Learning Log: August 2026

Recap

Big wins: Java refresher, started learning Databricks, built basic Docker containers

In-Flight: Networking, sysadmin, Django

Dabbled In: Pydantic, FastAPI

Notes: Would like to refocus and make plans on how to avoid burnout. Instead of panic-learning a little bit of everything at once, focus on the intersection of relevant and fun, and go deeper.

Log

• 2026-08-01: Completed the building images and running containers sections of the introductory Docker documentation. Commpeted the entire rest of the NumPy tutorial across all sections¹ sections in w3schools.
• 2026-08-02: Completed the Docker Workshop, which wrapped up the Get Started documentation in dockerdocs⁴. Completed the main Pandas tutorial on w3schools². Next I'll go through the DataFrames Reference section.
• 2026-08-03: Started on the Databricks³ tutorial. Wanted to try something new and take a break from Docker and Python. Completed about 1/4 of the Pandas Dataframes Reference documentation.
• 2026-08-04: Completed the Fundamentals Databricks course. Went through about 1/3 of the Docker Python Guide. Completed another 1/4 of the Pandas Dataframes Reference documentation.
• 2026-08-05: Worked through another 1/3 of the Docker Python guide. After this guide, for Docker I want to skip to the Reference section of the dockerdocs to deep dive more of the Dockerfile, compose file, and othe reference info. Started the Get Started with Data Engineering course on Databricks.
• 2026-08-06: Completed the Docker Python language-specific guide. Completed the Databricks Get Started with Data Engineering course. Started learning FastAPI, completing the initial Python Types Intro.
• 2026-08-07: Completed the w3schools Pandas tutorial. Completed the w3schools SciPy tutorial. From w3schools, Django will be next.
• 2026-08-08: Completed the Databricks AI engineer course. Completed the Get Started documentation section of thhe Pydantic docs.
• 2026-08-09: Completed the Concepts Models section of the Pydantic docs. Completed the concurrency async await section of the FastAPI docs.
• 2026-08-10: Completed the Concepts Fields section of the Pydantic docs. Completed the First Steps secion of the FastAPI Tutorial. Completed the Get Started with Databricks for Generative AI course.
• 2026-08-11: Switching to Java. Installed and went through the IDE tutorial for IntelliJ. Completed the Java for beginners course from JetBrains to re-orient to how Java is styled and get a handle on anything new, since it's been a few years.
• 2026-08-12: Started working through the Java language-specific guide on Docker, but found errors in the demo due to deprecation of some functionality used in the demo. Instead of running the example in Docker, started looking through the demo's repository and running locally to understand the set-up and flow. Getting stuck on building pom.xml files, particularly getting versions correct when working with a sample project I didn't create. Need to revisit with a fresh mind another day.
• 2026-08-13: Found a Spring Boot REST API tutorial⁴ that is working really well, completed about half of the first module.
• 2026-08-14: Completed the first module of the Spring Boot REST API tutorial.
• 2026-08-15: Break to attend an event.
• 2026-08-16: Started the second module of the Spring Boot REST API tutorial.
• 2026-08-17: Completed the second module of the Sping Boot REST API tutorial.
• 2026-08-18: Completed the rest of the Spring Boot REST API tutorial and started on the intro to Spring Framework Essentials.
• 2026-08-19: Reviewed Java basics from several different overviews based on a web search. Completed the w3schools Java practice questions. Attempted some Java LeetCode and worked locally to try to get a Java project set up with Maven from scratch.
• 2026-08-20: Started looking into sysadmin to get into hosting via a server.
• 2026-08-21: Shifted to practicing implementing APIs directly, including adding a Random Dog Picture trinket.
• 2026-08-22: Completed the Django Tutorial section of w3schools Django.
• 2026-08-23: Pre-learning. Looking for resourses to learn sysadmin. Not finding anything that doesn't go from 0 to 100 so quicky. It looks like I should probably focus in on networking and network security, and potentially get some cheap hardware to practice on locally to really understand the basics.
• 2026-08-24: Tentatively chose and started the Network Lessons Network Fundamentals⁵ course to follow, and completed the first part of Unit 1.
• 2026-08-25: Worked through more of the Network Fundamentals course. Completed the Display Data section of the w3schools Django course.
• 2026-08-26: Continued the Network Fundamentals course. Completed the Admin section of the w3schools Django course.
• 2026-08-27: Continued the Network Fundamentals course. Completed the Django Syntax section of the w3schools Django course.
• 2026-08-28: Continued the Network Fundamentals course, but discovered that the rest of the course is behind a paywall, so I'll be looking for alternatives next time I visit this topic.
• 2026-08-29: Completed the Querysets section of the w3schools Django course.
• 2026-08-30: Break for burnout.
• 2026-08-31: Break for burnout.

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