To get good, you need to start with an easy to read but all capable good language.

It needs to do network, command line, server, phone apps and desktop applications.

You need full coverage of all the technologies, without too much context switching.

And you will need an easy to refactor fast to read language, where you do not have to specify data types.

You have to stick to the C family of languages, as you may wish to switch to C/C++ maybe Zig, Rust or Go.

These languages are too demanding for practice, you need a lightweight untyped language; and that is JavaScript.

You may not write your user-interface in JavaScript, and then switch to the server end, and write in a different language.

You have to stick to a singe language, if you learn something other than JavaScript.

The moment you need to create Web and Phone apps, you will need to learn JavaScript.

Heads up, JavaScript is not Java, Java is slow and it is trouble, leave it for last.

Once you have an easy to read language, that does compass all modern technologies.

You must begin writing small programs, but only the ones that are interesting to you.

A lot of programmers hate the office, and are never quite sure why, not exacly.

It is because it interferes with their education, they will think otherwise, it will feel like it.

But we can only learn what calls to us, and only when it is calling.

So you get out of bed, and get stung by writing your own WikiWiki with a Geocities spin.

You go write it, you don’t work on thing that don’t interest you, you must program whatever is calling to you.

Being told what to program, hurts you, it hurts your skills.

Somewhere deep down, programmers know, that being told what to do, is slowing their education down.

Most of these programs don’t need to be finished, you only go up until you know you can finish if there is interest.

So you do the juicy parts, and skip the boring stuff.

This method of self education, (and self education is the only real kind of education) will have you go all around your languages capabilities, and you will often return to the same areas, and strengthen your skills.

You have to become a good mechanic, you can’t be an office worker, though, you can try.

Getting good at programming, also happens to be the way to invent your first successful startup.

It should not come as a surprise that by learning you gain knowledge, and financial independence.