’m learning it out of interest rather than for a specific purpose. As a non-techie I could really do with more background though, and that looks ideal. The ‘free’ bit doesn’t hurt either.