Replying once again for future reference to make my position clear: I firmly believe that one MUST experience programming on its own first. No LLMs, no crutches. One MUST feel the abstractions melting away and things clicking in the brain first.

The design becoming obvious. Being able to remove that extra if statement after clarifying requirements with a customer face to face.

A design pattern fitting a scenario like a glove, etc, etc.

You need REAL experience that only comes with time and effort. Years or decades, different businesses, different companies, etc.

But once you have crossed that chasm and that rite of passage, using LLMs becomes a true multiplier and my experience quite fun.

Using them blindly or without experience is a very different thing I can imagine.