7-step framework: (1) Define specific target role — not “get better at marketing” but “get hired as a growth marketer at a B2B SaaS company in 18 months.” (2) Audit what you already know — rate yourself on core competencies. (3) Research real market requirements — analyze 15–20 job postings, list skills by frequency, top items are your curriculum. (4) Sequence with foundations first — map skill dependencies, skip no prerequisites. (5) Select one resource per skill — commit, don’t course-hop. (6) Set time estimates and a completion date — estimate total hours at your weekly availability, add buffer. (7) Build checkpoints every 4–6 weeks — have you completed planned segments? Can you demonstrate the skills? Building a curriculum takes 2–4 hours upfront and saves dozens of hours of misdirected effort.