It is true that math will make you a better programmer, however it is in no way required for you to know it in order to get started.
This said, you should also know that depending on the software you work on, you will have to deal with some/a lot of math. For instance:
- Game development may require physics.
- Algorithmic will test your math skills. If you work on large amount of data (at Google or Facebook), it is inevitable that you deal with that.
- Low-level programming (meaning programming close to the hardware) includes a lot of Bool Algebra. If you don't know what this is, Google it. Depending on your age and current math skill it probably won't be difficult to learn by yourself.
As for what language to begin with, you're stepping into one of the holy wars of programming. Do some research on this forum, we have discussed this before. My answer is still the same: It depends on what kind of programming you want to do.
If you want to learn to develop a website, you do not need the same skills as learning to code an operating system. I know you're a hardware guy. Tell us more about what you're interested in we will give you a relevant answer.
If you don't know what you want, or just want to get a feel for programming, I would recommend
Invent your own computer game with Python.
Python is one of my favorite languages. It's very powerful, yet easy to use. (It's very similar to Ruby in that aspect). It is also the most widely used script language in the world since 2010. It has major backing by big players, notably Google.
This book will teach you programming in a fun way. Don't expect to be coding the next CoD next month. These projects can never be done by one person and usually require a team, a very high budget and a loooot of time. On the other hand, you can learn games like Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman or secret breaking and puzzles. This book will definitely show you how to do that.