How to Use This Guide

Phase 0 · Document 03 · Orientation Prev: 02 — How to Study Fast-Moving AI · Next: Phase 1 — LLM Vocabulary

Table of Contents

1. Why This Matters
2. Core Concept
3. Mental Model
4. Hitchhiker's Guide
5. Warmup Readings
6. Deep Readings and External References
7. Key Terms
8. Important Facts
9. Observations from Real Systems
10. Common Misconceptions
11. Engineering Decision Framework
12. Hands-On Lab
13. Verification Questions
14. Takeaways
15. Artifact Checklist

1. Why This Matters

A curriculum this large fails two ways: you read it like a novel (and retain nothing), or you bounce between phases at random (and build nothing coherent). This document is the operating manual — how every document is structured, what order to read in for your role, how the labs compound into a real platform, and what "done" looks like. Five minutes here saves you weeks of inefficient study and turns a pile of docs into a deliberate path from zero to a startup-grade portfolio.

2. Core Concept

Every document has the same 15 sections

Each concept document follows one template so you always know where to find what you need:

Reference docs (the glossary, cheatsheets) intentionally differ — they're lookup tools, not concept lessons.

The repository at a glance

• Phase 0 Orientation — roles, study method, this manual.
• Phases 1–2 — the invariants: vocabulary, mental models, transformer/serving foundations.
• Phases 3–5 — reading the ecosystem: model/system cards, catalogs, model selection.
• Phases 6–8 — running and serving models: local inference, production serving, gateways.
• Phases 9–11 — building products: RAG, agents, AI coding platforms.
• Phases 12–14 — quality and trust: evaluation, fine-tuning, security/governance.
• Phases 15–16 — the startup playbook and capstone.
• labs/ — standalone build labs. cheatsheets/ · templates/ · exercises/ · diagrams/ · interview-prep/ · references/ — supporting material.

The labs compound into one platform

The labs are not isolated toys. The Phase 1 token counter feeds the Phase 8 usage meter; the local endpoint (Phase 6) becomes a gateway adapter (Phase 8); the eval harness (Phase 13) gates the whole thing. By the capstone you've assembled a startup-grade LLM platform from parts you built along the way.

Artifacts are the point

Every document ends with an Artifact Checklist. Completing those across the curriculum is your portfolio. Reading without producing artifacts is the failure mode this guide is designed to prevent.

3. Mental Model

READ a phase ──► DO its labs ──► PRODUCE its artifacts ──► VERIFY with questions
     │                                                          │
     └──────────── artifacts accumulate into PORTFOLIO ◄────────┘
                          │
                          ▼
            capstone = all artifacts assembled = startup-grade platform

ORDER:  Phase 0 → 1 → 2 → (your role's path) → 12/13 (always) → 15/16 (if building)
DEPTH:  invariants (1–2) deeply · ecosystem (3–5) as needed · build phases by role

4. Hitchhiker's Guide

What to do first: read Phase 0 fully, then Phase 1 in order. Don't skip to the "exciting" phases — they assume the vocabulary.

What to skim vs study: study Phases 1–2 deeply (invariants); skim Phases 3–5 and return when you make a real decision; go deep on your role's build phases.

What misleads beginners: reading linearly cover-to-cover without building; jumping to agents/serving before the foundations; collecting notes but skipping the Artifact Checklists.

How to get the most out of it: treat each Artifact Checklist as a definition of done; keep a single portfolio repo; do labs even when you "get it" from reading — measurement is where durable understanding forms.

What matters: finishing artifacts > finishing reading. One completed RAG-with-eval project beats skimming all 16 phases.

How to verify progress: can you answer the §13 questions (especially the startup/product tier) and show the §15 artifacts? If yes, the phase is done.

Questions to ask yourself per phase: What decision does this let me make? What did I build? What metric can I now speak to?

What silently wastes time: perfectionism on early phases; reading without dating notes (see 02); building labs you never write up.

5. Warmup Readings

6. Deep Readings and External References

7. Key Terms

8. Important Facts

• Every concept doc has the same 15 sections — learn the template once, navigate any doc instantly.
• Reference docs (glossary, cheatsheets) deliberately differ — they're for lookup, not lessons.
• Labs compound — early artifacts become parts of the capstone platform.
• Artifact Checklists are your portfolio — completing them is the real goal.
• Order matters: Phase 0 → 1 → 2, then your role's path; always do 12–13 (evaluation).
• Depth is role-dependent: invariants for everyone; build phases by target role.
• The guide is an mdBook — SUMMARY.md is the navigation source of truth.
• Finishing artifacts beats finishing reading — measure understanding by what you built.

9. Observations from Real Systems

• The guide's lab → artifact → capstone flow mirrors how real teams onboard: ship a small thing, then compose bigger systems (the gateway, RAG, agents are literally Phases 8–10).
• The recurring "Observations from Real Systems" sections tie every concept to OpenRouter, LiteLLM, vLLM, llama.cpp, Ollama, Cursor, and Hugging Face — so theory always lands on a tool you can open.
• The role paths (01) match how companies actually scope LLM hires — you study what the job measures.
• The dated-notes / re-verify discipline (02) is exactly how production teams avoid deprecation surprises.

10. Common Misconceptions

11. Engineering Decision Framework

What do I read next?
  Haven't done Phase 0/1/2?  → do them in order (foundations).
  Have a target role?        → follow its phase path ([01] Section 11 / Decision Framework).
  Facing a real decision now? → jump to that phase's Decision Framework (§11), then its lab.
  Building a product?        → ensure Phases 12–13 (eval) and 15–16 (startup) are covered.

How deep do I go on a doc?
  Need to make a decision → §1, §11, §12 (framework + lab) suffice.
  Learning the topic       → full read + lab + §13 questions + §15 artifacts.
  Just need a term         → §7 / glossary.

When is a phase "done"?
  §13 questions answerable (incl. startup tier) AND §15 artifacts produced.

12. Hands-On Lab

Goal

Set up your environment and study system so the rest of the curriculum is frictionless.

Prerequisites

• Git, a code editor, Python 3.10+; optional: Rust/mdbook to build the book.

Steps

1. Fork/clone this repo (or create a sibling portfolio/ repo for your artifacts).
2. (Optional) Install mdBook and run mdbook serve to read locally with navigation.
3. Create a portfolio/ structure with a folder per phase for artifacts.
4. From 01, paste your role path (phase order) into portfolio/PLAN.md.
5. Add a progress tracker: a checkbox per phase for "§13 answered" and "§15 artifacts done".
6. Schedule your pace using the 90-Day Roadmap.

Expected output

A working local copy/book, a portfolio/ repo, and a PLAN.md with your role path and progress tracker.

Debugging tips

• mdbook not found? Install Rust + cargo install mdbook, or just read the Markdown directly.
• Overwhelmed? Commit only to Phase 0–1 first; momentum beats planning.

Extension task

Add a notes-dated.md (from 02) and a watchlist.md to your portfolio repo.

Production extension

Make portfolio/ public and write a top-level README that frames it as your AI-engineering portfolio — turning study into a hiring asset.

What to measure

Phases completed (questions + artifacts); artifacts shipped; whether you're on the roadmap's pace.

Deliverables

• A portfolio/ repo with PLAN.md, per-phase folders, and a progress tracker.

13. Verification Questions

Basic

1. Name the 15 sections' purpose in one phrase each (or the 5 you'll use most).
2. What's the difference between a concept doc and a reference doc here?
3. What's the recommended reading order to start?

Applied 4. For your target role, list the phase path you'll follow. 5. How do you decide how deeply to read a given document?

Debugging 6. You've read 8 phases but have no portfolio. What did you skip, and how do you fix it? 7. You keep forgetting the §8 facts. What study technique helps?

System design 8. Design your portfolio/ repo so labs compound into the capstone platform.

Startup / product 9. Which phases and artifacts would you complete first if your goal is a demoable MVP in 30 days?

14. Takeaways

1. Every concept doc shares 15 sections — learn the template once.
2. Reference docs (glossary/cheatsheets) intentionally differ.
3. Follow your role path, study invariants deeply, skim ecosystem phases until needed.
4. Labs compound into the capstone — keep one portfolio repo.
5. Artifact Checklists are your portfolio — completing them is the goal.
6. A phase is done when §13 is answerable and §15 artifacts exist.

15. Artifact Checklist

• portfolio/ repo with per-phase folders.
• PLAN.md with your role path and progress tracker.
• Local mdBook build (optional) or chosen reading setup.
• notes-dated.md + watchlist.md started.
• Pace chosen from the 90-day roadmap.
• Public portfolio README (stretch) framing your artifacts.

Next: Phase 1 — LLM Vocabulary and Mental Models