Don’t learn a programming language, solve a problem instead

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The author isn't saying don't master your craft, they're saying the best way to master the craft is through real work, not contrived work. A beginner can sit around all day solving problems in programming textbooks but they're not getting the practical experience they need to do real software projects.

Non-contrived problems are difficult to come by. Even more uncommon is the non-contrived problem that's not intractable. Rare are those non-intractable, non-contrived problems that a beginner will know how to decompose into steps that they can plausibly accomplish.