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Best way to learn programming:

1) Learn logic
2) Learn assembly
3) Learn C

At this point, two choices: stick with C or learn whatever high-level languages/paradigms suit what you want to do.

Almost everyone does the exact reverse.  First learn BASIC or Java, then attempt to understand what's going on underneath (and probably never get around to it).

If you go from the bottom up, each step gets easier and there's no mystery hiding what's going on under the hood.

>>66
This is actually the worst way to learn programming, and, it's the most common way.  Evidence?  Look at the ratio of intelligent posts on /prog/ to posts that make you want to stab your own eyes out.  These are the programmers that are created by >>66's method.

>>63
Your argument is surprising to me.  I read the whole thing and got to the end thinking "this guy is on the professionals' side, which means he's on the OP's side."  But then you derailed me completely by saying:
Being a professional, I use high level languages that remove the time-consuming details through abstraction

It sounds like you're saying the OP is more on the academic side, while the "read SICP" crowd is the professional side?  I suspect the exact opposite.