Kashem,
EXCELLENT THREAD, looking forward to next installments

Great post bdseo

I did some programming at uni but decided to go into I.T Support instead

Programming is a very useful skill to learn.

I think that to learn programming one should start with one language, some basic one, depending on the programming type he/she wants to learn. This will help in the basics and in to think like a programmer.

I agree with pow-wow, finding an entry level language is essential to gaining understanding of the key principles bdseo laid out above. My first real exposure to any programming was with Flash Actionscript and this lead me onto PHP and javascript, obviously I learnt a lot from forums and tutorials but it took a period of time just ploughing through code until I got my head around those key principles and when I did I found it fairly simple to migrate from one language to another.
Currently I am deepining my knowledge of DOM scripting, ASP.net and good old C.

HI bdseo

As far as my knowledge is concern I suggest you to start with 'C Programming, though it is tough to learn but if you got command over it then no other programming language is hard for you.

Thanks

If you will do web programming anyway, start with php. In fact, learn PHP and HTML at the same time.

For me, the usual approach when I do start to learn a new language is

1. hello world
2. learn about variables and datatypes
2. get input from users
3. control statement (if then else)
4. looping
5. creating subroutines/functions
6. familiarize with build in functions of the language (ie string functions,math functions..etc)
7. learn arrays
8. learn interface with database (ie Mysql).

I'm a great beleiver in DIY but also hate wasting time. And you can waste an awful lot of time writing inefficent programs/scripts and spend the rest of your life tweaking them to work for every small change required.
There is a lot to be said for getting yourself some structured/formal training to get an in-depth understanding of the subject. Someone has already said that once you have got to grips with 1 programming language its a lot easier to learn the 2nd. However, its also easy to learn bad habits that mean you go on making the same errors year after year!
There is a huge difference between getting something to work and creating something that is idiot proof, secure, efficient and easily maintainable.

If you are going to learn a langage get hold of a good book that has loads of real examples and don't shy away from the theory - it could save you thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears down the line.
By the way Peachpit Press do a great range of realtively inexpensive books for the web (PHP, MYSQL, Perl, Javascript, CSS, etc).

visit W3Schools Online Web Tutorials

That should be the starting point.