So in this short lecture, I'm going to explain how you, as the student, should navigate this course.
This is something which didn't exist in my older courses and doesn't exist at all in other courses.
So this may be new for you.
For this course, there is a wide range of difficulty from topic to topic.
For this reason, I've designated some lectures and some sections by their level, which can be either
beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Obviously beginner content is the easiest, whereas intermediate is a bit more difficult.
Well, advanced is the most difficult.
So please watch out for these designations which will be in the titles of either the lectures or full
sections, typically in parentheses.
Now, the reason I've done this is sometimes I encounter beginner students who bite off more than they
can chew, and as a result, they become frustrated when the content is too difficult for their current
abilities.
Of course, there is no need for that.
Simply be more aware of your abilities and accept yourself as you are.
As a teacher, I always encourage you to improve your skills such that you'll be able to handle more
advanced content.
But one thing you should not try to do is to tackle an advanced topic when you are not at that stage
in your journey.
I don't want you to hope or expect that the advanced content will somehow be explained in a so-called
intuitive way such that you can understand it even if you don't have the prerequisite skills.
Now, unfortunately, these designations are somewhat arbitrary because nobody can really agree on precisely
what skills are considered beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Therefore, it may take some trial and error on your part and you'll have to adjust as needed.
So for example, if you try some intermediate content but it's too difficult for you, then clearly
the advanced content will be even more difficult.
At the same time, advanced students will get the most out of this course.
That's simply because they'll have the abilities to understand all of the content from beginner to intermediate
to advanced.
So not only the advanced content is for the advanced students, but all the content is for the advanced
students.
In this sense, advanced doesn't mean you already know the content, since at that point taking this
course would be pointless.
Advanced really means you are mentally prepared to handle the more challenging tasks.
Conversely, beginner doesn't mean you're new and unfamiliar with these topics.
It simply means you are not mentally prepared.
So you should use that as motivation to get yourself to an advanced level.
If you are not there yet, a lot of the time this is simply due to your experience level.
This is not something I can give to you.
It's simply something you have to cultivate yourself.
Nothing I can give you will replace the simple act of practice and gaining experience.
I would if I could.
But maturity and experience are things you must earn but that you cannot take.
For example, some projects in this course will simply require a good amount of coding.
Some people are good at this, and some people not so good.
But luckily, it's a skill that anyone can cultivate as long as they work hard and have patience.
So you may not understand complex code today, but with more practice and experience you will.
At that point, the more advanced content will feel more accessible.
Note that some lectures and sections have no designation, so you can feel free to watch any of that
content regardless of your level.
At the same time, remember to pace yourself and remember that there might simply be some things which
you do not know in those cases.
You should use the Q&A to ask for help.
Now, while there are prerequisites to this course, realize that they are not the be all and end all.
Sometimes you might meet the prerequisites, but simply lack practice and experience applying those
prerequisites.
So as an example, Python coding is a prerequisite to this course, but clearly there are varying levels
of expertise.
At the same time, we can't say something like must have five years of experience in Python because
that wouldn't make sense.
Some people have been coding for ten years who are not very good and some people have been coding for
six months and are already very good.
So it's not time that matters, but rather mental preparedness and maturity.
At the same time, you shouldn't be alarmed because there is still content in the course for you to
complete no matter your level.
So if you find that there is any content in the course that seems beyond your reach, simply cultivate
your skills and come back at a later time.
Remember that you have this course forever, so there is no rush to complete all the lectures at once.