Roadmap · Specialise
Network engineering
Opens with creditsFor students, IT graduates and support engineers who want to build and run networks, on the enterprise Cisco path, in cloud networking or in network security. By the end you can design and troubleshoot a routed, switched and secured network in a lab, pass the CCNA with understanding rather than memory, automate routine work with Python and Ansible, and walk into a NOC or junior network role ready to be useful.
Curated by Tauseef Fayyaz10 stages, 69 topics~9 months at a few hours a weekBy the end, you will be able to
- Subnet any IPv4 block in your head, plan addresses with VLSM and explain how a packet crosses a network layer by layer
- Build and troubleshoot a multi-VLAN, multi-router lab with trunks, spanning tree, OSPF, static routes and gateway redundancy from the Cisco command line
- Secure a network with ACLs, NAT, hardened device access, Layer 2 protections, firewall zones and an IPsec VPN, and explain every rule you wrote
- Automate backups, checks and simple changes with Python and Ansible, and read monitoring data from SNMP, syslog and flow logs
- Pass the CCNA (and the next certificate for your path) with a lab portfolio to show for it, and handle NOC tickets, escalations and change windows in your first role
The path
10 stages, in the order to learn them. Open one to start.
1How networks work and subnettingLearn the layered models, TCP and UDP, the ports you will see every day, and IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, then practise subnetting until it is automatic.8 topics · ~5 weeks
- 1The OSI and TCP/IP modelsNetworking is split into layers so each problem can be solved on its own.
- 2TCP, UDP and port numbersThe transport layer delivers data to the right program.
- 3IPv4 addresses, masks and prefixesAn IPv4 address is 32 bits, written as four numbers from 0 to 255, such as 192.168.10.25.
- 4Subnetting fast, without a calculatorSubnetting means splitting a block of addresses into smaller networks.
- 5VLSM and address plansVariable length subnet masking (VLSM) means giving each network a subnet of the right size instead of the same size everywhere.
- 6IPv6 addressingIPv6 addresses are 128 bits, written as eight groups of four hex digits, such as 2001:db8:10:20::1.
- 7ARP and the default gatewayA host sends frames to MAC addresses, not IP addresses, so it needs a way to find the MAC for an IP.
- 8DHCP and DNSTwo services make networks usable.
8 in this stageOpen this stage2Switching and VLANsConfigure switches from the Cisco command line: MAC learning, VLANs, trunks, routing between VLANs, spanning tree, EtherChannel and the discovery protocols that map what is connected.8 topics · ~4 weeks
- 1How a switch learns and forwardsA switch connects devices in one local network and forwards frames by MAC address.
- 2VLANs and access portsA VLAN (virtual LAN) splits one switch, or a whole campus of switches, into separate Layer 2 networks.
- 3Trunks, 802.1Q and the native VLANWhen VLANs must cross between switches, one link carries all of them as a trunk.
- 4Routing between VLANsDevices in different VLANs are in different subnets, so they need a router to talk.
- 5Spanning treeRedundant links between switches are good for resilience but create loops, and Ethernet frames have no hop limit, so a loop floods the network with copies of…
- 6PortFast, BPDU Guard and Root GuardSpanning tree makes a newly connected port wait before forwarding, which is a nuisance for PCs and phones that just want an address.
- 7EtherChannel with LACPEtherChannel bundles several physical links into one logical port channel.
- 8CDP and LLDPDiscovery protocols let directly connected devices announce themselves: name, model, port, software and management address.
8 in this stageOpen this stage- Routing: static, OSPF and BGPRead a routing table, understand how a router chooses a path, configure static and default routes, run single-area OSPF, add gateway redundancy and learn enough BGP to follow how the internet and hybrid links route.8 topics · ~4 weeksOpens with credits
- Your lab and the command lineSet up the simulators and emulators you will practise on, get fluent with the Cisco command line and saving configs, and build the habit of gathering evidence with show commands, ping, traceroute and packet captures.6 topics · ~2 weeksOpens with credits
- Your certification planPick the certification your target jobs ask for, map the official blueprint against what you know, and turn it into a dated study plan with labs, flashcards and practice exams.6 topics · ~2 monthsOpens with credits
- Network security: ACLs, firewalls and VPNsFilter traffic with access lists, translate addresses with NAT, lock down device access and switch ports, think in firewall zones and build the VPNs that join sites and users.6 topics · ~4 weeksOpens with credits
- Wireless networkingLearn the Wi-Fi standards and bands, plan channels, understand how controllers manage access points, choose the right security and troubleshoot the radio problems behind most Wi-Fi tickets.5 topics · ~2 weeksOpens with credits
- Network automation and monitoringUse Python and Ansible to back up, check and change devices, read APIs and structured data, and understand the SNMP, syslog and backups that monitoring and operations run on.8 topics · ~4 weeksOpens with credits
- Cloud networkingCarry what you know into the cloud: virtual networks and address plans, public and private subnets, security groups, gateways, peering and transit hubs, hybrid links to the office and flow logs.7 topics · ~4 weeksOpens with credits
- Your first network roleGet ready for NOC and junior network jobs: how the work runs day to day, writing tickets people trust, a troubleshooting method, change windows, documentation, and how to find and win the role.7 topics · ~2 weeksOpens with credits
8 more stages, 53 more topics, free with an account.
You have seen the open stages of the Network engineering 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.
Build a project
A finished project proves more than a certificate.
- Start with this oneintermediate1 semester · 2 to 3 studentsNetwork Configuration Backup and Drift Detection for University Campus Networks
Automates what every network team needs first: nightly backups, readable diffs and drift reports against a standard
- Python
- Netmiko or Scrapli
- Git
- TTP or Genie parsers
- FastAPI or Django
- intermediate1 semester · 2 to 3 studentsNetwork Monitoring and Outage Alerting Dashboard for Small ISPs
NOC work as a product: SNMP polling, syslog, flow data and alerts for a small provider's network
- Python or Go
- SNMPv3 (pysnmp or snmp_exporter)
- Syslog receiver
- NetFlow or sFlow collector (stretch)
- PostgreSQL or TimescaleDB
- intermediate1 semester · 2 studentsFirewall Rule Audit Tool for Small Business Firewalls
Reads real firewall rule sets and finds shadowed, unused and over-broad rules, the core of firewall hygiene
- Python
- OPNsense configuration export (XML)
- Cisco IOS ACL parser
- PostgreSQL or SQLite
- FastAPI or Django
Related on Sefism
Picked from the other libraries by shared topics.
Checklists
See all- Incident Response ChecklistPrepare for and handle production incidents: on-call, severity levels, declaring, roles, mitigation, security containment, status updates and blameless postmortems.
- Kubernetes Production ChecklistVerify a workload and its cluster before real traffic: requests and limits, probes, PDBs, spread, Pod Security, RBAC, network policies, secrets, images, autoscaling, upgrades and backups.
- Linux Server Hardening ChecklistHarden an Ubuntu, Debian or RHEL server step by step: accounts and sudo, SSH, updates, firewall and open ports, permissions, logging and CIS benchmark scans.
Project structures
See all- ESP32 with PlatformIO project structureFirmware for an ESP32-S3 plant monitor that reads soil moisture and temperature, publishes them over MQTT and serves a small web dashboard, built with PlatformIO and the Arduino framework. The layout follows the PlatformIO project conventions: firmware in src/, testable logic in private libraries under lib/, tests under test/ that run on your laptop and on the board, web files in data/ for LittleFS, and a custom partition table with two OTA slots. For students who have blinked an LED in the Arduino IDE and want to build firmware that survives in the field.
- Firebase (Cloud Functions and security rules) project structureFor students building an app on Firebase who need a real backend: Cloud Functions (2nd gen) in TypeScript, Firestore and Storage security rules with tests, and the Local Emulator Suite. The tree starts from
firebase initand grows into feature folders of callables, triggers and scheduled jobs, then adds CI deploys, environments, contract tests and runbooks. - Terraform project structureAn infrastructure repository for a small app on AWS: reusable modules, one folder per environment with its own remote state, pinned providers, tests and security scans, with plan on every pull request and apply from CI. For students who have finished the Terraform tutorials and want to know how a real team lays out the files. The same layout works unchanged with OpenTofu.
Work with me
Stuck on something specific?
Writing only gets you so far. If you want an answer to your situation rather than the general case, book a session and we will work through it together. Sessions are free for approved Sefism members, and a few slots open each week.
- 1:1 Mentorship
- Fresh Graduate Mentorship
- Career Guidance
Brand deals, promos and partnerships: tauseeffayyaz@gmail.com