Thank you both very much for your good advice.  I agree that time to investigate on my own is a crucial part of this process - just as is this querry to the forum. 

With more research since yesterday, I've discovered that I can purchase Maya for about $300 and Lightwave for less than $200 (academic discounts, both).   At those prices, I won't be suicidal if either one turns out to be something that has a very steep learning curve.

Years ago, I had a copy of CorelDraw 3 and it was what I cut my teeth on in the 2D realm.  It was hard for me to learn - very hard!  But I kept at it day after day until I learned it.  Today I'm up to CorelDraw 12 and I suppose I'm as good as anyone out there now - but my big problem really was that no one else seemed to be using Corel so there was not any community support.  I had to keep at it all by myself until I learned things one teeny tiny bit at a time. 

I guess I don't want to be left all alone in the 3D world like I was in the 2D world.  Whatever it is that I eventually choose, I want there to be a lot of people out there using it too.  I want forums, tutorials, advocates, and dicussions - because I don't want to be left to learn this on my own.

One of the problems I also want to avoid is that I want to find a place that is newbie-friendly and nurturing because this is likely to be a long journey for me - and my engines run on praise and flattery.  :-)

From my looks at the galleries here, I'm impressed with the work people are doing in Cinema 4D . . . but that one costs as much as a down payment on a small mansion.  I guess I'll keep looking!

Many thanks!

--Invidia