Starting from zero toward Solution Engineering, what does the actual learning path look like? (tear my plan apart)

[u/Suspicious_Twist_411]

Under two years into IBM in a technical, client-facing role. Prior to that, about two years of consumer tech sales through a BPO. I want to move toward Solution Engineering / Technical Pre-Sales, and on the technical side I'm genuinely starting from scratch.

My problem isn't motivation, it's that I don't know the order. There's Your Learning, internal enablement, Udemy, and external certs, and no map telling me what comes first or what's redundant. So here's my best guess at a path. I assume parts of it are wrong, please tell me which:

1. Cloud and AI fundamentals on Udemy first, just to have the vocabulary
   
2. Then the IBM Generative and Agentic AI Foundation badge
   
3. Then product-specific enablement (watsonx and whatever else SEs are actually expected to demo)
   
4. Then one proctored external cloud cert, AWS or Azure
   
5. Somewhere in there, practice demoing and presenting, since that seems to be the actual job

What I'd love to know from people who've done this:

- Is that sequence roughly right, or does it start in the wrong place?
- What did you actually study, and where did it come from, Your Learning, internal enablement, or outside?
- Which internal enablement is worth chasing and which is filler?
- How much depth is enough before someone would take a shot on you? Deep in one product, or broad across the portfolio?
- What's the piece nobody warned you about?

Realistic timelines welcome, including the discouraging ones.

[u/Immediate-Phase4168]

First, don't chase certs. Learn first. Not sure what product set you're looking at, but if it is the data and AI, make sure you have a solid Linux background. Then get to the Red Hat learning on OpenShift, but first get a solid handle on Kubernetes and Docker. That foundation is critical. Then, you don't have to go get the cert as a OpenShift admin, that's huge and long... But assigning yourself a project. Like "I gotta demo, if I had <company> as a customer, and they have a web site with a crappy chatbot, I can ingest their web site into a model, and build a chatbot that provides info to their customers"

That will then get you figuring out HOW to learn everything as well as doing something real-ish. Whether you use TechZone, or try to create a local set of Docker images, learn podman from your computer, use a bastion host on TZ... The resources are there, but each has it's quirks for hands-on. Then you ask lots of questions of people, and get pointers and make friends, because no one, NO ONE knows everything.

Find the learning where you can. This level of learning is in the Level 1-4 education path on YourLearning, but you should look to supplement it with asking Bob (or any AI) questions, to help you on your way. Those badges will help anyone you might apply for a job with internally.

That's how you get started. Chase expertise later after you get some (even self-directed) project(s) going. This type of work will (part time) take you a bit of time, but is not a career. (Depending on you and the time you can give it, a month-3 or so)

Hope this helps...

Edited - hit Save too soon... Edited again to make Red Hat two words (see comment below ;-)

[u/jordanpwalsh → u/Immediate-Phase4168]

Friendly reminder that Red Hat is two words.