Pre-course
Start with a step-by-step guide to what AI engineering is, then install your coding agent and get ready for Session 1.
7 lessons · Back to full syllabus
Start here
What is AI engineering? Step by step
Before installing tools, walk through what AI engineering is, the foundations we assume, the six pillars, and how the five live sessions stack into your capstone.
Open the step-by-step guideNew to the cohort? Read the welcome checklist.
What you keep
A clear mental model of AI engineering - reliability around models you did not train - plus a working coding-agent workflow.
You ship
Cursor or Claude Code installed, GitHub + OpenAI key ready, and a capstone one-liner before the first live session.
Lessons
What is AI engineering? (start here)
A step-by-step guide: what AI engineering is, what we assume, what we teach, and what to do next before Session 1.
Install Cursor or Claude Code (do this next)
Pick one AI coding agent, install it, open a project folder, and confirm you can chat with it. This is the highest-leverage pre-course step.
Python, Git, and API keys
Let your coding agent check Python, create a venv, and scaffold FastAPI. Create a GitHub account, add your OpenAI API key, and keep secrets out of chat.
Seed your capstone
Pick the one project you will build across five live sessions - your Session 1 `/ask` endpoint is its first capability.
Building in public
Why we share builds openly, where to post (LinkedIn, Substack, share it), and how to talk about the skills you learn.
Pre-session check-in
Share your setup status and capstone one-liner before Session 1.
Session 1 checklist
What you must have ready before the first live session - and what is fine to finish during or after it.
Lessons in this module