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.

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## 🎯 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 👇

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## 🧩 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:

1. **Can I explain it?**
   (If you can explain a concept simply, it’s internalized.)
2. **Can I use it?**
   (If you can build something with it, it’s practical knowledge.)
3. **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?