No waitlist. The work decides.

Write and Publish a Research Paper

3 milestones · 24 weeks

Conduct original research and publish a paper in a peer-reviewed journal or conference.

Make Your First Open Source Contribution

3 milestones · 6 weeks

Get a pull request merged into a public GitHub repository with 100+ stars.

Master Statistics for Data Analysis

5 milestones · 10 weeks

Apply descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, regression, and A/B test design to real datasets — every milestone requires working with real data and documenting the decisions, not just the calculations.

Operate as a Staff Engineer

5 milestones · 20 weeks

Staff Engineer is the most misunderstood title in the industry. Many companies hand out the title for tenure or as a retention tool, without the person ever doing Staff-level work. This outcome's proof standard is about the WORK, not the title — every milestone tests for influence without authority, the hardest skill at this level. The defining shift from Senior to Staff is scope: a Senior engineer is excellent within a defined problem. A Staff engineer identifies which problems matter before anyone assigns them, and influences outcomes across teams they do not manage.

Master Rust (Beginner to Systems Project)

0 milestones · 12 weeks

Write, test, and publish a Rust project that demonstrates ownership, lifetimes, and safe concurrency.

Build a Distributed System

0 milestones · 16 weeks

Design and implement a distributed system with consensus, fault tolerance, and observable performance characteristics.

Master System Design (Senior Level)

0 milestones · 12 weeks

Design 10 production-grade systems from scratch, covering scalability, reliability, and trade-offs — peer-reviewed by senior engineers.

Ship a Design System in Production

0 milestones · 14 weeks

Build and document a component library used by at least one production product — tokens, components, and usage guidelines.

Self-Designed MBA (4 Practitioner-Reviewed Deliverables)

0 milestones · 52 weeks

Design and complete a self-directed MBA across at least four core disciplines (strategy, finance, marketing, operations) — not by logging what you read, but by producing four real module deliverables: a competitive analysis, a financial model, a market research report, and an operations improvement proposal. Each deliverable must be reviewed and challenged by at least one person with relevant professional experience in that module's domain, and the proof submission must include each reviewer's written feedback plus a revision note explaining what changed and why. A syllabus and reading log alone do not satisfy this standard — the four artifacts, each with documented practitioner review, are the proof.

Deliver a Strategy Presentation with Expert Q&A

0 milestones · 4 weeks

Present a strategic analysis or recommendation to a live audience of at least three people with relevant business or sector experience, and field substantive questions and objections in real time. The deliverable is an audio or video recording of the full presentation plus a documented Q&A log naming each objection raised and the answer given. Proof requires at least one verifier to confirm that the questions were genuine and not scripted, and that the presenter handled substantive challenge without preparation.

Conduct a Supply Chain Audit

0 milestones · 10 weeks

Map the end-to-end supply chain for a real product or service — tracing materials, suppliers, logistics, and distribution — and identify at least three specific vulnerabilities or inefficiencies with supporting evidence. The audit must be grounded in real data from real suppliers or operators, and at least one supply-chain participant must be interviewed. Proof is the audit document plus documentation of the interview(s), confirming the supply chain characterisation is accurate rather than desk research alone.

Build a Three-Statement Financial Model for Industry Analysis

0 milestones · 6 weeks

Build a complete, linked three-statement financial model (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement) from publicly available filings for a real company, and use it to identify the key drivers of financial performance — not merely to reconcile the statements. The model must include at least two years of historical data and a one-year projection with documented assumptions. Proof requires review by a finance professional who can confirm that the model links correctly, the projection assumptions are explicit and defensible, and the performance driver analysis is analytically sound.

Complete an Integrated Business Case Analysis

0 milestones · 16 weeks

Produce a multi-domain analysis of a real organisation facing a complex strategic challenge — addressing strategy, finance, operations, and people dimensions in a single coherent document of at least 3,000 words. The analysis must demonstrate genuine integration: the financial implications of the strategic options must be modelled, the operational capacity to execute must be assessed, and the people and change management dimensions must be addressed. Proof requires review by at least two practitioners from different disciplines who confirm the analysis is non-trivial and that the integration is genuine rather than four separate sections glued together. The revision log must document substantive pushback absorbed.

Implement Cloud-Native Design Patterns on a Real Deployment

0 milestones · 10 weeks

Implement 3–5 cloud-native design patterns — circuit breaker, bulkhead, retry with exponential backoff, saga, or event sourcing — on a real deployment on AWS, GCP, or Azure, producing a working system with a deployment URL the reviewer can access. For each pattern implemented, write a trade-off analysis explaining: why this pattern was chosen over alternatives, what failure scenario it addresses, and what complexity cost it introduces. The running deployment is the proof that the patterns actually exist in the system, not just in a diagram. Proof: a cloud architect or senior SRE inspects the running deployment during the review and asks 'what happens if I call this endpoint while the circuit is open?' — you must demonstrate the live behaviour, not describe it from the documentation.

Design and Deploy a Multi-Region Cloud Architecture

0 milestones · 12 weeks

Design a multi-region, active-active or active-passive architecture for a real or realistic system — deployed in at least two regions on a real cloud provider — with a written architecture document that includes: failure domain analysis (what breaks when Region A loses its primary database), stated RPO and RTO targets with justification, and cost-vs-resilience trade-off analysis explaining every architectural decision in terms of the specific failure scenario it addresses. The deployment must be live and accessible to the reviewer during review. Proof: a senior cloud architect or SRE asks 'what happens to your users in Region A if Region B loses its primary database right now?' — you must walk through your actual architecture's failure behaviour, not a hypothetical response.

Author Architecture Decision Records for Systems You Own

0 milestones · 8 weeks

Author 3 Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) for real systems you built or are actively working on — not hypothetical or textbook systems. Each ADR must include: the problem context (what constraint or requirement forced a decision), at least 3 considered alternatives with documented trade-offs for each, the final decision with explicit rationale, and the consequences you have already observed or expect to observe (positive and negative). ADRs for systems you own are defensible because they include evidence of consequences — either already observed or verifiably testable. Proof: a principal engineer or senior architect asks 'what would make you revisit the decision in your second ADR?' — you must answer in terms of your actual system's constraints and what specific evidence would change the decision, not the general principle.

Psychological Theory Application

0 milestones · 8 weeks

Apply a specific therapeutic framework (CBT, psychodynamic, person-centred, ACT, DBT, or equivalent) to a real case conceptualisation. Proof requires a written case conceptualisation for a real or anonymised case from supervised practice, covering: presenting problem, theoretical formulation using the chosen framework, proposed intervention rationale, and potential barriers and how they would be addressed. Reviewed by a qualified clinical supervisor who confirms the conceptualisation is grounded in real supervised encounter material. The proof is a supervised learning exercise documenting the student's clinical reasoning development — not a treatment plan to be implemented independently. Self-derived cases with no supervisor involvement are NOT accepted.

Supervised Counselling Practice Log

0 milestones · 12 weeks

Document supervised counselling practice sessions. Proof requires: (a) a log of at least 10 supervised sessions — each entry covering session duration, presenting issues (anonymised), therapeutic approach used, what went well, what was difficult, and supervisor feedback received; and (b) a qualified clinical supervisor's attestation confirming the sessions occurred under supervision and that the student demonstrated appropriate therapeutic boundaries and skills. Peer verification is NOT accepted for this outcome — qualified clinical supervisor attestation is required. The log must document actual supervised sessions, not role-plays with peers or self-directed practice.

Mental Health Assessment Skills

0 milestones · 6 weeks

Demonstrate competency in structured mental status examination (MSE) in a supervised clinical setting. Proof requires: (a) a documented MSE for at least 3 supervised patient contacts (anonymised), covering all MSE domains: appearance, behaviour, speech, mood, affect, thought content, thought process, perception, cognition, and insight/judgement; and (b) a clinical supervisor's competency sign-off confirming the assessments were conducted under supervision and the student demonstrated appropriate interview skills. The proof documents the STUDENT'S assessment skill development under supervision — not clinical conclusions about the patients assessed. Peer verification is NOT accepted — clinical supervisor attestation is required.

Therapeutic Relationship & Communication

0 milestones · 6 weeks

Demonstrate therapeutic communication skills in a supervised or peer-assessed role-play setting. Proof requires: (a) a recording of a supervised role-play or a real session (with documented consent) assessed against a structured communication rubric covering active listening, reflection, empathy, appropriate challenge, and boundary maintenance; and (b) written feedback from both a clinical supervisor and a peer observer addressing each rubric domain specifically. Generic feedback ('good session') is not sufficient — the feedback must address named specific skills. The recording must be of sufficient quality for a supervisor to assess the interaction.

Ethics & Safeguarding in Mental Health

0 milestones · 6 weeks

Analyse a real or realistic ethical dilemma in mental health practice. Proof requires a written case analysis (minimum 800 words) covering: the ethical principles in tension (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice) applied to the specific case; the relevant legal framework (mental health legislation or safeguarding law in the student's jurisdiction, specifically named); the decision that was made or would be made and its rationale; and what the student would do differently in retrospect. The case must be real or directly grounded in real supervised practice — not a textbook vignette. Reviewed by a qualified mental health practitioner or clinical supervisor. The analysis documents learning from a real ethical challenge, not a theoretical discussion.

Neuroanatomy and Systems Neuroscience Analysis

0 milestones · 8 weeks

Analyse the structural or functional neuroanatomy of a specific neural system or brain region using real neuroimaging data from a named open dataset — OpenNeuro (free), Human Connectome Project (free), or Allen Brain Atlas (free). Alternatively, produce a documented systems neuroscience literature synthesis using PRISMA methodology, focusing on a specific circuit or system (visual system, hippocampal-cortical memory network, basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop, or equivalent). The proof is the analysis report or PRISMA synthesis, documenting the data source, analysis methodology or search strategy, and interpretations with primary literature support. Both routes are fully accessible to students without neuroimaging equipment. Reviewed by a neuroscientist who presents an unseen neuroimaging image or anatomical cross-section during the review session and asks you to identify specific structures and describe the functional circuits connecting them — requiring spatial anatomical knowledge, not just familiarity with names.

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Analysis

0 milestones · 8 weeks

Analyse a specific cellular or molecular neuroscience mechanism at research depth: ion channel kinetics, action potential propagation, synaptic plasticity (LTP/LTD), neurotransmitter system dynamics, or intracellular signalling cascades. The proof is either a documented analysis of real electrophysiological or imaging data from an open dataset (CRCNS.org — free; Allen Brain Observatory — free), or a documented primary literature synthesis using PRISMA methodology on a specific cellular mechanism with identified gaps and methodological limitations. Both routes are accessible without specialised laboratory equipment. Reviewed by a neuroscientist who presents an unseen electrophysiology trace or imaging dataset segment during the review session and asks about the underlying cellular mechanism — the student must correctly identify the mechanism, not just describe the observed phenomenon.

Cognitive Neuroscience Experimental Design

0 milestones · 8 weeks

Design a complete cognitive neuroscience experiment to test a specific hypothesis about a cognitive process — attention, working memory, decision-making, language, emotion, perception, or executive function. The design must specify: research question and hypothesis, experimental paradigm (blocked vs. event-related; stimulus presentation; trial structure), participant criteria and sample size with power analysis, neuroimaging or physiological methodology (fMRI, EEG, MEG, eye-tracking, or equivalent), analysis pipeline, and ethics considerations. A complete experimental design requires no equipment — the methodology document is the artifact. The proof is the design document reviewed by a neuroscientist who identifies at least one uncontrolled confound in the design; the student's written response proposing either a methodological fix or arguing that the confound does not threaten the primary hypothesis is a required part of the proof. This documented exchange confirms that the student can engage with methodological criticism, not just produce a design document.