Dev Dissection Session Plan
Vision & Format
Audience: Beginner devs, aspiring tech folks curious about tools and infrastructure.
Session Duration: 30 minutes
– 20 mins: Theory / Live Code / Walkthrough
– 10 mins: Q&A
Phase 1: Build Your First App (MERN)
| Week | Topic | Focus | Key Takeaways |
| Week 1 | Node.js & APIs 101 | What is a backend? Understanding REST APIs, CRUD with Express | Learn how web APIs work and how to build your first one |
| Week 2 | MongoDB Integration | NoSQL vs SQL, MongoDB setup, using Mongoose | Understand DB types and connect your API to Mongo |
| Week 3 | Frontend with React | What is a frontend? Components, state, connecting to backend | Learn how to build UIs and consume an API |
| Week 4 | Authentication | Auth basics, Cookies vs JWT, Auth0/Clerk overview | Learn auth strategies and best practices |
| Week 5 | GitHub CI/CD + GCP Deployment | What is CI/CD, GitHub Actions, deploy to App Engine | Learn how to take your project live and automate it |
Phase 2: Production-Ready Engineering
| Week | Topic | Focus | Key Takeaways |
| Week 1 | Testing APIs & UI | What are tests? Jest basics for backend + frontend | Learn how to write and run your first test |
| Week 2 | Docker Fundamentals | What is Docker? Dockerize backend and frontend | Learn to containerize your app |
| Week 3 | GCP Deployment with Docker + Multi Envs | Deploy Docker app to GCP, staging vs production | Learn to manage deployments for teams |
| Week 4 | Environment Variables | Secure envs, GitHub secrets, .env files | Learn how to manage secrets and configs |
| Week 5 | Logging & Tracking | Sentry, Amplitude, Hotjar overview and setup | Learn how to monitor user behavior and app health |
| Week 6 | Monitoring & Scaling | Resource usage, scaling strategies, App Engine monitoring | Learn what happens when apps grow and how to prepare |
Phase 2 builds on Phase 1 but can stand alone as a DevOps & infra series.
Supporting Strategy
Docs: Each session will have detailed doc covers the whole session
Optional Expansion: Later pathways can evolve from this app — e.g., integrating AI (OpenAI), payments, multi-user support
Modularity Guidelines
– Sessions are designed to be plug-and-play: attend any session without prior context.
– Every session begins with theory + real-world analogy to help non-devs understand.
– All code examples are copy-paste runnable, shared live in session and document.
