Get Started

~10–12 hours of self-paced material to complete before Day 1 (Saturday June 13).

Work through these in order. Each module is its own page — read it before Day 1, then come back as a reference any time during the 8 weeks.

When you finish a module, post the ping in #wins on Discord. That's how Kamal sees your progress.

1. Module 0.1 Welcome & Program Overview · 15 min · Read

   Read the welcome letter Kamal emailed you. Understand what you'll build and how Get Started sets you up.

2. Module 0.2 Account Setup Checklist · 30 min · Hands-on

   Create accounts on GitHub, Discord, Anthropic, Azure, Clerk, OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Tavily, and Langfuse. Most are pre-provisioned — you just accept invitations.

3. Module 0.3 Filesystem & Terminal Basics · 60 min · Read + lab

   Comfort with cd, ls, paths, env vars, and the eight commands you will use every day.

4. Setup macOS Installation Guide · 60–90 min · Hands-on

   Install the program toolchain: Xcode CLT, Homebrew, Node 22, pnpm, uv + Python 3.13, Docker, Ollama, GitHub CLI, Azure CLI + Bicep, VS Code + cohort extensions, Claude Code.

5. Module 0.4 VS Code Essentials · 60 min · Read + lab

   Command palette, integrated terminal, multi-cursor, source control, debugger basics. The editor disappears so you can focus on code.

6. Module 0.5 Modern CSS Quick Reference for React Beginners · 2–3 hr · Read + practice

   Box model, selectors, flexbox, grid, positioning, responsive design, CSS variables — the foundation every React component sits on, with Tailwind equivalents for each.

7. Module 0.6 Modern JavaScript Quick Reference for React Beginners · 2–3 hr · Read + practice

   let/const, arrow functions, destructuring, spread/rest, .map/.filter/.reduce, optional chaining, async/await, modules — the JavaScript foundation every React component sits on.

8. Module 0.7 TypeScript Quick Reference for React Beginners · 2–3 hr · Read + practice

   Types, interfaces, generics, narrowing — the TypeScript you will meet in 90% of React code.

9. Module 0.8 Python Orientation for Beginners · 1–2 hr · Read + practice

   uv, venv, type hints, async/await, f-strings, Pydantic models — enough to read agent code by Week 3 without drowning.

10. Module 0.9 Browser DevTools Tour · 60 min · Read + practice

    Inspect any element, run JavaScript live, watch network requests, set breakpoints, simulate mobile.

11. Module 0.10 Day-1 Readiness Check · 30 min · Hands-on

    Clone the day-1 check repo, personalize, run both stacks, push, open a PR. The diagnostic that proves your laptop is wired up.

12. Module 0.11 Process & Methodology — SDLC in the AI Era · 30 min · Read

    How software gets built in 2026 with Claude as a peer engineer: planning specs, prompts, pair programming with AI, eval-driven, deployment from day one.

How long does Get Started really take?

Most students take 8–12 days, working ~1 hour per day. The longest individual modules are the JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS references (2–3 hours each) — break each across two sittings. The macOS installation guide (Setup) is mostly waiting for downloads while you read the next section.

When to ask for help

Always, early, on Discord #help. The single biggest predictor of success in this program is asking for help when you're stuck rather than waiting.