Launch School · Ruby track
Building understanding before building software.
I'm Lionel, a systems administrator expanding into software engineering through mastery-based study. Infrastructure is where I started; software engineering is where I'm growing.
Journey
Depth first, deadlines second
I spent years in infrastructure learning that shortcuts usually cost more later. Launch School rewards the same instinct: rigorous assessments, mastery over memorization, and a curriculum that expects you to understand ideas instead of simply recognizing the answers. The goal isn't just learning a language—it's learning how to think like an engineer.
Prep Work
Getting oriented and setting the groundwork before the graded curriculum begins.
- LS95Orientation
- RB100Programming & Back-end Prep
Core Curriculum
One track, in order — the backend built in Ruby first, then the frontend in JavaScript. You can't move on to the frontend until the backend is complete, and each course is gated by an assessment.
- RB101Programming Foundations with Ruby: Basics
- RB110Programming Foundations with Ruby: Intermediate
- RB120Object Oriented Programming
- RB130Ruby Foundations: More Topics
- LS170Networking Foundations
- RB175Networked Applications
- LS180Database Foundations
- RB185Database Applications
- LS202HTML and CSS
- JS210Fundamentals of JavaScript for Programmers
- LS215Computational Thinking and Problem Solving
- JS225Object Oriented JavaScript
- JS230DOM Manipulation & Browser Events
- JS235Asynchronous JavaScript & APIs
Capstone
An opportunity to work alongside a small engineering team on a production-quality project, applying software engineering principles, system design, and everything learned throughout Core. It's where my background in infrastructure and my growth as a software engineer come together.
Study log
Thinking out loud, one session at a time
Short reflections written after each study session — what clicked, what didn't, what I'm carrying into the next one. Kept here on the site.
Switching to Ruby, and simplifying how I take notes
A productive day: the revamped site went live, I switched my Launch School track from Python to Ruby, finished the first Intro to Ruby chapter, and...
Why I'm keeping this study log in public
A short note on why the day-to-day of learning goes here, in the open, instead of in a private notebook.
Videos
The journey on camera
Short videos documenting Launch School and the software-engineering path. Click a thumbnail to play — the player loads only then.
