MARK BLAZE .DEV

Mastering arithmetic will strengthen my precision, logic, and attention to detail. These skills form the mental foundation needed for scripting, troubleshooting, and understanding technical relationships. This is the first brick in a long technical foundation.

Pre-algebra will help me develop structured problem-solving skills. This prepares me for more advanced mathematical thinking used in networking and automation. Building this layer now makes future technical topics easier to absorb.

Algebra basics will sharpen my analytical thinking and pattern recognition. These abilities are essential in cybersecurity for identifying cause-and-effect relationships in systems and logs. Strengthening this skill prepares me for deeper technical work.

Geometry will improve my spatial reasoning and ability to visualize complex systems. This directly supports understanding network diagrams, architecture, and infrastructure layouts. Learning geometry now strengthens concept mapping later.

Studying Windows will prepare me to understand how enterprise endpoints operate at a fundamental level. This will help me recognize misconfigurations, common attack points, and log patterns. Windows knowledge is essential for almost every blue-team role.

LPIC-0 will give me the foundation I need for Linux, which powers most servers and security tools. Learning the terminal and file system structure early will accelerate all future phases. This milestone sets the stage for becoming a strong operator.

Python will become my main tool for automation, analysis, and building custom security scripts. Starting early will allow me to scale my skills naturally across all future phases. Learning Python now makes every technical challenge easier later.

Setting up VS Code will give me a professional environment for coding, note-taking, and workflow organization. This will increase my productivity and efficiency as my projects get larger. A clean development environment builds good long-term habits.

Algebra 1 will help me develop structured reasoning and logical precision. These skills support scripting, detection logic, and network problem-solving. Strengthening this now will improve my performance in every future security discipline.

Intermediate Python will prepare me for automation, log parsing, and tool development. It will help me understand how attackers and defenders both use scripting. This milestone builds the foundation for real-world security engineering.

LPIC-1 will give me the skills to manage Linux systems confidently. This will prepare me for server administration, hardening, and troubleshooting. Strong Linux skills are essential for SOC work, red teaming, and secure infrastructure.

CCNA will give me real networking competence—routing, switching, segmentation, and protocols. Networking knowledge is a critical pillar of cybersecurity. Understanding how data moves will make me a better defender and later a better attacker.

SOC-1 will introduce me to real alert triage, log investigation, and defensive workflows. It’s a guided entry into the defender role. This milestone prepares me for higher-level SOC tasks later.

CDSA will push me into deeper, hands-on defensive analysis. It will help me learn to investigate threats with less guidance and more independence. This prepares me for the complexity of Phase 3 blue-team work.

I completed Statistics to strengthen my ability to identify anomalies, trends, and patterns in security data. Statistics supports threat hunting, detection engineering, and SOC automation. This final math milestone prepared me for the data-heavy work of Phase 3.

BTL1 will build my fundamentals in detection logic, log analysis, and attacker behavior. It’s designed to strengthen my defensive mindset. This milestone prepares me for more advanced SOC operations.

SOC-2 will expose me to more realistic attacks and deeper investigations. It will improve my pattern recognition and analytical confidence. This builds the experience needed to operate effectively in a real SOC.

SC-200 will teach me how to operate cloud-native SIEM systems like Microsoft Sentinel. It will help me understand enterprise-scale visibility and automated detection. This milestone strengthens my skills for modern blue-team environments.

LPIC-2 will give me advanced Linux administration and troubleshooting capabilities. This is crucial for system hardening, defensive architecture, and incident response. It lays the groundwork for senior-level security roles.

OSDA will train me in real-world defensive investigations using OffSec’s rigorous methodology. It will help me understand attacker behavior, validate alerts, and perform deep analysis with precision. This milestone strengthens my defensive instincts and prepares me for advanced security engineering.

MySQL DBA will help me store, organize, and query security data at scale. After learning how real attacks and detections work, understanding databases will allow me to support automation, correlation, and IOC management. This skill gives me the backend power needed to build effective defensive tools.

BTL2 will refine my advanced blue-team skills—threat hunting, correlation, and complex analysis. It’s the step that turns a defender into a specialist. This prepares me for Phase 4 offensive and architecture work.

LPIC-3 will give me mastery-level Linux security skills: SELinux, auditing, PKI, and secure services. It prepares me to design and secure enterprise architecture. This is the foundation for becoming a security architect.

Advanced Python will allow me to build red-team tools, automate reconnaissance, and simulate attacks. Understanding offensive automation will make me a stronger defender. This skill connects offense, defense, and architecture.

CCNP Security will teach me how to design and defend large-scale network architectures. It will help me understand segmentation, VPNs, firewalls, and secure routing. This milestone strengthens my ability to build resilient infrastructures.

CPTS will give me hands-on experience in exploitation, privilege escalation, AD attacks, and reporting. It’s the perfect stepping stone before OSCP+. This milestone builds my confidence as an ethical hacker.

OSCP+ will train me to think like an adversary—creative, methodical, and persistent. It will sharpen my ability to break into systems and understand vulnerabilities deeply. This certification completes the offensive component of my roadmap.