EXA AI Roadmap (Based on Stanford

AI Graduate Certificate Program

Master the concepts and skills of the Stanford AI Graduate
Certificate program, entirely for FREE! Our curated guide offers a
structured path to AI excellence, tailored to your individual pace.

Hi, I’m Jean

I'm the Founder and host of Exaltitude on YouTube.
I’ve worked in tech for the past 20 years as an
engineer, an engineering manager, and a team builder.
I was the 19th engineer at WhatsApp and worked with
Facebook as an Engineering Manager for six years
after the $19B acquisition.

Throughout my career, I've mentored and coached countless Software Engineers and
Managers from diverse backgrounds, noticing common questions around direction and
growth: "Where am I headed, and how do I get there?" This inspired me to share my
insights, helping future engineers build purposeful, successful careers.

Stay connected for updates, industry insights, and career advice on LinkedIn and
YouTube.

Have questions? Reach out on my website!

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

Expectations

While most students complete the Stanford AI Graduate Certificate program in 1-2 years
when studying part-time, self-study can take significantly longer.
The amount of time it takes depends on various factors, including:
●​ Your experience level: If you have a strong foundation in math, programming,
and related fields, you may be able to progress faster.
●​ Your dedication and time commitment: The more time you devote to studying,
the quicker you can complete the program.
●​ The depth of your learning: If you want to gain a deep understanding of each
topic, you may need to spend more time.
It's important to set realistic expectations and be patient with yourself. Remember that
the goal is to learn and understand the material, not just to finish the program quickly.

Phase 1: Prerequisite-Math Foundations

●​ Calculus
○​ Goals: Understand derivatives, integrals, and fundamental theorems.
○​ Stanford Classes: MATH19, MATH20, MATH21
○​ Free Classes/Resources (choose one):
■​ Khan Academy Calculus: Khan Academy Calculus
■​ MIT OpenCourseWare Single Variable Calculus

○​ Recommended Book:
■​ Calculus for Dummies
■​ Calculus: A New Horizon, 6th edition (or later) (paid resource)

○​ Estimated Time: 4-6 weeks

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

●​ Linear Algebra
○​ Goals: Master matrix operations, vector spaces, and linear
transformations.

○​ Stanford Classes: MATH104, MATH113, CS205L

○​ Free Classes/Resources (choose one):
■​ Khan Academy Linear Algebra
■​ MIT OpenCourseWare Introduction to Linear Algebra

○​ Recommended Book:
■​ Linear Algebra, by Bronson (paid resource)
■​ Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler

○​ Estimated Time: 4-6 weeks

●​ Probability and Statistics
○​ Goals
■​ Learn probability topics like counting, random variables, mean
variance, Bayes’ theorem, distributions, limit theorems
■​ Learn statistics topics like linear regression, classification,
tree-based methods

○​ Stanford Classes: CS109, STATS116

○​ Free Classes/Resources (choose one):
■​ Khan Academy Probability and Statistics
■​ MIT OpenCourseWare Introduction to Probability and Statistics

○​ Recommended Book: A First Course in Probability, by Sheldon Ross,

Pearson (paid resource)

○​ Estimated Time: 4-6 weeks

●​ All in one course: Mathematics for Machine Learning and Data Science
Specialization

○​ Linear Algebra for Machine Learning and Data Science

○​ Calculus for Machine Learning and Data Science

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ○​ Probability & Statistics for Machine Learning & Data Science

Phase 2: Programming Fundamentals

●​ Linux Command Line

○​ Goals: Master essential Linux commands and shell scripting.
○​ Stanford Classes: CS193
○​ Classes/Resources (choose one):
■​ Linux Academy
■​ Introduction to Shell by DataCamp (paid)

○​ Recommended Written Tutorial: Ubuntu’s The Linux command line for

beginners

○​ Estimated Time: 1-2 weeks

●​ Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) (optional)
○​ Goals: Understand data types, control flow, and functions through
object-oriented programming (OOP)

○​ Stanford Classes: CS108, Syllabus

○​ Free Classes/Resources (choose one):
■​ Codecademy’s Learn Java
■​ Introduction to Java and Object-Oriented Programming on Coursera

○​ No recommended textbook for this class

○​ Estimated Time: 4-6 weeks
●​ Data Structures and Algorithms
○​ Goals: Learn common data structures and algorithms.
○​ Stanford Classes: CS166, Syllabus
○​ Free Classes/Resources (choose one):

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ■​ Coursera’s Foundations of Data Structures and Algorithms
Specialization
●​ Algorithms for Searching, Sorting, and Indexing
(recommended)
●​ Trees and Graphs: Basics (recommended)
●​ Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms (optional)
●​ Approximation Algorithms and Linear Programming
(optional)
●​ Advanced Data Structures, RSA and Quantum Algorithms
(optional)
■​ Google Tech Dev Guide

○​ Recommended Book: Introduction to Algorithms, Third Edition by Cormen,

Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein (paid resource)

○​ Estimated Time: 8-12 weeks

●​ Python
○​ Goals: Become proficient in Python syntax and libraries.
○​ Stanford Classes: CS41, Syllabus
○​ Free Classes/Resources:
■​ Jean’s Python Roadmap - Free 12-page PDF
■​ Jean’s Python Roadmap Video on YouTube

○​ Recommended Book: Automate the Boring Stuff

○​ Estimated Time: 4-6 weeks
●​ Python Libraries
○​ Goals: Familiarize yourself with popular libraries.
○​ Classes/Resources:
■​ Stanford’s Numpy Tutorial
■​ Pandas Tutorial

○​ Estimated Time: 2-4 weeks

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

Phase 3: AI Fundamentals
●​ Choose your goal between Machine Learning or broader AI.
○​ Both options are challenging courses that provide a deep dive into
artificial intelligence but focus on different aspects of the field. The choice
between the two specifications depends on your specific interests and
goals within the field of AI.
○​ If you’re unsure, check out the Zero To Mastery’s Free Career Path Quiz.
●​ Option 1: Machine Learning
○​ Goals: Understand supervised and unsupervised learning, large language
models, and reinforcement learning.
○​ Stanford classes: CS229 Machine Learning, Syllabus
○​ Classes/Resources:
■​ Andrew Ng's Machine Learning Specialization on Coursera
■​ Fast.ai’s Introduction to Machine Learning for Coders
■​ Cheat sheets
■​ Complete A.I. Machine Learning and Data Science: Zero to Mastery
(paid)
○​ Recommended Book:
■​ Main notes by Andrew Ng
■​ Check out the Syllabus for more free written materials
○​ Estimated Time: 8-12 weeks
●​ Option 2: Artificial Intelligence
○​ Goals: Build foundational principles and tools of artificial intelligence,
including Constraint Satisfaction, Games, Markov decision processes,
Factor Graphs, and Logic.
○​ Stanford classes CS221 Artificial Intelligence: Principles and Techniques,
Syllabus
○​ Classes/Resources:
■​ MIT OpenCourseWare: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
■​ AI for Developers by DataCamp (paid)

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ○​ Additional Courses:
■​ Modules and resources - some resources are open to the public,
such as Stanford CS221 Logic Series on YouTube
■​ RL Course by David Silver - Lecture 2: Markov Decision Process on
YouTube
■​ Coursera’s Probabilistic Graphical Models Specialization
○​ Recommended Reading:
■​ Russell and Norvig. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach A
comprehensive reference for all the AI topics covered in course
(free online)
■​ Koller and Friedman. Probabilistic Graphical Models (Paid resource)
■​ Sutton and Barto. Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction: Covers
Markov decision processes and reinforcement learning (free online)
■​ Hastie, Tibshirani, and Friedman. The Elements of Statistical
Learning: Covers machine learning from a rigorous statistical
perspective (free online)
■​ Tsang. Foundations of Constraint Satisfaction: Covers constraint
satisfaction problems (free online)
○​ Estimated Time: 8-12 weeks
●​ Additional learning (optional):
○​ TensorFlow
■​ TensorFlow official tutorials
■​ TensorFlow for Deep Learning by Zero To Mastery (paid)
○​ PyTorch
■​ PyTorch official tutorials
■​ PyTorch for Deep Learning by Zero To Mastery (paid)

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

Phase 4: Capstone project
Developing a capstone project to master AI and ML is a great way to apply your
knowledge and skills to a real-world problem and dig deeper into your learning. When
choosing a project topic, you can focus on
●​ Application of machine learning (This is the most common)
●​ Develop a new algorithm
●​ Explore theoretical properties of algorithms (This is often quite difficult, and so
very few, if any, projects will be purely theoretical.)
A top project as stanford considers it can be of publishable quality, for submission to
conferences or journals. For inspiration, review recent machine learning research papers
from major conferences like ICML and NeurIPS, or look at Stanford’s past class projects
for ideas.

Tips for the project

Here are some steps to help you develop a plan:

●​ Identify your interests: What areas of AI and ML interest you the most? This will
help you narrow down your project topic.

●​ Choose a problem: Once you've identified your interests, start brainstorming

potential problems you can solve using AI and ML. Look for problems that are
challenging but achievable.

●​ Define your project's scope: Clearly define your project's goals and objectives.
What do you want to achieve? What are the key questions you want to answer?

●​ Gather data: Collect the data you'll need to train and evaluate your AI or ML
model. While using preprepared datasets (such as Kaggle) is fine, it's important
to explore and analyze the data, including preprocessing and error analysis, to
fully understand the problem.

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ●​ Choose an algorithm or model: Select the appropriate AI or ML algorithm or
model for your project. Consider the nature of your data and the problem you're
trying to solve.

●​ Implement your model: Use a programming language like Python and libraries
like TensorFlow or PyTorch to implement your AI or ML model.

●​ Train and evaluate your model: Train it on your data and assess its performance
using appropriate metrics.

●​ Iterate and improve: If your model is not performing as well as you'd like, iterate
on your approach and make improvements.

●​ Present your results: Create a presentation or report summarizing your project,

the methods you used, and your results. Refer to the CS 229 Final Report
Guidelines for more information on writing reports.

Ultimately, the best project for you will depend on your specific interests and career
goals. Consider your previous coursework, your strengths and weaknesses, and the
areas of AI that excite you the most.
Also, check out the guideline: CS229 Final Project Spring 2022 .

Phase 5: Choose Electives (Advanced Topics)

For Stanford, you'd choose at most 3 elective classes from this list. To go deeper into
specific paths choose topics that interests you and select appropriate projects in the
area. Here are the recommended courses from Stanford for each option:

Machine learning:

●​ CS224W: Machine Learning with Graphs

○​ Summary: Diseases, information, traffic, and weather can be predicted by
analyzing large datasets, which are often represented as graphs of
relationships and interactions. Algorithms like neural networks process

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 these graph structures to perform tasks such as classification, clustering,
and regression.
○​ Topics:
■​ Representation Learning and Graph Neural Networks
■​ Algorithms for the World Wide Web
■​ Reasoning over Knowledge Graphs
■​ Influence maximization
■​ Disease outbreak detection
■​ Social network analysis
○​ Prerequisites:
■​ Knowledge of computer science principles at a level sufficient to
write a non-trivial computer program. CS107 Computer
Organization and Systems, CS145 Data Management and Data
Systems, or equivalent)
■​ Basic probability theory and linear algebra
○​ Free Classes/Resources: CS224W Machine Learning with Graphs Playlist
on YouTube

●​ CS230: Deep Learning

○​ Summary: This course equips you with deep learning foundations,
covering neural network construction and machine learning project
leadership while exploring topics like CNNs, RNNs, and LSTMs and
applying these concepts to real-world case studies using Python and
TensorFlow.
○​ Topics:
■​ Foundations of neural networks and deep learning
■​ Techniques to improve neural networks: regularization and
optimizations, hyperparameter tuning, and deep learning
frameworks (Tensorflow and Keras.)
■​ Strategies to organize and successfully build a machine learning
project

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ■​ Convolutional Neural Networks, their applications (object
classification, object detection, face verification, style transfer), and
related methods
■​ Recurrent Neural Networks, their applications (natural language
processing, speech recognition), and related methods
■​ Advanced topics: Generative Adversarial Networks, Deep
Reinforcement Learning, Adversarial Attacks
■​ Insights from the AI industry, from academia, and advice to pursue
a career in AI
○​ Prerequisites: Python and Linear Algebra (matrix/vector multiplications)
○​ Free Classes/Resources: Lecture series on YouTube
○​ Other Resources:
■​ Practical Deep Learning for Coders on Fast ai
■​ Deep Learning in Python by DataCamp (paid)

Computer Vision

●​ CS231N: Deep Learning for Computer Vision

○​ Summary: Computer vision, integral to applications like search, medicine,
and self-driving cars, relies on neural network advancements for tasks like
image classification and object detection to improve visual recognition
performance.
○​ Topics:
■​ End-to-end models
■​ Image classification, localization, and detection
■​ Implementation, training, and debugging
■​ Learning algorithms, such as backpropagation
■​ Long Short Term Memory (LSTM)
■​ Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN)
■​ Supervised and unsupervised learning
○​ Prerequisites:

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ■​ Python (and NumPy)
■​ Calculus, Linear Algebra, Basic Probability and Statistics
○​ Classes/Resources:
■​ Lectures on Class Central
■​ Building Recommendation Engines in Python Intermediate by
DataCamp (paid)

●​ CS231A: Computer Vision: From 3D Reconstruction to Recognition

○​ Summary: This course introduces concepts and applications in computer
vision, primarily dealing with geometry and 3D understanding.
○​ Topics:
■​ Cameras and projection models
■​ Low-level image processing methods such as filtering and edge
detection
■​ Segmentation and clustering
■​ Shape reconstruction from stereo
■​ Depth estimation and optical/scene flow
■​ 6D pose estimation
■​ Object tracking
○​ Prerequisites:
■​ Python (and numpy), C/C++
■​ Calculus, linear algebra, basic probability and statistics

Robotics:

●​ CS223A: Introduction to Robotics

○​ Summary: This class introduces robotics methodologies and tools
through topics like geometry, dynamics, and motion planning, using
physical robots, simulations, and video examples to illustrate concepts
and research applications.
○​ Topics:
■​ Design a robot with an optimal workspace

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ■​ Model a robot to sufficient precision
■​ Implement and tune a robot motion controller that exposes desired
behavior
■​ Implement and tune a compliant robot motion/force controller that
exposes desired behavior
■​ Implement and tune a vision-based robot motion controller that is
robust to noise
■​ Assess limitations of traditional, model-based approaches,
visualize these failure cases, and propose a strategy on how they
can be addressed (as assessed by bonus exercises in homework
assignments)
○​ Prerequisites: matrix algebra
○​ Free Classes/Resources: Full lecture Series on Stanford Everywhere

●​ CS237A: Principles of Robot Autonomy I

○​ Summary: This course teaches mobile autonomous robot perception,
planning, and decision-making, covering topics like localization, motion
planning, learning-based control, and uncertainty reasoning, with practical
use of the Robot Operating System (ROS).
○​ Topics:
■​ Motion control
■​ Perception, from classic to deep learning approaches
■​ Localization and SLAM
■​ Planning, decision-making, and system architecture
○​ Prerequisites: Calculus, linear algebra, basic probability, and statistics
○​ Free Classes/Resources:

●​ CS237B: Principles of Robot Autonomy II

○​ Summary: This course teaches advanced principles for endowing mobile
autonomous robots with capabilities to learn new skills autonomously and
to interact with the environment and with human physically
○​ Topics:

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ■​ Reinforcement Learning and its relationship to optimal control
■​ Contact and dynamics models for prehensile and non-prehensile
robot manipulation,
■​ Imitation learning and human intent inference
■​ Different system architectures and their verification
○​ Prerequisites:
■​ Python 3/ PyCharm
■​ Linear algebra, probability
■​ Principles of Robot Autonomy I (AA274A) or equivalents

Natural language processing:

●​ CS224N: Natural Language Processing with Deep Learning

○​ Summary: This course explores fundamental NLP concepts and advanced
neural networks for language processing, focusing on deep learning
techniques for tasks like word-level processing, question answering, and
machine translation, culminating in a final project applying neural
networks to a large-scale NLP problem.
○​ Topics:
■​ Computational properties of natural languages
■​ Coreference, question answering, and machine translation
■​ Processing linguistic information
■​ Syntactic and semantic processing
■​ Modern quantitative techniques in NLP
■​ Neural network models for language understanding tasks
○​ Prerequisites: Calculus and linear algebra
○​ Free Classes/Resources: Stanford CS224N: NLP with Deep Learning |
Winter 2021 | Lecture Series on YouTube

Reinforcement learning:

●​ CS234: Reinforcement Learning

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ○​ Summary: This project-oriented class focuses on developing algorithms
and systems for machine understanding of human language, covering
topics like semantics, relation extraction, sentiment analysis, and dialogue
agents, with practical applications and industry connections.
○​ Topics: Key ideas and techniques for RL
○​ Prerequisites:
■​ Python
■​ Calculus, Linear Algebra, Basic Probability and Statistics (Gaussian
distributions, mean, standard deviation, etc.)
■​ Cost functions, taking derivatives and performing optimization with
gradient descent, convex optimization.
○​ Classes/Resources: Stanford CS234: Reinforcement Learning | Winter
2019 | Lecture Series on YouTube

●​ CS224R: Deep Reinforcement Learning

○​ Summary: This course covers deep reinforcement learning algorithms,
focusing on practical methods that use deep neural networks to learn
behavior from experience and high-dimensional observations, considering
the impact of decisions on the world.
○​ Topics:
■​ Methods for learning from demonstrations
■​ Both model-based and model-free deep RL methods
■​ Methods for learning from offline datasets and more advanced
techniques for learning multiple tasks, such as goal-conditioned RL,
meta-RL, and unsupervised skill discovery
○​ Prerequisites:
■​ PyTorch
■​ Deep learning (backpropagation, convolutional networks, and
recurrent neural networks)
■​ RL and Markov decision processes (MDPs)
○​ Classes/Resources:
■​ Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning on Coursera

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ■​ Deep Reinforcement Learning in Python by DataCamp (paid)

Probabilistic graphical models:

●​ CS228: Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques

○​ Topics:
■​ Bayesian networks, undirected graphical models, and their temporal
extensions
■​ Exact and approximate inference methods
■​ Estimation of the parameters and the structure of graphical
models.
○​ Prerequisites:
■​ Basic probability theory and statistics
■​ Programming, including algorithm design and analysis
○​ Free Classes/Resources: Probabilistic Graphical Models Specialization on
Coursera

Other:

●​ CS246: Mining Massive Data Sets

●​ CS330: Deep Multi-task and Meta Learning
●​ CS236: Deep Generative Models
●​ CS157: Computational Logic
●​ AA228: Decision Making Under Uncertainty

Additional Tips:

●​ Consistency is vital: Dedicate a specific time each day for studying.

●​ Take breaks: Avoid burnout by taking short breaks.

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]

 ●​ Join online communities: Connect with other learners for support and
collaboration.

●​ Build projects: Apply your knowledge by creating small projects.

●​ Stay motivated: Set achievable goals and celebrate your progress.

Remember, the actual time will vary depending on your learning pace and prior
knowledge.

Good luck!

www.exaltitude.io ● www.youtube.com/@exaltitude ● [email protected]