I do program professionally, though only for a decade, but, I'm sorry if don't speak to your greatness. I'm tired of encountering people calling themselves programmers but they, for some reason, need a super specific set of tools in order to anything. As I said in my advice I only suggested he do it at first to get familiar with the underlying tools he's using, and no, I didn't go anywhere near "start with binary, noob" so I don't appreciate that mischaracterization. Conceptually, that advice is solid and the OP can take it and apply it anywhere and should excel if they want to. So, to say it's flawed is, frankly, wrong.
Re: binary, most people I know professionally could break an application down to IL, then assembler and then binary and understand that flow through a computer system. So, to start at binary? Absolutely even if it's only to understand how that process works. If you can't understand how that process works and other basic ones like it then you have no business trying to write software for other people. You're a hazard who knows just enough to be dangerous and is little better than being a script kiddie.
It's no different than calling yourself a chef and not understanding how the separate ingredients work and instead relying on pre-packaged units for predetermined meals. Or, calling yourself an architect without understanding how the ground your building will be on affects a structures integrity. Or, calling yourself a pilot without being able to plot a course by hand in case your instruments fail. Or, calling yourself a doctor without understanding basic cellular biology.
I guess I should point out I'm differentiating between being a programmer and being someone who writes programs. They are large differences between the two. And, frankly, from a professional perspective I'm having a hard time believing I'm getting gruff from someone who's "done it more than 20 years" for advice to start with the basics before you rely on automated tools to carry you. If you really have been a programmer that long, then you, sir, quite probably did start with binary and assembler and with little effort should be able to see how that knowledge and experience has made you a better programmer over the years as you've, hopefully, changed and grown as our profession has done. Don't deny someone else the same opportunity to actually be competent.