I recently put together a learning path for myself.

And honestly, it is ambitious.

This is not a small plan. It is not just a list of books to read or videos to watch. It is a serious path that connects my MAS-GIT program, my plan to study Computer and Network Administration at SELU, and my long-term goal of pursuing a PhD in Cyber Defense at Dakota State University.

That is a lot to take on.

I know that.

The plan focuses on old-school technical skills: Linux, Bash, C, Python, networking, cybersecurity, authorized pentesting, PostGIS, GeoServer, QGIS, GDAL, remote sensing, and cartography.

The point is not to study the same thing twice. The point is to build the foundation under the degrees.

Degrees matter. But at the end of the day, I still need to understand how things actually work. I need to understand the server, the network, the database, the script, the map service, and the security controls behind everything.

That is what this plan is really about.

It starts with Linux. Not just using Linux once in a while, but using it as the main system for learning and lab work. Bash is there for the everyday work: checking services, reviewing logs, backing things up, running commands, and tying tools together. Python is for bigger automation. C is there because it teaches how computers work closer to the ground.

Then comes networking.

Packets, DNS, DHCP, TCP, UDP, HTTP, TLS, routing, firewalls, and troubleshooting. Not just reading about them, but capturing traffic, breaking things in a lab, fixing them, and writing down what happened.

The plan also includes authorized pentesting.

That part is important. This is not about testing random systems or acting reckless. It is only for systems I own, lab systems I build, training systems made for practice, or systems with written permission.

The goal is defense. Find a weakness, document it, fix it, test it again, and learn from it.

That is the kind of security knowledge I want. Not tool chasing. Not showing off. Just practical defense.

The GIS part is where this plan becomes personal.

This is not just a cybersecurity plan. It is not just a networking plan. It is not just a GIS plan.

It brings all of those together.

The lane I am trying to build is GIS cyber defense for public infrastructure. That means Linux servers, spatial databases, web map services, PostGIS, GeoServer, QGIS, remote sensing, backups, monitoring, access control, and security testing.

That fits where I am going.

It connects my IT background, my cybersecurity degree, my GIS graduate work, and my public-sector experience. It gives me a path that is not generic. It is my path.

There is also an investment side to this.

Some of that investment is money. I will need to buy books. Not random books just to stack them on a shelf, but books that support the path: Linux, Bash, C, networking, operating systems, GIS, PostGIS, GeoServer, cartography, and security.

But the bigger investment is time.

Time is the real cost.

Time to read. Time to build labs. Time to break things. Time to fix them. Time to write notes. Time to repeat the same command until it finally makes sense. Time to work through books that will not always be exciting, easy, or quick.

That is the part I have to respect.

Buying the books is the easy part. Living with them is the work.

And yes, this whole thing is ambitious.

Maybe too ambitious at times.

But I would rather be honest about that than pretend this will be easy.

There will be weeks where I do not feel like doing it. There will be weeks where work, school, family, and life get heavy. There will be weeks where the best I can do is one small lab, a few notes, and one Git commit.

That still counts.

One honest step is better than quitting because the plan was too perfect to survive real life.

That is why I like the “minimum viable week” idea in the plan. If life gets busy, I do one small thing. I write a few notes. I commit something. I keep moving.

That is realistic.

Big plans can become a problem when they turn into guilt. They look good on paper, but then life happens. The schedule breaks. The energy drops. The plan starts feeling like a burden.

I do not want that.

I want this plan to become proof.

Proof that I can keep learning.

Proof that I can build real technical depth.

Proof that I can connect GIS, networking, cybersecurity, Linux, servers, databases, and maps into one useful skill set.

Proof that I can prepare myself for the next step without pretending I already know everything.

I hope I can live up to it.

That is the honest part.

This is not just about another degree. It is not just about adding more letters after my name.

It is about becoming better.

More technical.

More disciplined.

More useful.

More prepared.

I want to understand the systems behind the map. I want to understand how they are built, how they fail, how they are secured, and how they are recovered when something goes wrong.

That takes time.

It takes boring work.

It takes notes, labs, mistakes, fixes, and repetition.

But that is the work.

So yes, this plan is ambitious.

It should be.

If I am going to spend years on this path, then it should mean something. It should stretch me. It should challenge me. It should force me to grow.

And hopefully, when I look back later, I will not just see a long list of books, labs, scripts, maps, and checkpoints.

I will see the path where I became better at the work.

And maybe, if I stay honest and keep going, I will be able to say I lived up to the plan.