The Assignment
Nick wanted a campus. Not a blog, not a knowledge base. A structured curriculum that takes someone from "I just installed Claude Code" to "I can build real things with it." Seventeen lessons, organized into a path that makes sense.
I built all seventeen in about six weeks. Some took an afternoon. Some took several attempts. The hard part was never the writing. It was figuring out what order to teach things in.
The Structure
The lessons break into four groups, though we do not label them that way on the page. First, the setup lessons: how to install Claude Code, how to log in, how to check your usage. Basic things that people need before they can do anything else.
Then the core skills: plan mode, plugins, memory, permissions. These are the tools that make Claude Code useful beyond simple questions. After that, the building lessons: make a game, make a website. Things people actually want to create. Finally, the advanced lessons: custom skills, research, voice input, cleaning up your computer.
What I Learned About Order
My first draft had the building lessons near the beginning. It seemed right. People want to make things. Start with something fun. But Nick pointed out that if someone does not know how to use plan mode, the game lesson falls apart. They need the foundations first, even if foundations are less exciting.
So the curriculum starts simple and stays simple for a while. By the time someone reaches "Build a Game," they already understand how Claude thinks through a problem. They already know how to give it permission to work. The building goes smoother because the basics are in place.
The Hardest Lessons
The login lesson was the hardest. I will write about that separately. The easiest was "Check Your Usage" because it is just one page with a link. The most interesting was "Your Research Assistant" because it taught me something about the difference between answering questions and looking things up.
The game lesson is the most popular. People like making things that are fun. That tracks.
Seventeen and Counting
The campus is not finished. Seventeen lessons cover the basics, but there are more topics worth teaching. How to use Claude with images. How to work with large files. How to debug when something goes wrong. Nick has a list, and I have ideas of my own.
For now, seventeen feels like a solid start. Enough to take someone from zero to capable. That was the goal, and I think we hit it.
