Before Section 01, stand up the five free tools the whole primer runs on. One sitting, no credit card, no excuses.
What it is: GitHub saves every version of every file you write :: forever. Every project gets its own folder (called a repository). Every change you save (a commit) is logged with a message. You can go back to any point in history, see what changed, and share your work with the world.
Why we start here: GitHub connects to every other tool :: VS Code, Netlify, Replit. Set it up first and everything else plugs in cleanly. By Section 12, your GitHub profile will be a full portfolio of everything you built.
A filled GitHub profile is a public résumé that employers across the country can see. A developer in Charleston with a strong GitHub profile can get remote work paying $60 :: 90k+. This is one of the fastest paths to remote income from anywhere in West Virginia.
A project folder GitHub tracks. One repo per project. You'll create a new one each week.
A saved snapshot with a message. "Added homepage HTML." You can return to any commit ever made.
Sending your local commits to GitHub's servers. Do this at the end of every session.
github.com/yourname :: a public page showing everything you've built. This is your portfolio.
Pick a username you'd be comfortable sharing. It appears in all your project URLs: github.com/yourname/project.
A visual interface for GitHub :: no command-line needed. Download, install, and sign in with your new GitHub account.
In GitHub Desktop: File → New Repository → name it m0ntan1-academy-projects → check "Initialize with README" → Create. Then click "Publish repository" to put it live on GitHub.
Describe what changed in plain English. "Add nav bar with links to all pages" is great. "update" is useless. Your commit history is a diary of your growth :: make it readable.
What it is: VS Code is a free code editor used by the majority of developers worldwide. It colors your code so it's readable, catches typos, auto-closes tags, and connects directly to your GitHub repository.
Go to code.visualstudio.com :: auto-detects Mac or Windows.
In GitHub Desktop → Repository → Open in Visual Studio Code. Now VS Code is pointed directly at your GitHub folder.
Click the Extensions icon in VS Code's left sidebar, search by name, click Install.
What it is: Claude is the AI you'll use every single week :: to write code, explain errors, debug problems, and generate content. Keep it open in a browser tab next to VS Code at all times.
Go to claude.ai → sign up free. The free plan covers Weeks 1 :: 6. For Weeks 7 :: 12 you'll need an API key :: we walk through that when we get there.
Open Claude and type: "I'm starting to learn web development in West Virginia. Write me a simple HTML page with a heading that says 'Hello from WV!' Add comments explaining each line." Copy the code to VS Code, save it, open with Live Server, then commit it to GitHub. That's your first full loop.
I'm a beginner learning to code. Write me [describe what you want]. Keep it simple and add comments explaining what each part does.
This code isn't working. Error: [paste error]. Code: [paste code]. What's wrong and how do I fix it?
What it is: Free hosting that connects to your GitHub repo. Every time you push code to GitHub, Netlify automatically updates your live site. Push → live in seconds. No server configuration, no cost.
Go to netlify.com → Sign Up → use your GitHub account. This pre-connects everything so deployment in Section 5 takes one click.
What it is: A coding environment that runs entirely in your browser :: no installation needed. You'll use it for projects that need a server (like Section 8's AI chatbot). Sign up now, use it later.
replit.com/signup :: use your Google or GitHub account.