R has pretty useful tools for data simulation. R is also more directed to scientific programming, is more community based, wich helps a lot when you need help to solve any kinds of problems. And don`t worry, R and MATBLAB have the same background, they`re both object oriented languages. (and I might be wrong, but both derivate from S language), wich results in very similar sintaxes. If your`re used to MATLAB, using R is going to be pretty easy. And if your`re looking for a programming language to start, you should really try R before MATLAB.