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You might have heard people say that functional programming is more academic, and real engineering is done in imperative style. I’m going to show you that real engineering is functional, and I’m going to illustrate it using a computer game that is designed by engineers for engineers. It’s a simulation game called Factorio, in which you are given resources that you have to explore, build factories that process them, create more and more complex systems, until you are finally able to launch a spaceship that may take you away from an inhospitable planet. If this is not engineering at its purest then I don’t know what is. And yet almost all you do when playing this game has its functional programming counterparts and it can be used to teach basic concepts of not only programming but also, to some extent, category theory. So, without further ado, let’s jump in.
I recommend getting a print copy of SICP, though, and working through the examples in a real DrRacket environment on your computer.
IMO, if you end up going deep in the lispy direction after playing with Racket, you ll probably be drawn to Clojure as it is the Lisp with the biggest production use community at the moment. So long as you can put up with some JVM warts, it, too, will be a good experience. I have to second this. Racket is absolutely the best place to start. There are great books for beginners, and the documentation is top notch.