Roadmap · Foundations
University to job-ready (Final year or graduated)
Opens with creditsFor university students whose degree covers the syllabus but not the job: what to do alongside your courses, from first year to final year. By the end you have finished projects on GitHub, a steady problem-solving habit, real experience and applications going out every week.
Curated by Tauseef Fayyaz7 stages, 55 topics~22 months at a few hours a weekBy the end, you will be able to
- Build, test and deploy a project in one language from an empty folder, without a tutorial open
- Show a GitHub profile with a profile README and at least three finished, documented projects
- Solve easy and medium problems by pattern and explain the approach and its Big-O out loud
- Point to real experience: an internship, merged open source pull requests, freelance or campus work
- Run a weekly application rhythm with a one-page resume, a complete LinkedIn and referrals
The path
7 stages, in the order to learn them. Open one to start.
1Foundations sprintYou do not have time to relearn everything, and you do not need to. In a focused sprint of about six weeks, close the gaps in your strongest language until you can build and debug a small program alone.5 topics · ~3 months
- 1Your strongest language, gaps closedIn final year you do not have time to learn a new language, and you do not need to.
- 2Coding every day, even for 45 minutesA six-week sprint works only if you code every day.
- 3Files, collections and errorsMost real programs do three things: they keep data in collections, save and load it from files, and cope when something goes wrong.
- 4Debugging without copying answersDebugging is a method, not luck.
- 5Writing code from an empty fileMany students can follow a finished program but freeze in front of a blank editor.
5 in this stageOpen this stage2Clean up your GitHub this monthRecruiters and interviewers will open your GitHub. Spend a couple of weeks making it tell a true story: your best work pinned, every repository explained, and real commits from now on.9 topics · ~4 weeks
- 1Commits and the staging areaGit is a tool that saves snapshots of your project, called commits.
- 2Commits with clear messagesA commit message is a note to a future reader.
- 3Keeping secrets and junk out of GitEverything you commit and push stays in the project's history, even if you delete the file later.
- 4Remotes: push, fetch and pullThe copy of your project on your laptop and the copy on GitHub are separate until you sync them.
- 5Branches and pull requestsA branch is a separate line of work.
- 6Merge conflictsA merge conflict happens when two branches change the same lines and Git cannot decide which version to keep.
- 7Undoing mistakes safelyGit can undo almost any mistake if you know which command fits.
- 8Writing a READMEA project README is the first file people see when they open a repository.
- 9A GitHub profile READMEA profile README lives in a special repository named exactly the same as your GitHub username.
9 in this stageOpen this stage- Coding rounds, by patternYou need to pass coding rounds within months, so learn by pattern instead of problem by problem. One or two problems a day, reviewed properly, is enough.10 topics · ~4 monthsOpens with credits
- One flagship project, finished properlyYou do not need five projects; you need one or two you can defend in detail. Make your final year project that flagship, or build one alongside it, and finish it to a professional standard.8 topics · ~6 monthsOpens with credits
- Pick the role you are applying forDecide the exact role you will apply for, such as junior backend or frontend developer, and go deep enough in its stack to pass its technical rounds, plus the system design basics interviewers expect.8 topics · ~5 monthsOpens with credits
- Your resume, LinkedIn and networkBefore you apply for your first internship, get a one-page resume built on projects, a complete LinkedIn and real connections with engineers. The Job search and LinkedIn roadmaps go deeper.7 topics · ~3 weeksOpens with credits
- Apply before you feel readyWaiting until you feel ready costs you a hiring season. Apply for junior roles, trainee programmes and internships every week while you finish your degree, and prepare for coding and behavioural rounds as you go.8 topics · ~3 monthsOpens with credits
5 more stages, 41 more topics, free with an account.
You have seen the open stages of the University to job-ready roadmap. Every topic it covers is listed above, and an account opens the rest: what each topic means, a question to check yourself, the courses, the practice and Tauseef's advice for every stage. Early access is open: sign up and your account is active shortly after.
Everything here is free to learn from. A few things, like adding a roadmap, keeping a cheat sheet or asking Tauseef a question, use credits. You get 15 when you join, your first roadmap is free, and if you are learning seriously and run out, you can ask for more. Credits only make sure the platform goes to people who are actually learning.
Related on Sefism
Picked from the other libraries by shared topics.
Best practices
See all- Engineering Career Growth Best PracticesCareer growth best practices for engineers: read your ladder, grow scope and impact, own outcomes, work with your manager, use feedback, build promotion evidence, pick a staff or manager path.
- Technical Writing Best Practices for EngineersTechnical writing best practices for developers: write for your audience, clear sentences, scannable structure, design docs, READMEs and docs, PR descriptions, async updates and blog posts.
- How to Learn a New Programming Language or FrameworkBest practices for learning a new language or framework fast: set a goal, start with official docs, build small projects, practise deliberately, use spacing, read real code, learn with AI wisely.
Checklists
See all- Career Switch into Tech ChecklistMove into software from another field step by step: choose a direction, follow a learning plan, build proof of skill, use your previous domain, network, plan your runway and target a first role.
- LinkedIn Profile Checklist for DevelopersCheck your LinkedIn profile section by section: photo, headline, About, Experience, Featured, Skills, custom URL, Open to Work, posting and privacy.
- First 90 Days in a New Developer Job: ChecklistWhat to do before day one, in week one and by day 30, 60 and 90 in a new developer job: setup, codebase, first PR, your manager, questions and feedback.
Career questions
See all- How do I negotiate my salary when switching to a new developer job?Research a realistic range, avoid naming a number too early, let the employer make the first offer where you can, then counter once with a specific figure backed by your scope and the market. Look at the whole package, and for remote dollar roles compare the real take-home after fees, taxes and missing benefits.
- Everyone around me has internships, GitHub projects and achievements, and I have almost nothing. What should I do?Stop comparing your starting point with other people's highlights and start producing evidence of your own. In the next three months you can build one solid project, one smaller one, a clean GitHub and LinkedIn, and a targeted internship pipeline. That is enough to change your position.
- I wasted the first few years of my degree. What can I realistically accomplish before graduation?More than you think, if you stop spending energy on regret and pick a narrow goal. With six to twelve months left you can build solid fundamentals in one stack, finish one strong project, possibly land an internship and graduate with a real job search already running. The key is focus, not intensity.
Cheat sheets
See allWork with me
Stuck on something specific?
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