Learning path from Bashiri Smith and Melvin Vivas
Work through the topics in order. For each one: go through the short reels and posts, then the free resources, then read or try the tools, then build something.
Short on time? Follow a week-by-week plan instead: 1-month plan (the fast track), 2-month plan (the standard path), 3-month plan (the thorough path).
- 1. Start Here: Roadmaps & Strategy
What an AI engineer does, what to learn first, and how to plan your study.
- 2. Programming & ML Foundations
Python, software engineering, math and classic machine/deep learning basics.
- 3. LLM Fundamentals
How large language models work: transformers, tokens, model APIs, choosing models.
- 4. Prompt & Context Engineering
Writing prompts, structured outputs, context windows and context management.
- 5. Embeddings & Vector Databases
Embedding models, similarity search, vector stores and indexing.
- 6. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Chunking, retrieval, reranking, hybrid/graph RAG and grounding answers in your data.
- 7. AI Agents, Tool Use & MCP
Tool calling, agent loops, multi-agent systems, memory, MCP and agent frameworks.
- 8. Evaluation (Evals) & Testing
Measuring quality: test sets, LLM-as-judge, metrics and regression testing.
- 9. LLMOps, Deployment & Monitoring
Shipping to production: serving, gateways, observability, latency and cost.
- 10. Fine-tuning & Model Customization
LoRA, distillation, preference tuning and training your own models.
- 11. AI Safety, Security & Guardrails
Prompt injection, red-teaming, guardrails, privacy and responsible AI.
- 12. AI System Design & Architecture
Designing end-to-end AI systems and answering system-design interviews.
- 13. AI Dev Tools & Productivity
Coding assistants and tools that make you faster as an engineer.
- 14. Portfolio Projects
Project ideas and how to build a portfolio that gets interviews.
- 15. Resume, Job Search & Interviews
Resumes, finding roles, interview prep, negotiation and career moves.
- 16. Industry Trends & Job Market
Where the field and the job market are heading.