Curriculum

17-Phase Career
Playbook

Click through the 4 core chapters below to explore every phase from self-assessment to your first 90 days on the job.

CAREER TRACK MODULE

Foundation & Role Selection

Phases 1 - 5 of the 17-phase career readiness system.

Duration: 6 Months

Founding Member Fee:₹15,000Next Batch: ₹25,000

Founding Batch · Sept 5, 2026

PHASE 01Understand Yourself & Fix Career Mindset

Map current skills, education, experience, strengths, weaknesses & interests
Work preferences, communication ability & technical ability baseline
Career expectations, salary expectations, location & remote preferences
Short-term vs long-term professional goals
Fix the Mindset: Job ≠ certificate, Degree ≠ job readiness, Learning ≠ memorizing, Project ≠ tutorial copying
Applying to 500 jobs ≠ job strategy | Rejection is feedback | Ownership & professional discipline

PHASE 02Understand the Industry

Company structures: Startups, Small/Mid-size, Enterprise, Product vs Service, Consulting, Agency
How companies make money: Product, SaaS, Services, Consulting, Marketplace, Advertising, Subscriptions, Enterprise contracts
How tech teams work: Engineering, Product, Design, Data, AI/ML, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Recruiting
How work actually flows: Business problem → Product requirement → Design → Development → Testing → Deployment → Users → Feedback

PHASE 03Choose the Target Role

🎯 Don't learn generic stacks. Choose the role first → identify what that role requires → build those capabilities.

1. Software Engineer: Programming, DSA, Git, APIs, Databases, System fundamentals, Testing, Projects, Coding interviews
2. Data Analyst: Excel, SQL, Statistics, Power BI/Tableau, Python, Data visualization, Data storytelling, Business understanding, Projects
3. Data Scientist (Advanced): Python, Statistics, Probability, SQL, Machine learning, Data preprocessing, Model evaluation, Data visualization, Projects
4. AI Engineer: Python, ML fundamentals, LLMs, RAG, Agents, APIs, Deployment, AI evaluation, Projects
5. ML Engineer (Advanced): Python, Machine learning, Deep learning, Data preprocessing, Model training, Model evaluation, MLOps, Deployment, Projects
6. Generative AI Engineer: Python, LLM fundamentals, Prompt engineering, RAG, AI agents, Embeddings & vector databases, APIs & tool calling, AI evaluation, Deployment
7. LLM Engineer (Advanced): Python, LLM fundamentals, Transformers, Fine-tuning, RAG, Embeddings, Vector databases, Agents, LLM evaluation, Deployment
8. Data Engineer: Python, SQL, Databases, Data modelling, ETL/ELT, Data pipelines, Cloud fundamentals, Big data technologies, Projects
9. AI Product Engineer (Advanced): Programming, Product thinking, AI/LLM fundamentals, APIs, RAG & agents, Databases, UI/frontend basics, Deployment, AI evaluation
10. Product Engineer: Programming, Frontend, Backend, APIs, Databases, Git, System fundamentals, Testing, Deployment, End-to-end product projects
11. AI Research Engineer (Advanced): Python, Mathematics, Statistics, Machine learning, Deep learning, Research methodology, Papers & experimentation, PyTorch/TensorFlow

PHASE 04Understand Job Descriptions Like an Engineer

Extract from JDs: Required skills, Preferred skills, Experience, Responsibilities, Tools, Domain knowledge, Soft skills
Classify gaps: 🟢 Already know | 🟡 Need improvement | 🔴 Major gap
Generate personal skill-gap map for focused execution

PHASE 05Domain-Based Preparation

🎯 The student doesn't learn everything. They select: Target role → target domain → target companies → required skill set.

Technology Domain: Software Engineering, Full Stack Development, Backend Development, Frontend Development, AI Engineering, Generative AI / LLM, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Data Engineering, DevOps / Cloud
Product & Building Domain: Product Engineering, AI Product Engineering, Product Management, Business Analysis, UX / Product Design
Business Domain: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Success

Our Core Principle

"Target career → Target role → Skill map → Projects → Portfolio → Resume → LinkedIn → Company list → Application strategy → Interview preparation → Real interview experience → Professional skills. We don't sell jobs. We help you build the skills companies actually need."

Career Builder (Become Job Ready) Path

Build your career.
Skills, proof, and direction.

Name: Vertical Combinator
Price range: ₹₹

Develop real skills, build a portfolio of meaningful work, and prepare for genuine professional opportunities.

Begin Application →Explore 17-Phase Playbook ↓

What you actually develop

Not a certificate.
Real skills, real proof, real work.

Curriculum

17-Phase Career
Playbook

Click through the 4 core chapters below to explore every phase from self-assessment to your first 90 days on the job.

CAREER TRACK MODULE

Foundation & Role Selection

Phases 1 - 5 of the 17-phase career readiness system.

Duration: 6 Months

Founding Member Fee:₹15,000Next Batch: ₹25,000

Founding Batch · Sept 5, 2026

PHASE 01Understand Yourself & Fix Career Mindset

Map current skills, education, experience, strengths, weaknesses & interests
Work preferences, communication ability & technical ability baseline
Career expectations, salary expectations, location & remote preferences
Short-term vs long-term professional goals
Fix the Mindset: Job ≠ certificate, Degree ≠ job readiness, Learning ≠ memorizing, Project ≠ tutorial copying
Applying to 500 jobs ≠ job strategy | Rejection is feedback | Ownership & professional discipline

PHASE 02Understand the Industry

Company structures: Startups, Small/Mid-size, Enterprise, Product vs Service, Consulting, Agency
How companies make money: Product, SaaS, Services, Consulting, Marketplace, Advertising, Subscriptions, Enterprise contracts
How tech teams work: Engineering, Product, Design, Data, AI/ML, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Recruiting
How work actually flows: Business problem → Product requirement → Design → Development → Testing → Deployment → Users → Feedback

PHASE 03Choose the Target Role

🎯 Don't learn generic stacks. Choose the role first → identify what that role requires → build those capabilities.

1. Software Engineer: Programming, DSA, Git, APIs, Databases, System fundamentals, Testing, Projects, Coding interviews
2. Data Analyst: Excel, SQL, Statistics, Power BI/Tableau, Python, Data visualization, Data storytelling, Business understanding, Projects
3. Data Scientist (Advanced): Python, Statistics, Probability, SQL, Machine learning, Data preprocessing, Model evaluation, Data visualization, Projects
4. AI Engineer: Python, ML fundamentals, LLMs, RAG, Agents, APIs, Deployment, AI evaluation, Projects
5. ML Engineer (Advanced): Python, Machine learning, Deep learning, Data preprocessing, Model training, Model evaluation, MLOps, Deployment, Projects
6. Generative AI Engineer: Python, LLM fundamentals, Prompt engineering, RAG, AI agents, Embeddings & vector databases, APIs & tool calling, AI evaluation, Deployment
7. LLM Engineer (Advanced): Python, LLM fundamentals, Transformers, Fine-tuning, RAG, Embeddings, Vector databases, Agents, LLM evaluation, Deployment
8. Data Engineer: Python, SQL, Databases, Data modelling, ETL/ELT, Data pipelines, Cloud fundamentals, Big data technologies, Projects
9. AI Product Engineer (Advanced): Programming, Product thinking, AI/LLM fundamentals, APIs, RAG & agents, Databases, UI/frontend basics, Deployment, AI evaluation
10. Product Engineer: Programming, Frontend, Backend, APIs, Databases, Git, System fundamentals, Testing, Deployment, End-to-end product projects
11. AI Research Engineer (Advanced): Python, Mathematics, Statistics, Machine learning, Deep learning, Research methodology, Papers & experimentation, PyTorch/TensorFlow

PHASE 04Understand Job Descriptions Like an Engineer

Extract from JDs: Required skills, Preferred skills, Experience, Responsibilities, Tools, Domain knowledge, Soft skills
Classify gaps: 🟢 Already know | 🟡 Need improvement | 🔴 Major gap
Generate personal skill-gap map for focused execution

PHASE 05Domain-Based Preparation

🎯 The student doesn't learn everything. They select: Target role → target domain → target companies → required skill set.

Technology Domain: Software Engineering, Full Stack Development, Backend Development, Frontend Development, AI Engineering, Generative AI / LLM, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Data Engineering, DevOps / Cloud
Product & Building Domain: Product Engineering, AI Product Engineering, Product Management, Business Analysis, UX / Product Design
Business Domain: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Success

Our Core Principle

Find your entry point

Where are
you right now?

Your current situation determines your best starting point. Select where you are and we'll guide you from there.

Your current situation

I am currently:

Continue to Application →

The learning loop

Your work
becomes your
proof.

Choose Direction

Develop capability through real work, honest critique, and professional preparation.

Build Skills

Develop capability through real work, honest critique, and professional preparation.

Create Proof

Develop capability through real work, honest critique, and professional preparation.

Prepare

Develop capability through real work, honest critique, and professional preparation.

A serious environment

Ready to build
your career path?

Apply for Career Builder. We review every application to ensure it's the right environment for your goal.

💼

Build proof.
Get opportunities.

The assessment helps us understand your current level and connect you to the right starting point.

Begin application →

Build your career.Skills, proof, and direction.

Not a certificate.Real skills, real proof, real work.

17-Phase CareerPlaybook

Foundation & Role Selection

Where areyou right now?

I am currently:

Your workbecomes yourproof.

Choose Direction

Build Skills

Create Proof

Prepare

Ready to buildyour career path?

Build proof.Get opportunities.

Build your career.Skills, proof, and direction.

Not a certificate.Real skills, real proof, real work.

17-Phase CareerPlaybook

Foundation & Role Selection

Where areyou right now?

I am currently:

Your workbecomes yourproof.

Choose Direction

Build Skills

Create Proof

Prepare

Ready to buildyour career path?

Build proof.Get opportunities.

Build your career.
Skills, proof, and direction.

Not a certificate.
Real skills, real proof, real work.

17-Phase Career
Playbook

Where are
you right now?

Your work
becomes your
proof.

Ready to build
your career path?

Build proof.
Get opportunities.

Build your career.
Skills, proof, and direction.

Not a certificate.
Real skills, real proof, real work.

17-Phase Career
Playbook

Where are
you right now?

Your work
becomes your
proof.

Ready to build
your career path?

Build proof.
Get opportunities.