What should I learn first?

Hello guys, I'm a film student and over the past years I've developed a passion for visual effects. At the beginning it was just because I had nobody to help me with my projects so I had to learn. But I ended up loving it. I think I recreated every single tutorial from Video Copilot.

So by now I know After Effects and Photoshop like the back of my hand. But I've decided that VFX is something that I actually want to pursue as a career once I'm out of college. So I figured I'd need to expand my skills and knowledge.

Specifically, I want to get into Dynamics. Explosions, simulations, particles, smoke, destruction all of that. And I understand that I should know some general 3D (animation, modeling, etc) So I began playing around with Cinema 4D (easy to learn but didn't like the results) So, I decided to ask here what's the best software to learn first.

Currently I'm deciding between Houdini and Maya. This is something that I want to make a living on at some point in the future so I'm taking it very seriously. And since that's not really a subject taught in Film school, I have to learn it on my own.

What do you guys suggest I should begin with? General 3D with Maya, straight intro Dynamics with Houdini? Are any of you self-taught CG artists currently working in the industry?

Thank you!