Roadmaps
Three paths I'd follow today, depending on where you are. Click any topic to see what to study and mark what you've done: progress is saved in your browser.
- From zero to your first jobThe path I'd take today to get into tech, in the order things build on each other.
- Backend and AWSFrom a server that answers requests to a system on AWS that handles queues, failures and audits.
- Full-stack with AIHow I work today: Next.js, data, the cloud and AI applied to real problems.
How I'd get into tech today
My path wasn't linear. I started in 2010 building PHP websites for people around me, joined IT support in 2012, studied Computer Networks at the same time, and only landed my first developer job in 2016. If I were starting today, I'd keep some of that order and change some of it.
Pick one path and finish it
The most common mistake I see is jumping from course to course: a bit of Python, a bit of Java, a video about AI. Pick one track (the roadmaps above help) and stick with it until you can put a project online. Switching languages later is easy; learning to finish something is what takes time.
Build things for real people
The websites I built as a freelancer taught me more than any course back then, because someone on the other side was waiting for the result. A local shop, a non-profit, the spreadsheet a relative uses at work: real problems come with real requirements, deadlines and feedback.
The way in can be a different job
IT support put me close to production systems, databases and people who wrote code. That's where I saw how things really break. Support, QA, internships and small freelance gigs are legitimate ways in. What matters is being near code and keeping building on the side.
Learn what lasts
Frameworks change every few years. HTTP, SQL, Git and reading an error calmly keep their value. That's why the roadmaps put those foundations before the trendy tools.
Show your work
Without formal experience, your live projects are your experience. A README that explains the problem and your decisions is worth more than a list of technologies on your CV. And writing about what you built, even if few people read it, clears your head and helps a lot in interviews.
Use AI as a colleague, not a shortcut
Today you can ask an AI for working code. Use it, but read everything, run it, break it on purpose and understand why it works. In interviews and at work, people who can explain the code they shipped stand out.