Having started my programming entering programs in raw hex (Z80) and Octal (PDP11), understanding memory indirection was second nature by the time I got to C -

Having started my programming entering programs in raw hex (Z80) and Octal (PDP11), understanding memory indirection was second nature by the time I got to C - so there's something to be said for understanding how a CPU works from the ground up (though arguable whether that's necessary for most programming these days).