Learning in public · started from zero

Going from total technophobe
to AI agent specialist — in public.

I couldn't code. I didn't know what an API was. Tech jargon made my eyes glaze over. I'm documenting every step of learning to build with AI — the confusion, the breakthroughs, the certifications, and the things I build along the way. If you're starting from nothing, you're in the right place.

See the full plan ↓ Follow the journey
6phases
14certifications to earn
0prior coding experience
🙋
Who this is

A complete beginner. No CS degree, no coding background, no technical contacts. Just curiosity, stubbornness, and a structured plan.

🗺️
What the plan is

A 6-phase roadmap built with Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA, Anthropic, AWS, and freeCodeCamp — designed specifically to go from zero to AI agent specialist.

📢
Why in public

Learning out loud keeps you accountable and helps others who are on the same road. Every milestone gets a post. Nothing gets hidden.

The learning plan — AI agent specialist

Six phases, built from scratch. Each resource has its own portfolio page tracking outputs and progress. Status boxes update as work progresses.

✦ plan designed by Claude (Anthropic) · I'll build this myself one day
Cert key:
cert — freefree cert included
cert — paid examfree study, paid exam
no certno cert but core content
Phase 1 Microsoft AI Agents for Beginners — concepts only ~2 weeks · no coding required

A brilliant free introduction to the world of AI agents — the perfect starting point before a single line of code is written. Skip every code section entirely — Python comes in Phase 2.

AI Agents for Beginners — 12 episodes (concepts pass)Microsoft

Covers agent design patterns, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel, RAG, multi-agent systems, and tool use. Watch everything, note everything, skip all code snippets.

learn.microsoft.com/shows/ai-agents-for-beginners ↗
no certconcepts onlyObsidian notes
Status
Not yet started

Portfolio page will appear once work begins on this module.

No outputs yet
Phase 2 Python foundations ~4–5 weeks

Everything in this plan runs on Python. Get solid here before moving on — it pays back every hour you invest. The Anthropic notebooks layer in naturally from week 3.

Scientific Computing with Python (v9)freeCodeCamp

15 real projects built in-browser. The most structured free Python cert available — project-based from day one. Primary Python course.

freecodecamp.org/learn/python-v9 ↗
cert — freeprimary~40 hrs
Status
In progress

Labs underway. Project #001 — Agent Eligibility Checker — live and signed off.

View outputs →
Anthropic GitHub courses — API fundamentals notebooksAnthropic

Jupyter notebooks covering the Claude SDK, API keys, streaming, and multimodal prompts. Start alongside Python in week 3.

github.com/anthropics/courses ↗
no certstart week 3notebooks
Status
Not yet started

Begins week 3 of the Python course.

No outputs yet
AI Agents for Beginners — code sections revisitMicrosoft

Return to the 12 Microsoft episodes once Python makes sense. Work through the Semantic Kernel and AutoGen code sections skipped in Phase 1.

github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners ↗
no certcode sections onlyfork & run the repo
Status
Not yet started

Follows completion of the Python cert.

No outputs yet
Phase 3 AI fundamentals — Google, Microsoft & NVIDIA ~3–4 weeks · runs alongside end of Phase 2

Build the conceptual foundation across multiple big players before going deep. Deliberately non-technical — understanding the landscape before building in it.

Introduction to Generative AI learning pathGoogle Cloud

Three-course path: Intro to Gen AI, Intro to LLMs, and Responsible AI. Free skill badges via GEAR programme.

skills.google/paths/118 ↗
cert — freeskill badges
Generative AI for Beginners (21 lessons)Microsoft

How LLMs work, RAG, fine-tuning, and responsible AI. The best free conceptual deep-dive available.

github.com/microsoft/generative-ai-for-beginners ↗
no cert21 lessons
Generative AI Explained (no-code intro)NVIDIA DLI

NVIDIA's free no-code intro. Short (~2 hrs) but earns an NVIDIA DLI certificate — a great first NVIDIA credential.

learn.nvidia.com ↗
cert — freeNVIDIA DLI~2 hrs
Status
Not yet started

Portfolio pages will appear per provider once work begins.

No outputs yet
Phase 4 Prompt engineering & the Claude API — Anthropic ~3–4 weeks

Learn to talk to LLMs properly and start building with the Claude API. Anthropic takes centre stage here as a focused thread.

Claude 101Anthropic Academy

Core features, capabilities, and limits. Sets the vocabulary for everything in the Academy that follows.

anthropic.skilljar.com ↗
cert — freestart here
AI Fluency: Framework & FoundationsAnthropic Academy

Anthropic's 4D framework for designing, evaluating and iterating on prompts.

anthropic.skilljar.com ↗
cert — freeprompt engineering
Prompt Engineering Interactive TutorialAnthropic

9-chapter hands-on notebook course. Chain-of-thought, tool use, RAG — the practical companion to AI Fluency.

github.com/anthropics/prompt-eng-interactive-tutorial ↗
no certhands-onnotebooks
Building with the Claude APIAnthropic Academy

8+ hrs. System prompts, tool use, context windows, RAG, architecture patterns. The most important single course in this plan.

anthropic.skilljar.com ↗
cert — freecore8+ hrs
Status
Not yet started

Follows Phase 3. Portfolio page will appear once work begins.

No outputs yet
Phase 5 Building AI agents — Microsoft, Google & NVIDIA ~6–8 weeks · the engineering core

From "I understand AI" to "I can build agents". Microsoft on frameworks, Google on cloud-native agents, NVIDIA on production RAG systems.

Microsoft — agent frameworks & Copilot Studio
AI Agents for Beginners (full GitHub course)Microsoft

12 lessons with code: agent design patterns, tool use, RAG, multi-agent systems, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel, and Azure AI Foundry.

microsoft.github.io/ai-agents-for-beginners ↗
no certPythonrun the code
Applied Skills: Create agents in Copilot StudioMicrosoft Learn

Lab-assessed credential. Scenario-based assessment proving you can build agents in Copilot Studio. Free to earn.

learn.microsoft.com/credentials ↗
cert — freelab-assessed
Status
Not yet started

Phase 5 begins after Phases 3 & 4 are complete.

No outputs yet
Google — cloud-native agent development
Agentic AI on Google Cloud learning pathGoogle Cloud

Multi-agent systems, Agent Development Kit (ADK), MCP integration, and enterprise deployment on Google Cloud.

skills.google/paths/3273 ↗
cert — freeADKMCP
Status
Not yet started

Phase 5 begins after Phases 3 & 4 are complete.

No outputs yet
NVIDIA — RAG agents & production LLM systems
Building RAG Agents with LLMsNVIDIA DLI

NVIDIA's flagship agent course. Dialog management, document reasoning, state management, deploying agentic systems at scale.

courses.nvidia.com ↗
cert — freeNVIDIA DLIRAG
Intro to Model Context Protocol (MCP)Anthropic Academy

Build MCP servers and clients in Python. The three primitives that let any AI agent talk to the outside world.

anthropic.skilljar.com ↗
cert — freeMCPPython SDK
Status
Not yet started

Phase 5 begins after Phases 3 & 4 are complete.

No outputs yet
Phase 6 Cloud deployment — Azure (lead), Google Cloud & AWS ~5–7 weeks · Azure first, others as bolt-ons

Where do your agents live? Lead with Azure — AZ-900 is the most recognised entry cloud credential globally. Google Cloud and AWS bolt on after.

Azure — lead provider
Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) learning pathMicrosoft Learn

Cloud concepts, Azure services, and pricing models. Study free, exam ~£90. The most widely recognised entry-level cloud cert globally.

learn.microsoft.com — AZ-900 ↗
cert — paid exam ~£90study free
Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) learning pathMicrosoft Learn

AI workloads, ML concepts, and Azure AI services. Natural follow-on from AZ-900. Study free, exam ~£90.

learn.microsoft.com — AI-900 ↗
cert — paid exam ~£90agent deployment
Claude with Amazon BedrockAnthropic Academy

Deploy Claude via AWS Bedrock — RAG pipelines, tool use, batch processing, and production patterns in the AWS ecosystem.

anthropic.skilljar.com ↗
cert — freeAWSproduction
Status
Not yet started

The final deployment phase — a long way to go yet.

No outputs yet
Google Cloud — bolt-on
Claude with Google Cloud Vertex AIAnthropic Academy

Deploy Claude via Google Vertex AI. Pairs with the Agentic AI path from Phase 5.

anthropic.skilljar.com ↗
cert — freeVertex AI
Status
Not yet started

Follows Azure in Phase 6.

No outputs yet
AWS — bolt-on
AWS Cloud Practitioner EssentialsAWS

Amazon's free foundational cloud course. The other major entry-level cloud credential alongside AZ-900.

aws.amazon.com/training ↗
cert — paid examstudy free
Status
Not yet started

Follows Azure in Phase 6.

No outputs yet