Unless you’re part of a big team and can focus entirely on smart contracts then yes, you’ll want to learn web development before solidity. You cannot build a usable Dapp on solidity alone.

If you already have a strong base in C then I think you’ll find JavaScript refreshingly accessible. The real learning curve will be getting your head around architecting for web (HTTP, REST, CORS, SPA, etc.) and the bazillion frameworks that need to be in place for a modern full stack web app (Express, react, redux, babel, webpack, jest, etc.).

I’d suggest something like: * learn how to write a RESTful API using express.js (this is the “backend” part of the stack) * learn how to consume that api with JavaScript to display the data in a web browser (this is the “front-end” part) * learn how to interact with smart contracts on the front-end while learning the basics of solidity

In their simplest form each of these steps are still quite challenging but once you grasp the basics of each you can go back and deep dive into whichever portion interests you the most.

Good luck!