Self Dev Learning Platform¶
A unified, searchable, cross-linked study platform for systems engineering and AI infrastructure. Nineteen curricula across three tiers — beginner, intermediate, and senior — under one navigation tree and one search box.
New here? Build a real Kubernetes controller in 75 minutes.
You will run a working prototype on your own machine and, in the process, internalize the one mental model the entire Kubernetes platform is built on. No prior Kubernetes internals knowledge required, just Go and a free local cluster.
Start here¶
- New? Read How to use this site - reading order, time budget, prerequisites.
- Browsing? Open the Paths index and pick one.
- Looking for a concept? Use search (top right) or open a cross-cutting topic - same concept across multiple paths.
- Want hands-on first? The Labs index aggregates every weekly exercise across every path. The labs are the curriculum.
- Picking a terminal project? The Capstones catalog shows every path's capstone tracks side-by-side.
- Need a definition? The Glossary covers cross-domain terms; the Beginner glossary explains the same kinds of terms in plain language.
- Tracking your reading? Toggle "Mark as read" on any chapter page; see your progress. Saved in your browser only - no account.
- Got a question or want to share? Join the community discussions on GitHub. Threaded, searchable, no signup beyond a GitHub account.
The paths¶
Beginner mode
The Beginner mode: OFF/ON button (bottom-right of every page) hides the senior-reference paths and other advanced material below. Try it - the senior table on this page collapses while beginner paths stay visible.
Beginner paths - start here¶
| Path | Domain | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Go From Scratch | Never coded → ready to contribute to real OSS Go | 4-6 months |
| Python From Scratch | Never coded → ready to contribute to real OSS Python | 4-6 months |
| Java From Scratch | Never coded → ready to contribute to real OSS Java | 4-6 months |
| Rust From Scratch | Never coded → ready to contribute to real OSS Rust (includes the borrow checker) | 4-6 months |
| Linux From Scratch | Never opened a terminal → contributing to Linux-adjacent OSS | 4-6 months |
| Containers From Scratch | Heard of Docker → writing Dockerfiles, debugging containers, contributing | 3-4 months |
| Kubernetes From Scratch | Heard of K8s → deploying pods/services/Helm, debugging clusters, contributing | 3-4 months |
| AI Systems From Scratch | Heard of ChatGPT → tensors, training, LoRA fine-tuning, RAG, serving locally, contributing to AI OSS | 4-6 months |
| AI Expert Roadmap From Scratch | The 12-month career map: phases, math you actually need, specialization, portfolio, interviews, first 90 days | Read in 3 hours; act over 12 months |
Intermediate paths - the missing middle¶
| Path | Domain | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Java Intermediate | From writing Java to writing good Java: design judgment, concurrency, performance awareness. Bridges From Scratch to Mastery | 3-4 months |
Senior reference paths - once you have a foundation¶
| Path | Domain | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Go Mastery | Runtime, GMP, GC, concurrency, distributed systems | 24 weeks |
| Java Mastery | JVM, JIT, GC, Loom, modern idioms | 24 weeks |
| Rust Mastery | Ownership, async, unsafe, FFI | 24 weeks |
| Python Mastery | CPython, performance, concurrency, AI runtimes | 24 weeks |
| Linux Kernel | Kernel, mm, namespaces, eBPF, networking | 24 weeks |
| Container Internals | OCI, runtimes, supply chain | 24 weeks |
| Kubernetes | Control plane, kubelet, operators, day-2 | 24 weeks |
| AI Systems | GPU, framework internals, training, inference | 24 weeks |
| AI Expert Roadmap | Math → ML → transformers → RAG → evals → fine-tuning → LLM ops | 12 months |
How the content is organized¶
Every path follows the same shape:
README Overview, syllabus, exit criteria
00 Prelude Philosophy, mental model, reading list
01–06 Months Six themed months, ~4 weeks each
APPENDIX A Production hardening
APPENDIX B Reference patterns / data structures
APPENDIX C Contributing upstream
CAPSTONE Three terminal-project tracks
This regularity is the platform's leverage - once you've worked through one path, the structure of every other is already familiar.
Status¶
Actively maintained. Every path is reachable, full-text searchable, and split to per-week URLs. Cross-cutting topic indexes, a labs index, a capstones catalog, glossaries, symptom-based discovery, reading-progress tracking, beginner mode, and an RSS feed all ship today. See What's new for the latest additions.