// johnchrisley.dev · AI Engineering Roadmap

The Road to
$1 Million USD

Check off each milestone. Every box is a step closer. 🎯

// Total Progress

0%
0 / 0 done
Phase 01
Foundation
Now → 2027 · Python · Git · DSA · Linux · Fullstack
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0/12
🎉 Phase 1 Complete — Foundation locked in!
Learn Python basics Syntax, data types, control flow, functions, OOP
Build 5 Python projects At least 2 must be real tools you actually use
Master Git & GitHub Commits, branches, pull requests, merge conflicts
Build a GitHub streak habit Push code consistently — visible activity graph
Learn DSA fundamentals Arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, hashmaps, trees
Solve 50 LeetCode problems Easy + Medium — consistent practice beats grinding
Learn Linux command line Navigation, file ops, permissions, bash scripting basics
Learn HTML / CSS / JS properly DOM, events, async/await, fetch API
Build a fullstack web app Frontend + backend + database, deployed live
Ship POS System v1 Family grocery store live on it and actually using it
Portfolio live at johnchrisley.dev Projects, skills, contact — looks legit to recruiters
Graduate from MMSU 🎓 BS Computer Engineering — the foundation is done
Phase 02
AI Engineering Entry
2027 → 2029 · LLM APIs · RAG · Docker · AWS · Upwork
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0/9
🚀 Phase 2 Complete — You're an AI engineer now!
Learn LLM APIs (OpenAI + Anthropic) Prompting, function calling, streaming, system prompts
Build a RAG application Vector DB + embeddings + retrieval pipeline — deployed
Learn Docker Containerize your apps, docker-compose, deployment basics
Earn AWS Cloud Practitioner cert ☁️ First AWS cert — opens doors to cloud roles
Get first Upwork client Land a real paid AI/dev project — any amount counts
Reach ₱50,000/month freelancing Consistent income stream outside your job
Launch POS SaaS (multi-tenant) ₱500-1500/month per store — at least 5 paying customers
Open IBKR account + start investing 30%+ of every paycheck: VOO, QQQ, VXUS core allocation
Land first AI engineering job 💼 Full-time or contract — remote preferred
Phase 03
Scale Up
2029 → 2032 · MLOps · AWS SAA · SaaS · Agency
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0/7
🔥 Phase 3 Complete — You're scaling hard!
Earn AWS Solutions Architect Associate Major credibility boost + higher rates
Learn MLOps fundamentals Model deployment, monitoring, CI/CD for ML pipelines
Scale POS SaaS to 50+ customers Add AI features: inventory prediction, sales insights
Build an agency model Hire 2-3 devs, systemize delivery, take higher-value work
Reach $5,000/month total income Job + freelancing + SaaS MRR combined
IBKR portfolio hits $50,000 Consistent 30%+ paycheck investing, compounding in action
Net worth crosses $100,000 USD 💯 First major milestone — prove the system works
Phase 04
$1M Endgame
2032 → 2037 · SaaS Exit · Investments · Net Worth
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0/5
👑 DONE. You made it. $1M+ net worth. MILLIONAIRE.
POS SaaS hits $10,000 MRR 100+ stores paying monthly — product-market fit confirmed
Investment portfolio hits $500,000 VOO + QQQ + diversified allocation compounding hard
Net worth crosses $500,000 Halfway there. Don't stop now.
Execute SaaS acquisition or scale Either sell for 3-5x ARR or double down and grow
Net worth crosses $1,000,000 USD 🎯 Dollar multimillionaire. The goal from day one.