Scripting Roadmap: Beginner to Expert (for Software Engineers)
Phase 1: Foundations (Beginner)
Goal: Understand scripting basics, syntax, variables, conditionals, and loops.
1. Choose a Primary Scripting Language
• Recommended: Python or Bash (or PowerShell if you're mostly on Windows).
• Start with Python for cross-platform automation.
2. Core Topics
• Syntax, indentation, comments
• Variables, data types (int, str, list, dict)
• Conditionals (if, elif, else)
• Loops (for, while)
• Functions and modules
• File I/O operations (read/write files)
3. Mini Projects
• Script to rename files in bulk
• Backup a folder to another location
• Simple log analyzer (read .log files)
Phase 2: Intermediate Scripting (Automation Basics)
Goal: Automate workflows and system-level tasks.
1. Advanced Python/Bash Topics
• Error handling (try, except)
• Working with system environment (os, sys modules)
• Working with dates and times (datetime)
• JSON and CSV file parsing
• CLI tools using argparse (Python) or command-line flags (Bash)
2. System Automation
• Automate software builds
• Schedule tasks with cron (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows)
• Monitor a directory and auto-process new files
3. Mini Projects
• Auto-download and organize files
• Batch image converter using a library (e.g., Pillow in Python)
• Script to compress and archive logs daily
Phase 3: Practical Expert Automation
Goal: Build powerful, modular, and reusable automation scripts.
1. Advanced Scripting Tools
• Python: subprocess, threading, multiprocessing, shutil, pathlib
• PowerShell: cmdlets, piping, and working with Windows Registry
• Bash: trap, sed, awk, xargs, curl, grep, functions, pipelines
2. Automation with External Services
• Interact with REST APIs (using requests in Python or curl in Bash)
• Parse XML, JSON, YAML
• Use libraries like pyautogui for GUI automation
3. Create CLI Tools
• Develop a command-line app (like git, ffmpeg)
• Package it using setuptools or pipx
4. Automation for Development
• Auto-generate boilerplate code
• Monitor logs and alert on errors
• Automate code formatting and linting
5. Mini Projects
• GitHub repo automation (clone, push, PR creation)
• System health check dashboard generator
• Dependency checker for projects
Phase 4: Professional-Level Automation (Optional, but Powerful)
Goal: Bring DevOps and real-world infrastructure automation into your scripting
skillset.
Topics
• Use of Makefiles or CMake in builds
• Automation with CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins)
• Container automation (Docker with scripts)
• Automate virtual environments and dependency setup
Project Ideas
• Automate codebase setup for new developers
• End-to-end CI/CD pipeline scripting
• Infrastructure bootstrap with Bash or PowerShell
Learning Resources
For Python Scripting:
• Python Official Docs
• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python (book & site)
• Real Python (tutorials)
For Bash:
• The Linux Command Line
• Bash Scripting Cheatsheet (explains awk, sed, etc.)
For PowerShell (if Windows-heavy):
• Microsoft Docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/