Applied Program

Rust Fundamentals Applied Program

An 8-week, project-based, beginner program that teaches core Rust from scratch by building a real command-line tool. No prior Rust experience required — ship a working, tested CLI you can put on your resume.

Starts 1 week from today — add to your calendar:

View Syllabus

Project-based, Portfolio-first

Build a real application over 8 weeks and ship it publicly — no grading, no enrollment gate.

8
Weeks
55
Video Resources
27
Hands-on Tasks
Weekly reminders

Email reminders each week once you join, starting one week out

Weekly demo prompts

Turn each week's work into a portfolio-ready update

Open on GitHub

https://github.com/paiml/rust-fundamentals-applied-program

Weekly Syllabus

8 weeks, one project, shipped publicly

Week 1
Dev Environment, Git/GitHub Setup + Rust Basics
  • Install Rust and set up VS Code with the Rust Analyzer
  • Learn Git basics and create your project's GitHub repository with a first commit
  • Set up Docker/dev-container basics for your Rust environment
  • Create your first Rust project with cargo and run it
  • Choose the problem your CLI tool will solve, and who it's for
Week 2
Variables, Control Flow & Shadowing
  • Learn variable assignment, immutability, and shadowing in Rust
  • Practice if/else, loops, and match-based control flow
  • Write the first branching logic your CLI tool will need
Week 3
Loops & Match Control Flow
  • Learn while loops, for loops, and break/continue
  • Use match as Rust's primary control-flow tool
  • Add a loop-driven feature to your CLI tool (e.g. processing a list of items)
Week 4
Functions, Borrowing & Error Handling
  • Write functions with arguments and return values
  • Learn Rust's borrowing concept and why it prevents whole classes of bugs
  • Handle errors properly instead of using panic! everywhere
Week 5
Structs
  • Define structs and create instances
  • Add associated functions and constructors
  • Model your CLI tool's core data as a struct
Week 6
Strings, Vectors & Enums
  • Work with String and &str, and manipulate text
  • Use vectors to store and retrieve collections of values
  • Define enums, including Option, and use them in your project
Week 7
Testing & Organizing Your Code
  • Organize code into a library plus binary, using cargo and modules
  • Use crates and Cargo dependencies the right way for a growing project
  • Write unit tests for your project's core logic
  • Verify examples in your documentation with doctests
Week 8
Build the CLI + Ship & Finalize
  • Wire a real command-line interface onto your project's logic, with subcommands, arguments, and environment variables
  • Run your project against the self-assessment checklist
  • Publish the repository publicly and write a short portfolio/LinkedIn post linking to it

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about the Rust Fundamentals Applied Program

No. There's no grading, no enrollment gate, and no required login to work through the program's repository. Joining here just sets up weekly email reminders and an optional calendar schedule.

By default, your Week 1 reminder and calendar event land one week after you join — giving you time to prep. You can pick a custom start date for your calendar invite using the date field above.

Yes — use the same button to leave at any time, which stops the weekly email reminders.