From college kid to internship-grade ML engineer
By May 2027 you can build ML things from scratch, explain them in interviews, and walk into internship applications with proof — not "I did courses" but "here are my projects, here's my GitHub, here's my math."
Log in — your tasks, hours and streaks follow you on any phone.
👑 Owner tools — create logins for your people. Nobody can join on their own.
Setup
one time, this weekInstall: Python 3.12 (python.org) · VS Code + Python extension + GitLens · Git (git-scm.com)
Accounts: GitHub · Google Colab (free GPU — your training rig) · Kaggle · LeetCode
Rules: commit to GitHub every day you code · one course at a time, max 1 course + 1 project running
Time template
same every week, all 9 monthsTotal: ~20h main + ~5–6h DSA = ~26h/week. A part-time job. Show up like it pays you.
This week
your live position + the weekly ritual…
This week's tasks
DSA — one problem a day
Weekly check-in · Sunday
The DSA track
5–6h/week · non-negotiable · all 9 monthsStriver A2Z (takeuforward.org) in order: arrays (M1–2) → binary search (M3) → linked lists / stacks / queues (M4) → hashmaps / recursion (M5) → trees (M6) → graphs (M7+) → DP (Phase 1).
Ramp: 2–3 → 7 problems/week by Month 7. Rule: >45 min on a problem → look at the solution, understand it, re-solve tomorrow from memory.
Why it matters: DSA is the first filter at every company — including the labs. No DSA = no interview, no matter how good your projects are.
Striver A2ZNeetCode 150 (2nd pass, later)LeetCode
Pitfalls
what kills this plan1. Tutorial hell — 50% watch / 50% build, always. Two weeks of pure watching = stop and build.
2. Skipping math — your edge. Wasting it caps you at "runs notebooks."
3. Copy-pasting code — type everything. Muscle memory is real.
4. Project hopping — ship it ugly, improve later. Shipped ugly > unshipped perfect.
5. Comparing to Twitter geniuses — your only competitor is last month's you.
6. DSA procrastination — the #1 reason good candidates fail interviews.
7. No GitHub commits — commit daily. Employers check.
8. "Learning" by scrolling — reels aren't learning. Hands on keyboard.
If you fall behind
every real plan breaks — here's the recovery playbook1 week slipped — compress. Skip optional tasks, protect the building blocks. Don't skip the week's project time.
2–4 weeks slipped — shift, don't quit. Push the calendar back by the time you lost. Keep Month 5's flagship project sacred — it's your internship ticket.
A month or more — re-anchor. Message the agent (me). We re-plan together instead of you quietly quitting. Never ghost the plan — that's the only real failure.