Start: IT-Journey Character Initialization Guide
Initialization scratch sheet for the IT-Journey 'zero' character — identity, class, inventory checklist, and onboarding setup.
Table of Contents
Initialize
Every journey needs a starting state. This is the character sheet for the IT-Journey “zero” — the configuration you set once and rarely revisit, but which every subsequent step depends on.
Identity / Character
Your digital identity is the set of handles and credentials that follow you across systems. Settle on them before you set up anything else — changing them later is expensive.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Username | Lowercase, no spaces. This becomes your GitHub handle, npm org, Docker Hub name. |
| Use one for public/professional and one for service signups. | |
| SSH key | Generate once: ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com". Add to GitHub, any remote server. |
| GPG key | Optional but recommended for signed commits: gpg --full-generate-key. |
| Timezone | Set your system clock and git config: git config --global user.timezone "America/Denver" |
# Set your git identity globally
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
Class / Role
Your “class” is the lens you bring to the technical curriculum. Pick the one closest to where you are now — not where you want to be. You can reclass later.
| Class | Starting Strengths | First Quests |
|---|---|---|
| Explorer | Curious, broad exposure, no deep specialization | Bash basics, Git 101, spinning up a VM |
| Developer | Writes code, comfortable with one language | Git flow, CI/CD basics, containerization |
| Admin | Manages systems, comfortable with infrastructure | Scripting, monitoring, backup strategies |
| Analyst | Comfortable with data, Excel-level SQL | Python basics, pandas, Jupyter |
| Security | Curious about how things break | OverTheWire Bandit, CTF intro, network basics |
Inventory
Checklist of tools to install before starting any quest. Each item links to setup docs when they exist.
1. Installation — Windows
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) — Linux environment on Windows
- Windows Terminal — tabbed terminal with profiles
- Git for Windows — includes Git Bash as fallback
- VS Code — editor with WSL2 integration built in
2. Create / Import Profile
- Generate SSH key and add to GitHub
- Clone your dotfiles repo (or start one):
git clone git@github.com:YOURNAME/dotfiles ~/.dotfiles - Set git global config (name, email, editor — see Identity section above)
- Install your preferred shell config:
.bashrc,.zshrc, or PowerShell profile
3. Synchronize
- Set up cloud sync for notes (Joplin Cloud, S3, or Dropbox)
- Enable GitHub sync in VS Code settings
- Set up password manager if not already running
- Configure terminal color scheme and font (Nerd Fonts recommended)
What Comes Next
Once the inventory is checked off, head to the first quest in the sequence: