Getting Started
This page is the public starting contract for the curriculum.
The short version:
- start with the learner path
- understand the confidence boundary before looking at the full map
- follow the guide before opening source books
- produce artifacts every week
- produce artifacts every week
Start Here
- Read Confidence Contract.
- Read Path Levels and choose Level 1 unless you already have the prerequisites.
- Complete Pre-Semester Launchpad.
- Move into Semester 0: Orientation.
- Continue through Semester 1: Mathematical & CS Foundations.
- Continue into Semester 2 when your Semester 1 review artifacts are complete.
Do not jump directly to later semesters unless you already have the prerequisite artifacts. The path is cumulative by design.
What Is Fully Usable Today
| Area | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Semester Launchpad | Learner-ready | Complete starting block for habits, tooling, and Git |
| Semester 0 | Learner-ready | Complete orientation path with project, checkpoint, review, and exam |
| Semester 1 | Learner-ready | Complete mathematical foundations path with five modules, project, checkpoint, review, and exam |
Semesters 2-10 remain on the long-range roadmap. Before treating any of them as coursework, check Curriculum Readiness for whether the semester is Blueprint, Scaffolded, Learner-ready, Reviewed, or Battle-tested.
Weekly Working Rhythm
Use a simple repeatable cadence:
- Review old cards or old notes briefly.
- Study the current concept pages.
- Do the drills, katas, or implementation work.
- Write one retrieval or Feynman artifact from memory.
- Commit the work and log what still feels weak.
If a week ends with no artifact, the learning was probably too passive.
Resource Rule
Use the guide as the default path.
Open source books only when:
- a page explicitly says
Read only if stuck - you finished the guide page and still cannot explain the concept
- you want extra depth after already doing the core work
Do not equate "I read more" with "I learned more."
Minimum Workspace
Set up one working structure and keep using it:
curriculum/
notes/
repos/
diagrams/
journal/
cards/
One place for notes and one place for code is enough to start.
Completion Standard
A module is only complete when you can show:
- your own notes or explanation
- at least one drill, kata, or implementation artifact
- retrieval practice done without notes
- quiz or self-check completed honestly
- committed work in a repo or working folder
Reading alone does not count as completion.
AI-Era Rule
AI tools are allowed, but they do not replace understanding.
Use AI-Era Engineering as the operating policy:
- ask AI for critique, tests, edge cases, and review
- verify generated code with your own tests
- keep ownership of the final explanation
- do not submit artifacts you cannot defend without the tool
The curriculum is valuable in the AI era only if it produces someone who can supervise AI output, not someone who depends on it blindly.
If You Get Stuck
- Re-read the module objective and identify the exact concept that is failing.
- Try the exercise, diagram, or code path before opening more sources.
- Use selective references only after the guide path stops being enough.
- Do not advance past a checkpoint by hand-waving.
Public Promise
This site currently promises a credible learner-ready path through Semester 1. It does not yet promise that every intervening or later semester is fully authored.