Python Exercises¶
Hands-on starter and solution files live under each course's exercises/ folder. Use this page to find the right path for your background, not just a file list.
New here?
Pick your persona in Start Here, then return here for practice files.
Exercise paths by persona¶
Complete beginner (no CS background)¶
| Step | Course | Exercise folder | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 | — (in-lesson code) | NumPy, vectors — Prerequisites |
| 2 | 02 | exercises/ | First app, tokens, prompts |
| 3 | 03 | exercises/ | Neural net basics after course 01 math |
| 4 | 04 | exercises/ | Attention implementation |
First project: Build These #1 — Doc Q&A bot
Software engineer, new to AI¶
| Step | Course | Exercise folder | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02 | exercises/ | All files + notebook |
| 2 | — | Build These #1 | RAG before deep math |
| 3 | 04 | exercises/ | Optional — when you want internals |
| 4 | 06 | Coming soon | Chunking, retrieval — use course 06 lesson code until notebooks ship |
Skip initially: Course 03 unless you want training-from-scratch depth.
ML engineer → LLM / agents¶
| Step | Course | Exercise folder | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02 | exercises/ | Skim API/prompt patterns |
| 2 | 04 | exercises/ | Attention from scratch |
| 3 | 06 | Coming soon | RAG pipeline — follow Course 06 · Build RAG |
| 4 | 07 | Coming soon | Agent loop — follow Course 07 · Building an Agent |
Priority projects: Build These #2, #5, #8
Career switcher (portfolio track)¶
| Week | Exercises + projects |
|---|---|
| 1 | Course 02 exercises |
| 2 | Build These #1 |
| 3 | Course 04 exercises (optional) + Build These #4 |
| 4 | Build These #9 |
Full plan: Start Here — 4-week roadmap
How to run¶
# Example: Course 02 prompt engineering
cd docs/foundations/module-01-ai-engineering-essentials/exercises
pip install openai anthropic python-dotenv # if needed
python 04-starter.py
Compare with *-solution.py when stuck. API keys only needed for exercises that call live LLM APIs.
Jupyter: Course 02 prompt notebook
Exercise index by course¶
| Course | Location | Files | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 · AI Engineering Essentials | exercises/ | 02–04 starter/solution + notebook |
✅ Live |
| 03 · Neural Networks | exercises/ | 01–10 starter/solution |
✅ Live |
| 04 · Transformers | exercises/ | 01–09 starter/solution |
✅ Live |
| 06 · RAG | build/module-09-.../exercises/ |
— | 🔜 Roadmap |
| 07 · Agents | build/module-11-.../exercises/ |
— | 🔜 Roadmap |
Courses 06 & 07 exercises
Listed in course indexes but not yet published as starter files. Use inline lesson code and Build These projects until notebooks land.
After exercises: projects & capstones¶
| Level | Resource |
|---|---|
| Portfolio projects | Build These First — 10 ideas mapped to courses |
| Full capstone briefs | Course 16 · Capstones |
| Quick overview | Projects index |
Stuck?¶
| Issue | Help |
|---|---|
| Import / env errors | FAQ — Troubleshooting |
| Don't know which exercise next | Start Here persona table |
| Exercise too hard | Read the course lesson first; check *-solution.py |