You know what else you could learn, is Capoeira, which is basically Brazilian break dance fighting. It's not very efficient sure, but I can't imagine anything cooler than picking a fight in a disco and knocking out a group of cowboys with one of these.
^ capoeira is sure pretty cool you know, sometimes you can see some of them practicers all together in a circle and two of them in the middle making those stunts, it sure is really impressive, but i dont think it has any use for personal defense other than improving your overall physical condition
Try to match the martial art you choose with your body type. I'll give you a cautionary tale: I'm built like a hobbit from the Shire - in highschool I decided to learn Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do + Hobbit body = awkward and frequent pulled groins (also many kicks received to the head, neckand chest from non-shirefolk Tae Kwon Do students). Later I tried Karate (Shuri-ryu). That was a little more hobbit friendly. I've always been a fan of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, because it kind of borrows from the most effective aspects of many different martial arts, including boxing, but in my experience Jeet Kune Do schools are far and few between. I would argue that it's one of the most scientific of the martial arts from what I've observed and read. Now that my groin is fully healed, I've elected to carry bear mace and have become a disciple of the shaolin keepyourmouthshutanddon'tmakeeyecontact school.
I recommend chita-bo. I've been practising chita-bo for about 14 years now and it turned me from a shy, inward person to a shy, outward person. There are two branches: full contact and bare-touch. For a starter I would say try bare-touch first. Some famous chita-boers are Chi-Chiong Lau, Rin Mai Wah, Edward P. Dikerson and Mont Ipy-Ton . Hope this helps!