Learning Path
Recommended Progression
Section titled “Recommended Progression”- Read Phase 0 completely — all definitions, all analogies. Quiz yourself on vocabulary.
- Do Phase 1 immediately — install the tools, build the thing. Speed matters. Momentum matters.
- Work through Phase 2 while building your second project — each concept should click because you just encountered it.
- Enter Phase 3 when your projects need agent capabilities — don’t learn agent architecture abstractly. Learn it because your project demands it.
- Phase 4 is ongoing — you’ll revisit this as your systems grow in complexity and as you collaborate with engineers on real projects.
The Spiral
Section titled “The Spiral”After finishing Phase 4, go back and re-read Phase 0. You’ll be shocked at how much deeper your understanding is. That’s the spiral working.
Each phase covers all five domains at increasing depth:
| Domain | Phase 0 | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environment | What tools exist | Install and use them | Branches, collaboration | Hooks, MCP servers | CI/CD, containers |
| AI Craft | What AI is | First prompt | Context engineering | Agents, tool use | Multi-agent orchestration |
| Engineering | Basic terms | Project structure | YAGNI, DRY, debugging | Agent patterns | System design, production |
| Systems | How software works | Deploy one project | Architecture layers | Agent stack | Full stack mental model |
| Vocabulary | ~15 terms | ~12 terms | ~19 terms | ~20 terms | ~84 terms |
Total: ~150 Terms
Section titled “Total: ~150 Terms”By Phase 4, you’ll know the shared language between vibe coders and traditional engineers. See the complete Glossary for every term in one place.