Welcome
Orientation
Who this program is for, what you'll be able to do after 12 weeks, and how to get the most out of it.
Welcome to the Forward Deployed Engineer Training Program. Over the next 12 weeks you'll learn to do what forward deployed engineers do every day: sit close to a customer's real problem, build software that solves it, and get that software running where people actually use it.
Who this is for
This cohort brings together 30 people with very different backgrounds. Some of you have written code for years; some of you wrote your first Python script last month. Both are fine. The program is designed so that:
- If you're newer to code, the guided builds walk you through every step, and the "Stuck?" boxes give hints before you need to ask.
- If you're more experienced, the stretch tasks and the capstone give you room to go further.
What you'll be able to do
By the end of the program you will be able to:
- Write and organise Python programs that work with files, APIs and databases.
- Build applications that use large language models reliably, with structured output, retrieval and evaluation.
- Automate workflows and integrate with the tools a customer already uses.
- Deploy, monitor and support what you've built.
- Run a customer conversation from discovery to demo.
How each week works
Every week follows the same rhythm, so you always know what's next:
| Part | Lesson type | When |
|---|---|---|
| Overview and pre-work | Concept | Before the live session |
| Live session | Live session | Tuesday evening |
| Guided build | Guided build | Wednesday, with office hours |
| Assignment | Independent assignment | Thursday to Sunday |
| Self-check | Checkpoint | Sunday |
Each lesson shows its type as a small label under the title, along with an estimated time.
Finding your way around
- The sidebar lists every lesson. Click a week to expand it.
- Search with / or ⌘K / Ctrl K from any page.
- "On this page", on the right on wide screens, jumps to sections within a lesson.
- External links open in a new tab and are marked with a small arrow.
Before week 1
- Read the rest of this Welcome section.
- Install the tools listed in the setup guide.
- Introduce yourself in the cohort channel: your background and one thing you want to build.
More lessons are on the way. Check the table of contents to see what's coming each week.
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