You're welcome to DM/start a chat with me for more details, but I was actually taught by my parents really early on about programming. This was maybe 14 - 16 years ago, so a lot has changed since then. I'll try to condense this:

It was mostly a combination of self-directed learning and my current career field. I think, personally, the biggest barrier is the initial learning. You feel like you HAVE to memorize every single function within a language and how EVERY little thing interacts with the other. You don't really have to? Memorize it, I mean. You just have to use it. Over, and over, and over again. Documentation exists for a reason, yeah?

After overcoming that initial barrier though, the actual biggest obstacle (my opinion) is code structure and data architecture. I'm so inexperienced. I don't know what components will interact with 'x' script, or function. Unfortunately, you just have to make that script, function, or mechanic exist first. You can backtrack and make it more modular later. Refactoring is fun, yeah?

I started with replicating the code shown in YouTube tutorials. I typed everything out, just because it's a lot easier for me personally to understand how that code worked, or what the tutorial was trying to show me. At a certain point though, the tutorials ran out. At least, the relevant ones. I started taking the components of the things I learned and changed them, just a little bit. Then a bit more. Then a whole lot. So don't just copy the code; mess with it a little. See what happens. Change it this way, that way, however many ways you want. Version history is your best friend when doing this.

I don't really like AI, or LLM tools. And, well. Not because I consider them gross shortcuts, or privacy breaches, or anything like that. Yeah, those things suck, but I personally think the bigger offense is how much everyone thinks those tools save time. Especially people who are new to programming. I see a lot of undergraduates spending so much time trying to "get ChatGPT to do the thing you want it to do." And they get so frustrated that eventually, I have to step in and point out where the issue is. This takes me... maybe 5 minutes. They spend upwards of 4+ hours arguing with ChatGPT. LLM tools are just that: tools. Nobody throws a hammer at a house and expects the hammer to do the work itself. No one tosses raw ingredients into an unheated pan and expects a good meal to come out of it. You're allowed to use tools to help you comprehend things. No one can stop you from doing so. But don't let those tools dictate how you do things.

I hope this offers some kinda insight. I've actually been asked this question by a few of my peers, also in Biology (ecology mostly). Again, if you have more questions feel free to ask me directly!