With Visual Studio you can either make standard C++ programs or C++/CLR programs that run under the control of CLR, which is more managed.
In any case, both use the same language, C++. You should, thus, learn C++. The two versions differ mostly on the libraries than the language itself.
If C++ is boring then wait until you look at Java.
Seriously, C++ is a hard language to master. Don't know why you would find it boring.
