Personally, I don't know how anyone could learn algebra without first understanding the concept of a variable. In programming, one generally thinks of variables like "boxes" that you can put values in (with, eg, `i = int(input("Enter a number: "))`) and take values out of (by referring to `i` later in the program). Algebra, then, expands on this by introducing more advanced ideas like "solving for a variable".

Of course, I'm probably biased because I learned programming before algebra myself.