Start here¶
This section is for someone beginning a computer science degree, or teaching themselves from zero. It is a plan, not a lecture: do the week, make the thing, check yourself, move on.
Want a software job? The Job Ready section has a map of topics and targets, DSA practice and interview preparation, with paths for CS students, other branches and career switchers.
If you only read one page, read the 12-week plan. It uses the Python course for the programming and this section for everything around it.
Pick what fits you¶
| If you want to... | Start with |
|---|---|
| Begin from nothing and follow a schedule | First 90 days |
| Know what each subject in a CS degree is about | Core subjects |
| Understand what happens inside a computer | How the machine works |
| Learn the terminal, git and a debugger | Tools |
| Look up a word you do not know | Glossary |
| Use an AI assistant without losing the skill | AI and you |
| Decide where to go after the first year | Roadmap |
| Build something to show | Ten projects |
How this section is organised¶
- First 90 days: twelve weekly pages. About 1.5 to 2 hours a day, six days a week. One deliverable per week.
- Core subjects: seven subjects, what to learn first, what can wait, free resources.
- How the machine works: from transistors to system calls, with sources.
- Tools: terminal, git and GitHub, editor and debugger, Linux basics, reading documentation.
- AI and you: how to learn with an assistant, what to check, and what the evidence says.
- Roadmap: eight semesters, four tracks, and what to skip.
- Projects: ten graded projects with acceptance checks.
After the first year¶
The deeper material on this site assumes you can already program. When you are ready, the Systems Engineering section covers databases, system design, Go and more, and the Python course goes on to competitive programming and backend services.
Every page ends with its sources. If a claim has no source, treat it with suspicion and tell me.
Sections¶
- First 90 daysA twelve-week plan for a first-year CS student. Python basics, the terminal and git, how the machine works, first algorithms, objects, SQL, networks, and a review with a track choice. (13 pages)
- Core subjectsThe seven subjects of a first-year CS degree, in the order to learn them, with free resources and practice tasks for each. (9 pages)
- How the machine worksWhat a transistor and a logic gate do, how the processor runs instructions, why memory has layers, and how a program asks the kernel for help. (1 page)
- Tools you will use every weekThe terminal, Git and GitHub, an editor and debugger, basic Linux, and how to read documentation and ask a good question. (6 pages)
- Ai And YouMonographs and technical guides. (4 pages)
- RoadmapMonographs and technical guides. (4 pages)
- ProjectsMonographs and technical guides. (1 page)