Sorry if I came off as abrasive; I aim for humour, not insult. Any teasing is meant in good fun ^_^
First off, probably the majority of successful coders are largely or fully self-taught. This comes to mind. Don't worry about not having professors to hold your hand, but do make sure you take time to study the 'boring' parts like theory, testing and optimization.
If you're getting into iOS development today, you'd be wrong to pass up Swift. It may not be perfect yet but every language has flaws, and Swift will at least be actively improved.
On the other hand, any developer needs to know C reasonably well. C is a window on your computer; when you learn to write in C, you learn how your computer works and how to think like it does. Since most software design mistakes come from *not* thinking like a computer, it's a very valuable skill. Once you've learned C you'll know 95% of Obj-C, so you might as well learn it too.
So I guess my answer to your original question: 'Objective-C vs. Swift?' is... 'yes'. Sorry. To be perfectly honest, the more languages you can learn the better a programmer you'll be. Virtually every language will give you "aha!" moments and new concepts and patterns to put into your toolkit. But since no one has unlimited time, there are a few obvious choices:
C, of course, since it teaches you good practices and most languages inherit from it. Learn C and you'll be halfway to anywhere.
Javascript, too; it's a flawed but unique and interesting language and, more importantly, ubiquitous especially where the Internet is involved. Don't leave home without it.
Swift, Java or C#: Pick one. Your OO heavy hitter for general application development on iOS/OSX, Android, and Windows, respectively. They have a fair amount in common so porting between them usually isn't that difficult, though cross-platform products like Xamarin also exist.
Ruby or Python: Good combinations of classic and modern concepts, clean and organized. Great for 'agile' development, these are the 3D printers of the programming world: You can rapidly prototype your designs, and the results are good enough for many applications.
If you can fit it in, Clojure. Functional programming is incredibly powerful but too easy to ignore in most languages. Dive in with a Lisp dialect and expand your mind; your code will thank me.
You don't have to master all of them before you start coding on your own, of course. Like an instrument, play and learn and play and learn and play.