← Back to Blog

Day 1: Setting Up My AI Development Environment with Claude Code

• by Jared Little • Alien Brain Trust
Day 1: Setting Up My AI Development Environment with Claude Code

Day 1: Setting Up My AI Development Environment with Claude Code

Today marks the official start of something I’ve been thinking about for a while - documenting my AI journey in public. Not the polished, corporate version. The real one, with all the pivots, discoveries, and “wait, let me try something else” moments that come with building in this space.

Why Start This Now?

Here’s the honest version: I just installed Claude Code in VS Code today (October 25, 2025), and I’m blown away by what’s possible. I’ve been deep in video content creation for my AI-1001 course - the flagship offering for Alien Brain Trust, my AI education platform. But I hit a snag. Ran out of tokens while working on course materials.

Instead of waiting around, I thought: “Why not set up the development environment I’ve been putting off?” And here we are.

A Bit of Background

I’m coming at this from 25+ years in cybersecurity, with a specialty in IAM (Identity and Access Management) and PAM (Privileged Access Management) automation. I’ve spent decades thinking about security, access controls, and how to automate complex systems without breaking them (or worse, creating new security holes).

Now I’m building Alien Brain Trust - an AI education platform designed for professionals who know their industries inside and out but need to understand how AI fits into their world. Not the hype. Not the fear-mongering. The practical reality of how AI changes the game.

What Is This Blog Actually For?

Two things, really:

1. Learning in Public I’m documenting my real AI implementation journey. The successes, the dead ends, the “oh, THAT’S how that works” moments. If I’m teaching AI adoption, I need to be living it. This blog is that proof of work.

2. Authentic Content for Alien Brain Trust Marketing content that actually teaches something. Every post here feeds back into the broader mission - helping professionals navigate the AI transition with clarity and confidence. No fluff. No fear. Just practical insights from someone actively building in this space.

Today’s Setup: labs-journey-blog

I created this repository structure specifically to organize my journey:

  • AI Learning: Deep dives into AI concepts and tools
  • Cybersecurity: Security implications of AI adoption
  • Automation: Workflow optimization and AI integrations
  • Alien Brain Trust: Course development, methodology, and business insights

Claude Code helped me scaffold the entire thing - folders, README documentation, content structure. In about 10 minutes, I had a professional blog framework ready to go. That’s the kind of productivity multiplier I’m talking about when I teach the AI-1001 course.

What’s Next?

The AI-1001 course is in active development. I’m building modules on:

  • The AI-First Mindset
  • Tool selection and evaluation
  • Career adaptation in the AI era
  • The Master Prompt Method (my framework for effective AI interaction)

This blog will document the journey of building that course, implementing AI workflows in my own business, and discovering what actually works when you’re not just theorizing about AI adoption - you’re living it.

The Honest Part

I don’t have all the answers. I’m figuring this out as I go, same as everyone else. But I’ve got 25 years of technical experience, a deep understanding of automation and security, and a genuine curiosity about how AI reshapes professional work.

That combination means I’m asking different questions than most AI content creators. Questions like:

  • How do we implement AI without creating security vulnerabilities?
  • What does sustainable AI adoption look like for small businesses?
  • How do professionals adapt without losing the expertise that makes them valuable?

Let’s Build This Together

If you’re a professional trying to make sense of AI, if you’re tired of the hype and want practical insights, if you want to see someone actually building with these tools in real-time - stick around.

This is Day 1. Let’s see where it goes.

What I’m Using:

  • VS Code + Claude Code extension
  • GitHub for version control
  • Markdown for content creation
  • Real AI tools for real work

Current Status:

  • ✅ Development environment setup
  • ✅ Blog structure created
  • ✅ First post published
  • 🚧 AI-1001 course development ongoing
  • 🚧 Video content in progress (waiting on tokens)

Follow the journey:

  • More posts coming as I build
  • Course updates and insights
  • Real implementation stories, not just theory

Want to learn more about Alien Brain Trust and the AI-1001 course? Stay tuned. This is just getting started.