If I had to learn programming all over again in 2026, I wouldn’t try to memorize everything. AI has completely changed how I’d approach it. I’d start with the basics. Learn variables so you understand how programs remember things. Learn conditions so you understand how programs make decisions. Learn loops so you understand how computers repeat work without you writing the same thing 100 times. Learn functions so you understand how a big program gets broken into smaller pieces that each have a job. Learn data structures so you understand how information is organized and moved around. Learn APIs so you understand how one application can talk to another. Learn databases so you understand where all that information actually lives and how your application gets it back. Learn Git so you can experiment, break things, understand what changed and go back when necessary. Then build something small and watch how all these pieces come together. That part is more important than memorizing syntax. After that, I’d learn how to work with AI. And this is where I think a lot of people get it wrong. Don’t just tell AI “build me an app” and copy whatever it gives you. Tell it what you’re trying to achieve. Ask it what would be required to build it properly. Ask what kind of professional would normally handle that job. Then ask the AI to take on that role and guide you through it. AI can do most of the heavy lifting. Your job is to understand enough to give it direction, ask the right questions, test what it gives you and recognize when it’s confidently doing something stupid. That’s how I would learn programming in 2026.