Corrected markdown below. Semester-labeled course pages were removed and replaced with currently available/self-paced resources such as TU Delft’s Modern Distributed Systems on edX, Coursera’s Database Management Essentials and The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking, IBM’s current DevOps certificate, and the current Alberta architecture specialization. 

🛤️ My Software Development Learning Journey

Welcome to my personal roadmap for mastering software development—a journey built on curiosity, discipline, and a passion for continuous growth. This repository is a carefully structured learning path, enhanced with selected courses and real-world projects to reinforce each phase of study.

From establishing a solid foundation in core Java to navigating databases, distributed systems, DevOps, networking, security, architecture, and cloud-native ecosystems—here’s my structured plan.

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📝 Learning Tactics

I employ self-devised strategies to enhance my learning. For every chapter I read, I create detailed tests that include:

• Open-ended questions
• Multiple-choice questions
• Fill-in-the-blank exercises
• Architecture and practical application questions

This approach reinforces my understanding and ensures I can apply theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios.

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Phase 0: Pre-Core Foundations (Before 2025)

(Completed prior to the roadmap launch — ✅ indicates completion)

Resource	Status	Category
Clean Code	✅	Software Engineering
Essentials of Software Engineering	✅	Software Engineering
Software Testing Foundations	✅	Software Testing & QA
Requirements Engineering Foundations	✅	Software Requirements & Analysis
Essential Scrum	✅	Agile & Scrum
Agile Product Management with Scrum	✅	Agile & Product Management
Universal Principles of UX	✅	UX Design
A Philosophy of Software Design	✅	Software Design & Architecture
Head First Design Patterns	✅	Software Design & Architecture
Head First Java	✅	Java & OOP
Grokking Functional Thinking	✅	Functional Programming
Grokking Algorithms	✅	Algorithms & DS
Algorithms in a Nutshell	✅	Algorithms & DS
Algorithm Design	✅	Algorithms & DS
Data Structures and Algorithms in Java	✅	Algorithms & DS

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Phase 1: Core Java Foundations & OCP Certification Prep (Completed)

Resource	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
Thinking in Java	✅ 2024	Codecademy, Coursera (Duke)
Java: The Complete Reference	✅ 2024
Effective Java	✅ 2024
Modern Java in Action	✅ 02.2025
JUnit in Action	✅	Updated from JUnit 5 in Action
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach	✅ 02.2025
OCP Java SE 17 Developer (1Z0-829) Prep	✅ 05.2025	Oracle Docs, Boyarsky & Selikoff, Enthuware

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Phase 2: Data-Intensive Systems, Databases & Distributed Systems (Apr 1, 2026 – Jul 14, 2026)

Resource	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
Designing Data-Intensive Applications	[ ] Apr 1 – Apr 21
Understanding Distributed Systems	[ ] Apr 22 – May 5
Database Internals	[ ] May 6 – May 26
Database Management Essentials	[ ] May 27 – Jun 16
Modern Distributed Systems	[ ] Jun 17 – Jul 14

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Phase 3: Reliability, DevOps & Cloud Foundations (Jul 15, 2026 – Sep 8, 2026)

Resource	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
The Site Reliability Workbook	[ ] Jul 15 – Jul 28
IBM Applied DevOps Engineering Professional Certificate	[ ] Jul 29 – Aug 25
The DevOps Handbook, 2nd Edition	[ ] Aug 26 – Sep 8

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Phase 4: Networking & Security (Sep 9, 2026 – Nov 3, 2026)

Resource	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking	[ ] Sep 9 – Sep 29
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach	[ ] Sep 30 – Oct 13
PortSwigger Web Security Academy	[ ] Oct 14 – Oct 27
API Security in Action	[ ] Oct 28 – Nov 3

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Phase 5: Software Architecture (Nov 4, 2026 – Dec 22, 2026)

Resource	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
Software Design and Architecture Specialization	[ ] Nov 4 – Nov 24
Fundamentals of Software Architecture	[ ] Nov 25 – Dec 8
Software Architecture: The Hard Parts	[ ] Dec 9 – Dec 22

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Phase 6: Spring, Platform Engineering & Event-Driven Systems (Jan 5, 2027 – Jun 21, 2027)

Resource	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
Spring in Action, 6th Edition	[ ] Jan 5 – Jan 25
Spring Framework Reference Documentation	[ ] Jan 26 – Feb 8
Spring Boot Reference Documentation	[ ] Feb 9 – Feb 22
Spring Security in Action, Second Edition	[ ] Feb 23 – Mar 8
Project Reactor Reference Guide	[ ] Mar 9 – Mar 22
Kafka: The Definitive Guide	[ ] Mar 23 – Apr 5
Docker Deep Dive	[ ] Apr 6 – Apr 19
The Kubernetes Book	[ ] Apr 20 – May 3
AWS Certified Developer – Associate	[ ] May 4 – May 24	AWS docs, Skill Builder, practice exams
Gradle User Manual	[ ] May 25 – Jun 7
Maven Getting Started Guide	[ ] Jun 8 – Jun 21

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Phase 7: Advanced Architecture, DDD & Microservices (Jun 22, 2027 – Oct 4, 2027)

Resource	Category	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
Domain-Driven Design	DDD	[ ] Jun 22 – Jul 12
Implementing Domain-Driven Design	DDD	[ ] Jul 13 – Aug 2
Building Microservices, 2nd Edition	System Design	[ ] Aug 3 – Aug 23
Microservices Patterns	System Design	[ ] Aug 24 – Sep 13
Distributed Systems Observability	Observability	[ ] Sep 14 – Oct 4

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Phase 8: DS & Algorithms (Ongoing)

Resource	Status	Supporting Platforms
Data Structures and Algorithms in Java	✅ 2024	LeetCode, HackerRank
Grokking Coding Interviews	[ ]	LeetCode Challenges
Competitive Programming 4	[ ]	Codeforces, AtCoder

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Phase 9: Daily Foundation Knowledge

Resource	Status	Source
OS, DB, Networking Articles	[ ]	Engineering blogs, official docs, papers
Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective	[ ]	Optional Deep Dive

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Optional / Backlog

Resource	Category	Status	Supporting Courses & Projects
Learning SQL (Alan Beaulieu)	SQL	✅ 03.2025
Java Concurrency in Practice	Java	[ ]	Optional classic
Java Performance: The Definitive Guide	JVM	[ ]
Practical Unit Testing with JUnit and Mockito	Testing	[ ]
GraphQL Learn	API	[ ]	Official docs
Learning GraphQL	API	[ ]
Node.js Design Patterns	Node.js	[ ]
React	Front-End	[ ]	Official docs

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Removed from Primary Path

Resource	Action
CMU 15-445/645 semester page	Removed
MIT 6.5840 semester page	Removed
Stanford CS144 semester page	Removed
Kotlin in Action	Removed from primary path
Programming in Scala	Removed from primary path
Pro ASP.NET Core	Removed from primary path
Angular / Vue track	Removed from primary path
Spring Pro Cert Prep	Removed from primary path
Gradle in Action	Replaced with Gradle User Manual
Maven: The Definitive Guide	Replaced with Maven Getting Started Guide
Reactive Programming with Project Reactor	Replaced with Project Reactor Reference Guide
Spring Security in Action (old edition)	Replaced with Second Edition
Spring Boot: Up & Running	Replaced with Spring Boot Reference Documentation as primary source

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🎉 Happy learning and coding!