What I already know how to do
I can independently apply this skill in real-world GTM work.
6 skillsAI GTM Engineering / Syllabus
The skill tree, the season schedule, and every receipt.
I'm training for AI GTM Engineering in public. This page separates what I already do in real GTM work, what I'm actively building with, and what I'm formally studying next, so nobody has to guess which is which.
Every build ships into CAROS, a revenue system for service businesses that I help build and use as my live training ground. Real pipeline, real clients, zero toy datasets.
How to read this / 01
Three levels. No blurring the lines.
What I'm actively building with
I understand this skill and am actively applying it through projects, implementations, builds, or experiments.
5 skillsWhat I'm formally studying next
Certification or structured study currently in progress.
16 skillsA note on Learning: it never means casually exploring or unfamiliar. It means a tool, platform, or technical discipline where I'm working toward a formal certification, structured coursework, or a defined competency.
Skill tree / 02
Every skill, with the receipts.
Open any row for the objective, the certification path, related builds, and evidence of real application.
Zero-to-one GTM strategyStrategyProficientActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Take a product from no market to a working revenue motion: market selection, positioning, pricing, and channel.
- Certification or course path
- Earned in the field
- Current status
- Proficient
- Related projects
- Positioning and go-to-market for a revenue system serving 23 service industries
- Evidence of practical application
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Outbound prospecting and sequencingApollo, lemlistProficientActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Build and run multichannel outbound that books qualified conversations.
- Certification or course path
- 8+ years of B2B sales across SaaS organizations
- Current status
- Proficient
- Related projects
- Enterprise, mid-market, and SMB outbound across multiple SaaS organizations
- Evidence of practical application
- $6M+ in qualified pipeline generated
- $1.1M+ in closed revenue supported
- Consistently exceeded quota across multiple organizations
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Sales methodologySandler, Gap SellingProficientActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Run discovery that finds the real problem and the cost of leaving it unsolved.
- Certification or course path
- Sandler and Gap Selling training, applied daily
- Current status
- Proficient
- Related projects
- Discovery flow and narrative for the CAROS demo
- Evidence of practical application
- Work examples available on request
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Sales engagement and CRM workflowsSalesforce, Outreach, GongProficientActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Run full-cycle prospecting and pipeline management inside the tools enterprise sales teams live in.
- Certification or course path
- Daily use across multiple SaaS sales organizations
- Current status
- Proficient
- Related projects
- Territory and named-account prospecting
- KPI and territory performance tracking
- Evidence of practical application
- Salesforce, Outreach, Gong, Vidyard, Loom, and Zoom in daily use
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Sales team leadershipHiring, training, coachingProficientActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Hire, train, and manage outbound reps to a repeatable number.
- Certification or course path
- Earned in the field as a Sales Development Manager
- Current status
- Proficient
- Related projects
- Remote SDR team leadership across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise
- Evidence of practical application
- Managed a remote team of 8 reps across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise
- Top 2 team for opportunities booked in 4 of 6 months
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Revenue process designRevOpsProficientActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Map how revenue is created, captured, converted, retained, and measured, then find where it leaks.
- Certification or course path
- Earned in the field
- Current status
- Proficient
- Related projects
- CAROS revenue lifecycle, from first marketing dollar to repeat business
- Evidence of practical application
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
CRM pipelines and automationPipelines, custom fields, webhooksPracticingActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Configure pipelines, custom fields, webhooks, and workflows that move deals without manual updates.
- Certification or course path
- Hands-on implementation
- Current status
- Practicing
- Related projects
- Demo engagement tracking
- Live client implementations
- Evidence of practical application
- 8-stage sales pipeline, 26 custom fields, and a live inbound webhook
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
AI-assisted app and site buildingReplit, ClaudePracticingActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Ship production web apps and sites quickly with AI coding agents, then own every detail.
- Certification or course path
- Hands-on building
- Current status
- Practicing
- Related projects
- carlyfowler.com (built)
- CAROS Revenue Demo (built)
- Five free revenue tools (built)
- getcaros.com and the CAROS dashboard (co-built)
- Evidence of practical application
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Interactive lead-generation toolsGrowth engineeringPracticingActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Turn a sales conversation into a self-serve tool that qualifies the visitor before the first call.
- Certification or course path
- Hands-on building
- Current status
- Practicing
- Related projects
- Revenue Leakage Calculator
- Workflow Cost Tool
- Revenue Readiness Assessment
- Free Business Audit
- Free Business Insights
- Evidence of practical application
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Revenue attribution and dashboard designBusiness intelligencePracticingActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Tie every lead, call, and booked job back to the marketing source that produced it.
- Certification or course path
- Hands-on building
- Current status
- Practicing
- Related projects
- CAROS dashboard (co-built)
- CAROS demo dashboards and source journeys (built)
- Evidence of practical application
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
Multilingual site architecture and SEOWebPracticingActive in my work
- Learning objective
- Structure a site so every industry and every language gets its own findable page.
- Certification or course path
- Hands-on building
- Current status
- Practicing
- Related projects
- getcaros.com: 23 industry pages in English and Spanish (co-built)
- Evidence of practical application
- Completion date
- Applied in current work
ClayEnrichmentLearningTarget Jan 2027Phase 1
- Learning objective
- Build enrichment waterfalls and Claygent research that score accounts without manual research.
- Certification or course path
- Clay University certification track
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Multi-industry ICP scoring table
- Claygent signal research agents
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jan 2027
OpenAI and Anthropic implementationAILearningTarget Jan 2027Phase 1
- Learning objective
- Design prompts, tool use, and API calls that hold up in production, with cost and failure rate tracked.
- Certification or course path
- Anthropic Academy and OpenAI implementation coursework
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Claygent signal research agents
- CAROS MCP server
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jan 2027
REST APIs, JSON, and PostmanIntegrationLearningTarget Jan 2027Phase 1
- Learning objective
- Read API docs, authenticate, and move data between systems with no middleware in between.
- Certification or course path
- Postman API Fundamentals Student Expert
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Free tools to CRM API bridge
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jan 2027
PythonCodeLearningTarget Jul 2027Phase 3
- Learning objective
- Write and run production scripts for enrichment, scoring, and reporting, then power agents with them.
- Certification or course path
- Python for Everybody (Coursera), started in Phase 1
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Python enrichment and reporting scripts
- Revenue leak diagnostic agent
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jul 2027
HubSpot CRM and adminCRMLearningTarget Apr 2027Phase 2
- Learning objective
- Administer HubSpot end to end: objects, properties, pipelines, permissions, and reporting.
- Certification or course path
- HubSpot Academy certification track
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- HubSpot mirror with Operations Hub data hygiene
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2027
HubSpot Operations HubCRMLearningTarget Apr 2027Phase 2
- Learning objective
- Use data sync, deduplication, and programmable automation to keep a CRM trustworthy.
- Certification or course path
- HubSpot Academy Operations Hub courses
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- HubSpot mirror with Operations Hub data hygiene
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2027
n8nAutomationLearningTarget Apr 2027Phase 2
- Learning objective
- Build branching, AI-powered workflows with error handling that runs without babysitting.
- Certification or course path
- n8n Level 1 and Level 2 courses
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Signal to rep alert workflow
- n8n vs Make bake-off
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2027
SQLDataLearningTarget Jan 2027Phase 1
- Learning objective
- Answer pipeline questions directly from the data: joins, aggregations, and window functions.
- Certification or course path
- SQL for Data Science, UC Davis on Coursera; HackerRank SQL (Basic) certificate for a verifiable badge; SQL Bubble Pop for daily reps (started Sep 2026)
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Revenue lifecycle query set
- Evidence of practical application
- Daily training underway in SQL Bubble Pop
- Completion date
- Target Jan 2027
MakeAutomationLearningTarget Jul 2027Phase 3
- Learning objective
- Build and compare no-code scenarios so tool choice is based on cost and reliability, not habit.
- Certification or course path
- Make Academy certification levels
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- n8n vs Make bake-off
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jul 2027
Salesforce AdministratorCRMLearningTarget Jul 2027Phase 3
- Learning objective
- Configure objects, validation rules, flows, and reports to admin standard.
- Certification or course path
- Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator (Trailhead)
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Salesforce sandbox with Agentforce agent
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jul 2027
Salesforce AIAI + CRMLearningTarget Jul 2027Phase 3
- Learning objective
- Build and govern AI agents inside Salesforce that act on CRM data safely.
- Certification or course path
- Salesforce Certified Agentforce Specialist (Trailhead)
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Salesforce sandbox with Agentforce agent
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Jul 2027
Power BIBusiness intelligenceLearningTarget Apr 2028Phase 5
- Learning objective
- Model revenue data and publish dashboards leadership actually uses.
- Certification or course path
- Microsoft PL-300: Power BI Data Analyst Associate
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Marketing to revenue attribution dashboard
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2028
Tableau and LookerBusiness intelligenceLearningTarget Apr 2028Phase 5
- Learning objective
- Build the same reporting layer across the two other BI tools GTM teams run on.
- Certification or course path
- Tableau Certified Data Analyst; Looker courses on Google Cloud Skills Boost
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Marketing to revenue attribution dashboard
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2028
RAG and vector databasesAILearningTarget Apr 2028Phase 5
- Learning objective
- Ground AI answers in company documents so every answer cites its source.
- Certification or course path
- DeepLearning.AI short courses on retrieval and vector databases
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- CAROS Library knowledge base
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2028
MCPAILearningTarget Apr 2028Phase 5
- Learning objective
- Build Model Context Protocol servers that give AI agents safe, scoped access to business systems.
- Certification or course path
- Anthropic Academy Model Context Protocol courses
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- CAROS MCP server
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Apr 2028
LangGraphAILearningTarget Oct 2028Phase 6
- Learning objective
- Orchestrate multistep, stateful agents with checkpoints a human can inspect.
- Certification or course path
- LangChain Academy: Introduction to LangGraph
- Current status
- Learning
- Related projects
- Revenue leak diagnostic agent
- Evidence of practical application
- Posts here as the related builds ship.
- Completion date
- Target Oct 2028
Season schedule / 03
Twenty-four months, six phases.
Each Learning skill has a target window for its certification. Phase 4 is the checkpoint: no new coursework, just an honest test against what the market actually hires for.
1Clay, SQL, APIs, and AIOct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 20272CRM and automationJan 15 to Apr 14, 20273Salesforce and automation depthApr 15 to Jul 14, 20274Role-ready checkpointJul 15 to Oct 14, 20275BI, RAG, and MCPOct 15, 2027 to Apr 14, 20286Agents and capstoneApr 15 to Oct 14, 2028
Preseason. Phase 1 tips off in 21 days.
Quest log / 04
Builds that run on real revenue data.
Certs open doors. Builds walk through them. For every AI build I log the model, the cost per run, and the failure rate, and the misses get published right next to the wins.
PlannedBuildingShipped0 shipped, 1 building, 18 planned
Phase 1
Clay, SQL, APIs, and AI
Oct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027
Multi-industry ICP scoring table
PlannedA Clay table that scores service businesses against the CAROS ICP, with fit signals tuned for each of the 23 industries CAROS serves.
- Clay
Claygent signal research agents
PlannedIndustry-specific research prompts that hunt for revenue leak signals: missed calls, slow response, review velocity, and front desk hiring. Model, cost per run, and failure rate logged.
- Clay
- OpenAI and Anthropic implementation
Free tools to CRM API bridge
PlannedSubmissions from the Revenue Leakage Calculator and Free Business Audit post straight into the CRM through REST APIs, with every request documented in Postman.
- REST APIs, JSON, and Postman
- Python
Phase 2
CRM and automation
Jan 15 to Apr 14, 2027
Demo engagement tracking
BuildingEvery interaction in the CAROS demo fires a webhook into the CRM, updates contact and deal fields, and moves the opportunity through an 8-stage pipeline. Started early; the webhook and fields are live.
- CRM pipelines and automation
- REST APIs, JSON, and Postman
Signal to rep alert workflow
PlannedA buying signal triggers enrichment, creates the CRM contact, and alerts the assigned rep with the context needed to open the call.
- n8n
- Clay
HubSpot mirror with Operations Hub data hygiene
PlannedThe CAROS pipeline rebuilt in HubSpot, with dedupe and data sync rules, to prove the architecture travels beyond one platform.
- HubSpot CRM and admin
- HubSpot Operations Hub
Revenue lifecycle query set
PlannedSQL that measures conversion at every step: marketing, leads, calls, bookings, estimates, jobs, customers, repeat business, and revenue.
- SQL
Phase 3
Salesforce and automation depth
Apr 15 to Jul 14, 2027
Salesforce sandbox with Agentforce agent
PlannedThe CAROS pipeline mirrored in Salesforce, plus an agent that drafts next actions on stalled deals.
- Salesforce Administrator
- Salesforce AI
n8n vs Make bake-off
PlannedThe same production workflow built twice. Cost, run time, and failure rate compared, and the loser gets retired.
- n8n
- Make
Python enrichment and reporting scripts
PlannedThe jobs that outgrew no-code: bulk data cleanup, custom scoring, and scheduled client reports. At least one runs in production as a scheduled serverless function on AWS Lambda or Azure Functions.
- Python
Phase 4
Role-ready checkpoint
Jul 15 to Oct 14, 2027
First case studies from live implementations
PlannedBefore and after metrics from live clients across multiple industries, written up with the systems that produced them.
Portfolio packaging
PlannedEvery build so far documented with a README, an architecture diagram, and a short walkthrough video.
Market gap audit
PlannedThe portfolio scored against 20 live AI GTM Engineer job descriptions. Any skill that shows up in five or more and isn't covered moves into Phase 5.
Phase 5
BI, RAG, and MCP
Oct 15, 2027 to Apr 14, 2028
Marketing to revenue attribution dashboard
PlannedEvery marketing dollar traced to booked revenue, built in Power BI and rebuilt in Looker.
- Power BI
- Tableau and Looker
CAROS Library knowledge base
PlannedRetrieval over CAROS implementation and product documentation so internal answers cite the exact source.
- RAG and vector databases
CAROS MCP server
PlannedAn MCP server that lets AI agents query pipeline and client data safely: secrets kept out of code, OAuth scopes limited to what each agent needs, personal data masked, and HIPAA and FINRA guardrails for regulated industries.
- MCP
- OpenAI and Anthropic implementation
Phase 6
Agents and capstone
Apr 15 to Oct 14, 2028
Revenue leak diagnostic agent
PlannedA multistep agent that runs the Free Business Audit logic on a real business and returns the three biggest leaks with evidence.
- LangGraph
- Python
CAROS full-stack case study
PlannedThe capstone: enrichment to CRM to automation to BI to agents, documented end to end with two years of results.
Public portfolio launch
PlannedA GitHub portfolio with pinned repos and a six-part LinkedIn series covering the full run, misses included.
Achievements / 05
Unlocked, and still locked.
Built my own home court
Designed and shipped carlyfowler.com.
VisitTwo languages, 23 industries
Co-built getcaros.com in English and Spanish.
VisitLive demo, no hand-holding
Built an interactive demo prospects can run on their own.
Try itFive tools deep
Shipped five free revenue tools that qualify visitors before the first call.
Try oneFirst certification
The first formal cert on the board.
Salesforce certified
Platform Administrator, earned.
Ten quests shipped
Ten syllabus builds live in CAROS.
Capstone complete
Two years, documented end to end.
Built by me / 06
I built this site. And most of what it points to.
I built this page, carlyfowler.com, the CAROS demo, and all five free revenue tools: strategy, copy, architecture, and code. I co-built the CAROS website and the CAROS dashboard. That's the whole point of a GTM engineer: the person who can explain the system is the person who can ship it.
- carlyfowler.comBuilt. Personal site, contact flow, and newsletter signupOpen
- This syllabusBuilt. Data-driven skill tree, XP system, and live season trackerYou're on it
- CAROS Revenue DemoBuilt. Interactive walkthrough with simulated industry profiles and an auto-play tourOpen
- Revenue Leakage CalculatorBuilt. Free toolOpen
- Workflow Cost ToolBuilt. Free toolOpen
- Revenue Readiness AssessmentBuilt. Free toolOpen
- Free Business AuditBuilt. Free toolOpen
- Free Business InsightsBuilt. Free toolOpen
- getcaros.comCo-built. 23 industry pages in English and SpanishOpen
- CAROS dashboardCo-built. The revenue view clients run their business fromClient-facing
How XP works. Proficient skills earn 300 XP, Practicing earns 200, and Learning earns 100. Every certification earned adds 150, and every shipped build adds 100. Each level takes 1,000 XP. Everything on this page is calculated from one data file, so the numbers move the moment a status changes.