Five sections that take you from opening Claude for the first time to running real work through it: pick the right model, use Skills so you stop repeating instructions, hand Claude your files as Cowork, and meet Code — the version that builds and runs software.
Most people who try Claude type one question, get a good answer, and never find out what it's actually built for. They never learn which model to reach for, never touch a Skill, and have no idea Claude can open a folder on their computer and do the work inside it — or build a piece of software and run it.
This course closes that gap, in order. You'll start by getting properly oriented — picking the right model for the job, learning the layout, and building the habits that make Claude worth coming back to instead of a one-off curiosity.
From there you'll learn Skills — the fix for re-explaining the same instructions every single time you ask for something you do often. Then you'll meet Claude Cowork, which turns Claude from something you talk to into something you hand real files to: it can inventory a messy folder, rename and sort files without creating chaos, turn receipts into a spreadsheet, and check its own work before anything touches your real records.
The back half moves from tasks to standing workflows — running your books, generating client reports without the grind, and building something once that keeps running weekly instead of being redone by hand every time. It closes by introducing Code, the side of Claude that doesn't just handle your files — it builds and runs software, and most of what people actually ask it for isn't programming at all.
By the end you're not someone who "tried Claude once." You know which model to reach for, you've built Skills that save you the same explanation every time, and you know exactly which of Claude's tools — chat, Cowork, or Code — to reach for on any real job.
Who it's for
The Claude beginner starting from zero: has an account or is about to make one, but doesn't know Sonnet from Opus, has never touched a Skill, and has no idea Claude can work inside a folder of real files.
The person drowning in repetitive file work: messy folders, receipts to turn into spreadsheets, reports to redo every week — and wants to hand that off instead of doing it by hand again.
The owner or operator who wants Claude doing real work, not just answering questions: ready to move from one-off prompts to standing workflows that run on their own files, on a schedule, without being rebuilt from scratch.
What you'll leave with
The right model picked for the work you actually do, and the habits that make Claude worth using past the first week.
A first set of Claude Skills built, so you stop re-explaining the same instructions on tasks you do often.
Claude Cowork put to work on a real messy folder — inventoried, renamed, sorted, and checked before anything touches your real records.
At least one standing workflow (books, client reports, or another recurring job) built once and running on repeat, not redone by hand each time.
A clear read on when to reach for chat, Cowork, or Code — and a first look at what Code can actually build and run for you.
This course is part of the academy's invite-only offering.
Access is granted by the academy after you join.
