If I had 6 months to become an ML Engineer.
I'd do this.
Stage 1: Python Data Engineering
pandas, numpy, SQL, Parquet/Arrow, API ingestion, data validation, pipeline orchestration.
Stage 2: ML Fundamentals Statistics
Linear algebra, probability, bias/variance, supervised/unsupervised learning, evaluation metrics.
Stage 3: Deep Learning Frameworks
PyTorch, training loops, backprop, CNNs/Transformers, optimizers, learning rate schedulers.
Stage 4: Feature Stores Pipelines
Feature engineering, preprocessing, data versioning, DVC, Airflow/Prefect, dbt integration.
Stage 5: Experiment Tracking Tuning
MLflow/Weights & Biases, hyperparameter optimization, cross-validation, reproducibility, model registry.
Stage 6: Model Deployment Serving
FastAPI, Docker, model registries, batch vs real-time inference, REST/gRPC endpoints, scaling.
Stage 7: LLM Integration GenAI
RAG pipelines, fine-tuning (LoRA/QLoRA), prompt engineering, embedding models, vector databases.
Stage 8: MLOps CI/CD
GitHub Actions, automated testing, model validation gates, continuous training, deployment strategies.
Stage 9: Monitoring Drift Detection
Data/concept drift, performance metrics, structured logging, alerting, automated retraining triggers.
Stage 10: Infrastructure Cloud Scale
AWS/GCP ML stacks, distributed training, GPU orchestration, Kubernetes, autoscaling, cost tracking.
Stage 11: Open Source Portfolio
Ship end-to-end ML systems publicly, write architecture docs, record demos, publish benchmarks.
Stage 12: Apply
ML Engineer, MLOps Engineer, AI Infrastructure Engineer, Data Science Engineering roles.
Most people stay stuck watching tutorials.
Builders get hired.