Hey Andy!
I highly recommend considering Swish MAX available here:
SWiSH - Easy Flash Animation Software Tools, Templates & Tutorials
It is an extremely well supported and affordable alternative to Macromedia/Adobe Flash and compiled elements are nearly interchangeable.
Admitedly there are some advanced functions in Macromedia/Adobe's version that are not in Swish, but for 99% of developers, Swish is more than enough!
I find the Swish interface a little less pretty, but much more convenient than Macromedia's... The way you interact with the timeline is a little more intuitive and the built in and guided scripting functions are definately beginner friendly.
I'd say start here and work up to Adobe Flash when you need too...
Mike.