Where to begin?

If you're just interested in using unity you should be learning unity scripting.

C++ works fine for game logic, other languages are usually embedded for scripting simply because there are a few advantages to it, such as:

• Can reload game logic without having to recompile or relaunch.
• Can develop more of an encapsulated system that shields you from a lot of the game engine work, focusing on gameplay developing functions and such.
• Other languages may have less verbose or just more friendly syntax for scripting than C++, letting you throw together scripts faster along with the other reasons.
• For team projects, scripting can be much more understandable to people like designers or a project lead or something, non-code people.

Granted you could make a scripting language with C++ syntax anyway, and still get some of the above benefits, other languages are just usually used because they are more friendly and may be set up for easy embedding with an interpreter already.

But all that is kind of useless info, don't learn to code unless you want to learn to code. If you just want to script then learn to script.

Would it just be beneficial to start with c# so I can get up and running relatively quick?

If, by relative, you mean an order of magnitude, then yes.

They don't want to program which is fine because I like the idea of breathing life into something a developer designs through scripting

Not everyone is born an engine programmer and that's perfectly fine. Someone [other than engine coder] has to write those scripts or the gameplay code. Unless you try out all areas, you don't really know.

Is c++ useless for getting up and started?

I'm writing it as a recent convert from C++ (10+ yrs) to C# , but At this time and age - Yes. There are way easier languages to make a career of than C++. Unless, of course, you are one of the few who - in particular - love the challenge thrown into the ring.