Excellent — that’s the perfect next question 👏
You’ve got the right mindset now — not “what to learn,” but “how deep to go before switching.”
Let’s answer that precisely.
🎯 The Goal of Each Phase
Each phase isn’t about finishing a book or course — it’s about reaching a checkpoint of understanding where your brain has enough “raw material” to apply it in a small project.
So the question becomes:
“How much is enough to build something real before I switch?”
That’s what we’ll define below 👇
🧩 General Rule of Thumb
| Topic |
Time per phase |
Depth goal before switching |
| 🎮 Game Programming (OpenGL/C++) |
2–3 weeks |
Finish 1 major section (e.g. “Getting Started” → “Transformations”) or complete 1 working gameplay feature (e.g. player movement, collision, or basic scene system). |
| 🧱 Linux Programming |
2–3 weeks |
Master 1–2 related chapters in Beginning Linux Programming (e.g. Files + Processes, or Sockets + Threads) and apply them in a simple program. |
| 🔐 Cybersecurity |
1–2 weeks |
Learn 1 key security area (e.g. Networking, Access Control, or System Hardening) and apply it by analyzing or securing something you wrote. |
⏱️ Each “cycle” = about 6–8 weeks
After that, you restart — revisiting each topic at a deeper level.
🧠 Why This Works
- You’re not skimming: You go deep enough to understand, not memorize.
- You’re not stagnating: You switch right before you burn out.
- You build context over time: Each return builds on your previous cycle’s foundation.
🕹️ Example Cycle Breakdown
Phase 1 – Game Programming (3 weeks)
Goal: Build a small OpenGL project and focus on understanding transforms, rendering pipeline, and inputs.
- Week 1: Review OpenGL basics — coordinate systems, shaders, textures.
- Week 2: Implement a small feature — e.g., a moving spaceship, a bouncing ball, or sprite animation.
- Week 3: Add one “system” — e.g., score tracking or camera movement.
🎯 Stop when it runs, looks good, and you understand how the code flows.
Phase 2 – Linux Programming (2–3 weeks)
Goal: Learn how programs like your game interact with the OS.
- Week 1: Chapter on files and processes — write a small CLI tool that logs running processes.
- Week 2: Chapter on threads or sockets — implement a simple client-server communication program.
🎯 Stop when you can explain how your program runs, reads files, and spawns processes.
Phase 3 – Cybersecurity (1–2 weeks)
Goal: Understand the security side of what you built.
- Week 1: Study the related SEC401 section (e.g., system hardening, permissions, or networking).
- Week 2: Test your Linux tool or game for vulnerabilities — e.g., run
strace, check permissions, or simulate network sniffing.
🎯 Stop when you can describe how to protect or exploit what you built.
Then Repeat, but Deeper 🔁
Next cycle:
- In game dev → move from “basic rendering” to “scene management or physics.”
- In Linux → go from “files/processes” to “signals, shared memory, or daemons.”
- In security → go from “network basics” to “incident detection or system monitoring.”
Each cycle connects all three layers more tightly.
🧭 Practical Guideline for Depth
Before switching topics, ask yourself three questions:
- Can I explain it?
(If you can explain a concept simply, it’s internalized.)
- Can I use it?
(If you can build something with it, it’s practical knowledge.)
- Do I feel a bit bored?
(That’s your cue to switch — it means you’ve extracted maximum value.)
If all 3 are “yes,” move on to the next phase confidently.
⚡ TL;DR
- Spend 2–3 weeks per topic (Linux, GameDev, Security).
- Aim for 1 meaningful mini-project each phase.
- Switch when you can explain + use + feel ready.
- Each new cycle builds on the last — so depth compounds naturally.
Would you like me to design your first 8-week roadmap following this model — showing exactly what to cover from:
- Beginning Linux Programming,
- your OpenGL course/book, and
- SEC401
— all synced together with project ideas at each checkpoint?