Hi Chaliese 👋
Eric put this together to get you up and running with Claude and Claude Code. No prior AI experience needed — if you're comfortable installing an app and typing a command now and then, you're ready.
The 30-second version:
Claude is an AI assistant you chat with — like texting a very well-read, very patient colleague who can write, research, analyze, and think things through with you.
Claude Code is that same intelligence pointed at your computer's files and projects — it can read a whole codebase or folder, make changes, run things, and actually do tasks, not just talk about them.
You'll use the chat for thinking and writing, and Code when you want Claude to roll up its sleeves and work with real files.
What this course covers
The Claude app
Signing in, plans, and using chat day to day.
Prompting
How to ask so you get great results.
Claude Code
What it is, installing it, and first tasks.
Good habits
Staying safe, and knowing the limits.
What Claude actually is
Claude is an AI assistant made by a company called Anthropic. You talk to it in plain English (or lots of other languages) and it responds — helping you write, learn, plan, analyze, code, and more.
What it's good at
Writing
Emails, docs, posts, edits, brainstorms.
Explaining
Break down any topic at your level.
Research
Summarize, compare, pull key points.
Analysis
Read a spreadsheet or PDF and make sense of it.
Thinking
Talk through decisions and plans.
Code
Write and explain scripts and programs.
A quick word on the "models"
You'll sometimes see Claude come in a few flavors, called models. They trade off speed vs. horsepower — you don't have to memorize this, but here's the map as of mid-2026:
| Model | Think of it as | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|
| Haiku | The quick one | Fast, simple questions and quick drafts. |
| Sonnet | The everyday all-rounder | The balanced default for most work. |
| Opus | The heavy lifter | Complex reasoning, big projects, hard coding. |
| Fable | The frontier one | The most capable, for long, involved tasks. |
Using Claude day to day
The easiest way in. Nothing to install — it runs in your browser, plus there are phone and desktop apps.
Getting in
Go to claude.ai
Open claude.ai and sign up with your email or a Google account. There are also apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows.
Start typing
Type into the box at the bottom, hit enter, and Claude replies. That's the whole thing.
Keep chatting
Each conversation remembers what you've said within it, so you can refine: "make it shorter," "now in a friendlier tone," "add an example."
Handy things to know
Attach files
Drop in a PDF, image, spreadsheet, or doc and ask about it.
New chat per topic
Start a fresh chat for a new subject — it keeps things focused.
It can see images
Screenshot a graph or a form and ask what it means.
Projects
Group related chats and reference docs in one place.
The plans, briefly
You can do a lot for free. Paid plans mostly buy you more usage and extra features. Prices as of mid-2026:
| Plan | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Trying it out, everyday questions and writing. |
| Pro | ~$17–20/mo | Regular use, more capacity, and access to Claude Code. |
| Max | from ~$100/mo | Power users who hit limits — 5×–20× more usage. |
| Team | ~$20–25/seat | Small teams with shared billing and admin. |
How to ask so you get great answers
"Prompting" just means how you phrase your request. You don't need magic words — clear and specific beats clever every time. Talk to Claude like a capable new teammate who needs context.
The four ingredients
Context
Who's it for, what's the situation? "For a client who's upset about a delay…"
The task
Say exactly what you want made or done. "Write a 3-sentence apology email."
Format & tone
"Warm but professional. Bullet points. Under 100 words."
Examples
Paste a sample you like: "Match the style of this one."
See the difference
🚫 Vague
✅ Clear
Same idea — but the second gives Claude what it needs to nail it on the first try.
Five moves that always help
Just ask it to redo it
Didn't land? "Make it shorter / funnier / more formal." Iterating is normal and fast.
Give it a role
"Act as a careful copy editor" or "Explain like I'm new to this."
Ask for its thinking
"Walk me through your reasoning" — great for decisions and math.
Let it ask you questions
"Ask me anything you need before you start." Surprisingly powerful.
Paste real material
Your notes, the actual email, the spreadsheet — specifics beat guesses.
Level up: stack the moves 🔧
Once the basics feel natural, you can combine them in a single request. Here's one prompt built from all four ingredients — plus a couple of extras — so you can see how far it goes:
One prompt, five techniques working together. You don't need to write like this on day one — it's just the ceiling you'll grow into. Notice it's still plain English; it's just specific and layered.
Meet Claude Code
If the chat app is Claude talking, Claude Code is Claude doing. It's a version of Claude that works directly with the files and projects on your computer — reading them, changing them, and running things for you.
Chat vs. Code — when to use which
| Claude (chat) | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Lives in | Your browser / app | Your computer (terminal, editor, or app) |
| Best for | Writing, thinking, one-off questions | Working across real files & projects |
| Can it change your files? | No — you copy/paste | Yes — it edits & runs things (with your OK) |
| You need | Just a login | A quick install + a paid plan |
What people actually use it for
Build things
"Make me a simple website for my studio" — it creates the files.
Fix problems
Paste an error; it finds the cause and fixes it.
Tedious chores
Rename 200 files, clean up data, reorganize a folder.
Understand a project
"Explain what this code/folder does" before you touch it.
Getting Claude Code running
Two ways to start. If the word "terminal" makes you nervous, use the desktop app route — it's point-and-click. If you're a little adventurous, the terminal is worth learning.
Before you start
You'll need a paid Claude plan (Pro is plenty to begin). Claude Code is included with Pro, Max, and Team.
Option A — The desktop app (easiest)
Download the Claude desktop app
Get it from claude.ai/download (Mac or Windows) and install like any app.
Sign in
Use the same account as the website.
Click the "Code" tab
Point it at a folder on your computer and start giving it tasks. You review changes visually — no typing commands.
Option B — The terminal (the classic way)
The "terminal" is the app where you type commands: Terminal on Mac, PowerShell on Windows. Paste one line to install:
Mac / Linux
Windows (PowerShell)
Then go into the folder you want to work in and launch it:
The first time, it asks you to log in through your browser. After that, just type claude whenever you want it.
Your very first move inside Claude Code
Once it's running, a great warm-up that changes nothing on your computer:
Watch it explore the files and report back. Now you're driving.
First things to try
The fastest way to "get it" is to use it. Here are gentle, low-risk starters for both chat and Code. Tick them off as you go.
In the Claude app 💬
In Claude Code ⌨️
Copy-and-try prompts
Good habits & honest limits
Claude is genuinely useful, but it's a tool, not an oracle. A few habits keep you in the driver's seat.
Keep in mind
It can be confidently wrong
Double-check facts, figures, names, and dates that matter.
Its knowledge has a cutoff
For recent news it needs to search the web — ask it to.
Mind sensitive info
Don't paste passwords or things you wouldn't want stored.
Not a pro
Helpful on legal/medical/financial topics, but not a substitute for an expert.
Habits that make it click
Review before you approve
In Claude Code, it asks before changing files or running commands. Read what it proposes — approving is your call.
Start small and specific
One clear task beats a giant vague one. You can always ask for the next step after.
Keep a copy / use undo
For important files, keep a backup (or use version history) so you can roll back fearlessly.
Treat it like a conversation
If the first result is 80% there, just say what to change. Don't start over.
Cheat sheet & next steps
Everything worth remembering, on one screen.
The two tools
Claude (chat) → claude.ai — write, think, research, analyze. Free to start.
Claude Code → works with your real files. Needs a paid plan. Easiest via the desktop app's "Code" tab.
A good prompt has…
🎯 context · ✅ a clear task · 🎨 tone/format · 📌 an example if you have one. And when the answer's close, just ask for the tweak.
Install Claude Code (terminal)
Mac / Linux:
Windows (PowerShell):
Then, in your project folder, run claude.
Remember
Verify things that matter · ask it to search for anything recent · review before you approve · you're the director. 🎬