Not all applications for Windows NT need to be graphical. Windows NT has command-line console-application support similar to the Microsoft MS-DOS® operating system or UNIX. So if you really feel you aren't ready for graphical programming yet, it's very simple to port many command-line applications to Windows NT as console applications. In fact, this can be simply a matter of recompiling the source code. Well-written source code should port with very few problems. Those of you with a somewhat more relaxed attitude to your programming might find Microsoft's C compiler a little more picky than others you may have used!
So the bottom line here is that "Hello World" on MS-DOS or UNIX is still a valid application on Windows NT.