CS Challenge
A free, three-day live course. Students go from editing a web page on their own laptop, to a Next.js portfolio deployed on Vercel, to a full-stack web app built as a team.
How to take this challenge
Set up your machine
Install an IDE, open a folder and add the main extensions. Getting started takes about 15 minutes.
Read the lessons
Each lesson covers one tool: what it is, how to install it, its structure and syntax, the main commands, and where to practice next.
Do the day's challenge
Each challenge lists what to build, step by step, with hints and a checklist to know when you are done.
Submit your work
Students who finish all three days get a 1:1 career consultation.
Challenges
Open the starter project on your laptop and make it yours with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Day 2Ship to VercelPut a Next.js portfolio together from the Component Shop, push it to GitHub and deploy it to your own link.
Day 3Full-stackBuild a small shop as a team: Supabase, an Express API and a Next.js storefront, merged through pull requests.
Lessons
| Lesson | What you learn | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | ||
| CS101 | How the browser, server and database work together | Day 1 |
| HTML | The structure of a page | Day 1 |
| CSS | Colour, spacing, layout and responsive design | Day 1 |
| JavaScript | Variables, functions, the DOM and fetch | Day 1–3 |
| React | Components and props | Day 2 |
| Next.js | Pages and routing | Day 2–3 |
| Full-Stack | ||
| CS102 | Web architecture: PERN vs Nextbase, its history, and Git | Day 2–3 |
| PERN Stack | PostgreSQL, Express, React and Node.js together | Day 3 |
| PostgreSQL | Tables and SQL for products and orders | Day 3 |
| Express | A REST API | Day 3 |
| Node.js | npm, package.json, modules and env vars | Day 2–3 |
| Nextbase | Next.js and Supabase, without a separate server | Day 3+ |
| Supabase | supabase-js, Row Level Security and Server Actions | Day 3+ |
| Deployment | ||
| Git | Commit and push | Day 2 |
| GitHub | Branches and pull requests | Day 3 |
| Vercel | Deploy to your own link | Day 2 |
Slides
Keep going: Jumpstart Academy
The challenge is a taste of the full programs at Jumpstart Academy. Each runs as a hybrid cohort with scholarships of up to 100%.
From HTML to a full-stack web app, with a mini project every week.
10 weeksAI Engineering FundamentalsPython, machine learning, deep learning and LLMs, from zero.
10 weeksTech Management & TechnopreneurshipProduct planning, agile delivery and taking a tech product to market.
Why free
It is the top of the Jumpstart funnel, and it is also the fastest way to show a student they can build. Students who submit their work get a 1:1 career consultation.