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Welcome to the Leaving School Wiki

This is your reference companion for the course. Every tool, concept, language, and platform we cover has an entry here — written in plain English, for humans, not textbooks.

You do not need to read this front to back. Think of it more like a dictionary you reach for when something is unfamiliar. You will be mid-lesson, encounter a word you have not seen before, and this is where you come to make sense of it.

How to use it​

Browse using the sidebar on the left. Entries are grouped into four categories:

  • Tools — software you install and use (Homebrew, VS Code, Git)
  • Concepts — ideas and mental models (version control, the terminal, APIs)
  • Languages — programming languages and syntax (Python, JavaScript)
  • Platforms — services and websites (GitHub, Vercel, Railway)

Follow the links. Most entries link to related entries at the bottom. If you land somewhere unfamiliar, follow the thread.

What each entry contains​

Every entry is short by design — a jumping-in point, not a full tutorial. Each one tells you:

  • What the thing is — in one sentence, no jargon
  • Why it matters on this course — so you know it is worth your attention
  • How it works — a plain-English mental model, not a textbook chapter
  • Where to start — a first command, a quickstart link, or where in the course it comes up
  • Good resources — a short list of the best places to go deeper

A note on getting stuck​

Getting stuck is normal. It happens to everyone, at every level. The wiki is one tool for getting unstuck, but it is not the only one:

  • Ask your cohort — someone has probably hit the same thing
  • Search the error message — copy and paste it into a search engine, exactly as it appears
  • Ask the tutors — that is what they are there for

If you think an entry is wrong, unclear, or missing something important, flag it to the team. This wiki gets better when students tell us what confused them.

Start with Homebrew — it is usually the first thing you install.