[Black Rose]

Similar or not doesn't really matter. You will always have easier to learn if you know another programming language because you understand a lot of the basics already and can see patterns by looking at others code.

I wouldn't call them extremely similar but they have some things in common. The syntax has similarities (but so does many other languages).

I would recommend AMXXPAWN a good starting point since memory is extremely simplified.
Everything is 32-bit "cells" or an array of them. Integer, strings, floats, booleans... everything. No need for casting.

Start by looking at simple plugins and just write similar plugins yourself. There are also numerous threads on this forum on where to begin.

I recommend trying to write a plugin with a console command that will give you an amount of health, armor, money or similar as your first project. Then it kind of depends on where you want your knowledge to grow.