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TypeScript Without the BS.

A Military Engineer's Crash Course - Modules 1 - 3.

A beginner-friendly introduction to TypeScript for no-code and AI-assisted developers. Learn the fundamentals properly and build confidence beyond copy-paste code.

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About

About

About the Book

About This Book

TypeScript Without the BS is written for beginners who want to move beyond no-code tools and AI-generated snippets and actually understand what their code is doing.

This book covers the first three modules of a twelve-module programme and focuses on core TypeScript fundamentals, explained slowly, clearly, and without assuming a computer science background.

Nothing is skipped. Nothing is hand-waved.

If you’ve been copying code, prompting AI, or stitching things together without fully understanding why they work, this book is designed to give you solid foundations and the confidence to build on your own.

This is where structured learning replaces guesswork.

Author

About the Author

Dean Ball

I’m a former lead mechanical aircraft engineer turned software engineer. My journey into code began when I found out I was going to become a father.

After completing ten years of UK military service on a frontline commando unit, I knew I needed a new path, one that allowed me to be present for my family without giving up the challenge and purpose I’d always had. I transitioned into managing day-to-day operations within the UK railway industry, which gave me stability and more time at home, but I still felt a pull to build something deeper.

That curiosity led me to software development.

What started as learning the basics quickly became an obsession with understanding how systems really work. In 2025 alone, I published four applications as a solo developer, either for clients or alongside my business partner. Covering everything from product design to deployment.

Anyone can throw prompts into ChatGPT or other AI tools, but if you’re serious about building for the long term, you need to understand the fundamentals. You need to know how systems behave, how types protect you, and how to build products that are clean, responsive, and safe.

That’s where my books come in.

I write for people who don’t have computer science degrees, but do have the drive to level up. I focus on the gaps I experienced early on, the things most tutorials skip and explain them in a way that’s practical, honest, and usable in the real world.

I hope you enjoy the content, and I genuinely look forward to seeing what you build after finishing it.

Contents

Table of Contents

Complete TypeScript Crash Course - Expanded Edition

Section 1 — Setup, Rules, and Week 1

  1. What you’ll be able to do by the end of Week 1
  2. Course rules (non-negotiable)
  3. Tools you need (minimal)

Week 1 — Execution, Variables, Functions, and Debugging

  1. Day 1 — How code actually runs (the execution story)
  2. Day 2 — Variables, types, and the “shape of data”
  3. Day 3 — Functions properly: inputs/outputs, naming, and side effects
  4. Day 4 — Debugging like an engineer (not guessing)
  5. Day 5 — Intro to testing (so you stop breaking your own work)

Week 2 — Memory, References, Objects, Arrays, and Thinking Like the Computer

Week 2 — Memory, References, Objects, Arrays, and Thinking Like the Computer

  1. What you’ll be able to do by the end of Week 2
  2. Day 1 — Memory: Value vs Reference (The Most Important Concept So Far)
  3. Day 2 — Arrays: Mutation vs Immutability
  4. Day 3 — Objects Properly: Reading, Writing, Copying
  5. Day 4 — Functions, Parameters, and Reference Traps
  6. Day 5 — Thinking Like the Runtime (Mental Models)
  7. Week 2 Mini-Project — Immutable Score Processor (Enhanced)
  8. Week 2 Master Quiz

Section 3 — Week 3

Control Flow, Conditions, Loops, and Thinking in States

  1. What you’ll be able to do by the end of Week 3
  2. The Big Idea of Week 3
  3. Day 1 — Conditionals: if / else / truthiness
  4. Day 2 — Explicit Conditions Beat Clever Ones
  5. Day 3 — Loops: for, while, map, reduce (when & why)
  6. Day 4 — State Machines (You Already Use These Without Knowing)
  7. Day 5 — Guard Clauses & Early Returns (Writing Readable Code)
  8. Week 3 Mini-Project — Game Round Engine
  9. Week 3 Master Quiz (20 minutes)
  10. What You’ve Accomplished
  11. What’s Next: Part 2 Coming Soon
  12. Keep Learning

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