Java Language vs C Language
C might be a little hard to learn programming concepts.
Java is a great learning langauge for OOP.
Some other interpreted languages like Ruby, Python or Perl might give you other ideas what to do or learn.
Languages are designed for a purpose, there's really no better or worse.
It mostly depends on what you are aiming for.
I prefer compiled languages that result in machine code, but of course Java is used widely in enterprise environments where cross-platform ailability is more important than special features.