Getting Started with TWN Learn
Welcome to your structured path toward IT mastery and digital sovereignty. Whether you’re new to technology or looking to deepen your expertise, this guide will help you begin your journey.
👋 Who This Is For
🎓 Students preparing for tech careers
🔄 Career changers entering IT from other fields
💼 IT professionals looking to fill knowledge gaps or specialize
🛡️ Digital sovereignty advocates who want to understand and control their technology stack
🎯 Step 1: Pick Your Path
Choose the learning path that best matches your goals and current level:
For Complete Beginners
- Start with Computing Fundamentals
- Move to Networking Fundamentals
- Then explore specializations
For Career Switchers
- Begin with Linux Systems for hands-on experience
- Add Networking Fundamentals for core infrastructure knowledge
- Consider Site Reliability Engineering for modern ops practices
For Current IT Professionals
- Site Reliability Engineering for scalable systems design
- Cybersecurity Foundations for security-first thinking
- Systems Design & Architecture for advanced concepts
Learning Philosophy
Our paths emphasize understanding over memorization. You’ll build practical skills while learning the underlying principles that make technology work.
👥 Step 2: Join the Community
Don’t learn in isolation. The TWN Commons provides support, guidance, and connections with other learners and professionals.
What You’ll Find in Commons:
- help-general - Get unstuck on technical challenges
- learning-paths - Discuss progress and share insights
- job-hunting - Career advice and opportunities
- digital-sovereignty - Explore independence from big tech
- providers - Community-vetted hosting and service recommendations
🎯 Community Activities:
- Daily Check-ins - Share what you’re learning today in learning-paths
- show-and-tell - Demo your projects and get feedback from pros
- Study groups - Join or start accountability groups for specific paths
- Monthly challenges - Community-wide learning competitions and goals
- Career mentoring - Connect with professionals who’ve walked similar paths
⏱️ Step 3: Set Your Pace
Self-Directed Learning
- Each path includes clear milestones and checkpoints
- Progress at your own speed
- Use the community for questions and motivation
Structured Approach
- Dedicate consistent time daily (even 30 minutes helps)
- Complete one milestone before moving to the next
- Practice what you learn with hands-on labs and projects
Community Integration
- Share your progress in Discord
- Ask questions early and often
- Help others when you can—teaching reinforces learning
🆘 Where to Get Help
Stuck on a concept? Ask in TWN Commons
Want to practice? Explore TWN Systems for practice environments
Found an error? Contribute fixes via GitHub
Need career guidance? Connect with professionals in the Discord community
🧰 Your Learning Toolkit
Essential Tools
Most paths assume you have access to:
- Computer with internet access (Linux, macOS, or Windows)
- Text editor (VS Code, Vim, or similar)
- Terminal/command line access
- Virtual machine capability (for lab environments)
Recommended Resources
- Practice labs - Hands-on environments for applying concepts
- Documentation - Official docs for tools and technologies
- Community forums - Stack Overflow, Reddit, Discord
- Books and courses - Supplementary learning materials
✨ What Makes TWN Learn Different
Real-world focus - Learn skills that matter in production environments Vendor independence - Understand principles, not just specific products Community-driven - Content improved by practitioners and learners Digital sovereignty - Build capability to control your technology choices
🏁 Ready to Begin?
- Choose your first learning path
- Join the TWN Commons
- Start learning and building
Pro Tip
Don’t try to learn everything at once. Pick one path, work through it systematically, and build confidence through practice. The community is here to support you every step of the way.
Questions about getting started? Ask in the TWN Commons help-general channel.