Arts Graduate to Cloud Engineer Career Timeline

Phase 1 — Daily Schedule:
7:00 AM — Wake up, short walk (20 min)
8:00 AM — Review the day's learning goal
9:00 AM — Deep study (2.5 hours)
   - Month 1: Linux commands, file system
   - Month 2: Networking basics, cloud models
   - Month 3: Cloud console hands-on labs
12:00 PM — Lunch break
1:00 PM — Practice labs (2 hours)
   - Hands-on terminal exercises
   - Cloud console tutorials
4:00 PM — Notes + flashcards (45 min)
5:00 PM — Review and plan tomorrow (30 min)
6:00 PM — Rest, exercise
8:00 PM — Read a cloud blog or watch a 20-min video
10:00 PM — Wind down

Month 1 Review:
□ Can I navigate the Linux file system?
□ Can I create, move, and delete files from terminal?
□ Do I understand file permissions?

Month 2 Review:
□ Do I know what IP, DNS, and HTTP do?
□ Can I explain IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS?
□ Do I know the shared responsibility model?

Month 3 Review:
□ Did I sign up for a free-tier cloud account?
□ Have I launched a virtual machine?
□ Have I created an IAM user?
□ Have I hosted a static site?

Phase 2 — Daily Schedule:
7:00 AM — Wake up, short walk (20 min)
8:00 AM — Review the day's goal
9:00 AM — Certification study (2.5 hours)
   - Month 4: Services deep-dive
   - Month 5: Exam prep + mock tests
   - Month 6: Project 2 + IaC basics
12:00 PM — Lunch break
1:00 PM — Hands-on labs (2 hours)
   - Deploy real resources
   - Automate with scripts
4:00 PM — Notes, flashcards (45 min)
5:00 PM — Portfolio/blog update (30 min)
6:00 PM — Rest, exercise
8:00 PM — LinkedIn networking (20 min)
10:00 PM — Wind down

Month 4 Review:
□ Do I know compute, storage, DB, networking services?
□ Am I scoring 80%+ on practice tests?
□ Have I booked the exam?

Month 5 Review:
□ Did I pass the certification?
□ Is Project 1 deployed and documented?
□ Is it on GitHub?

Month 6 Review:
□ Is Project 2 complete?
□ Have I used IaC (Terraform or CloudFormation)?
□ Are both projects README-documented?

Phase 3 — Daily Schedule:
7:00 AM — Wake up, short walk (20 min)
8:00 AM — Review the day's applications
9:00 AM — Applications & outreach (2 hours)
   - 5 customized applications
   - 5 networking messages
12:00 PM — Lunch break
1:00 PM — Interview prep (2 hours)
   - Behavioral (STAR)
   - Cloud scenarios
4:00 PM — Project polish / hands-on (1 hour)
5:00 PM — Follow-ups, tracking sheet (30 min)
6:00 PM — Rest, exercise
8:00 PM — Mock interview or reading (30 min)
10:00 PM — Wind down

Month 7 Review:
□ Have I sent 50+ quality applications?
□ Is my resume tailored for cloud roles?
□ Am I reaching out to 5 recruiters a week?

Month 8 Review:
□ Have I done 10 mock interviews?
□ Can I explain my projects in 2 minutes?
□ Can I answer "why cloud?" convincingly?

Month 9 Review:
□ Have I attended at least 5 interviews?
□ Have I sent thank-you notes after each?
□ Have I evaluated offers on growth + pay?

Daily Tracker:
Date: _________
☐ Morning routine completed
☐ Deep study / prep (2.5 hours)
☐ Hands-on lab / applications
☐ Notes + flashcards
☐ Review and plan tomorrow
☐ Exercise completed

Today's accomplishments:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Tomorrow's priorities:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Monthly Tracker:
Month: _____ (1-9)

Monthly Goal:
_______________________________________________

Weekly progress:
W1: ☐☐☐
W2: ☐☐☐
W3: ☐☐☐
W4: ☐☐☐

Skills gained this month:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Certifications earned: _______
Projects completed: _______
Applications sent: _______
Interviews attended: _______

Next month's goal:
_______________________________________________

Phase Tracker:

Phase 1 (Months 1-3)
☐ Linux basics solid
☐ Networking basics solid
☐ Cloud console comfortable
Phase 1 score (1-10): ___

Phase 2 (Months 4-6)
☐ Foundational certification passed
☐ Project 1 deployed
☐ Project 2 deployed
Phase 2 score (1-10): ___

Phase 3 (Months 7-9)
☐ Resume + LinkedIn ready
☐ 50+ applications sent
☐ 5+ interviews attended
☐ Offer accepted
Phase 3 score (1-10): ___