The eight paths

Eight identities · Twenty milestones each · 160 total

Each path is an identity a kid can claim by doing the work. Milestones are ordered roughly by difficulty — the first five are the opening moves, the last few separate the committed from the serious. Earn five in a path and claim the identity. Earn all twenty and you are Proven.

The Entrepreneur/20The Builder/20The Creative/20The Athlete/20The Treasurer/20The Communicator/20The Leader/20The AI Pilot/20

The Builder

A Builder · 20 milestones
Proven at 10 · Mastered at 20
“The machines can write code. They can't swing a hammer, sand a joint flat, or look at a thing and know why it's sagging.”
  • №01
    Built Something From a Plan
    Followed a set of instructions — a kit, a recipe, a tutorial, a LEGO set with 500+ pieces — and finished a working end product that matches the plan.
    Ahead
  • №02
    Built Something Without a Plan
    Made something useful from raw materials with no instructions — a shelf, a box, a birdhouse, a ramp — that holds up to actual use.
    Ahead
  • №03
    Took It Apart
    Disassembled a real machine or device (appliance, bike, computer, toy) down to its components, identified what each part does, and put it back together working.
    Ahead
  • №04
    Fixed Something Broken
    Diagnosed and repaired a broken object that a real person was about to throw away, and it still works 30 days later.
    Ahead
  • №05
    Measured Twice
    Completed a project requiring precision — within a defined tolerance — and demonstrated the measurements match the spec.
    Ahead
  • №06
    First Working Tool
    Made a tool, device, or gadget that performs a useful function — something that didn't exist before you built it.
    Ahead
  • №07
    Built a Working Game
    Designed and built a playable game (board, card, video, physical) that other people have played from start to finish.
    Ahead
  • №08
    Built a Website That Works
    Built and deployed a website that lives at a real URL, does what it's supposed to do, and has been used by someone other than you.
    Ahead
  • №09
    Built an App That Runs
    Built a working app — mobile, desktop, or web — that performs a real function and has been installed or used by someone else.
    Ahead
  • №10
    Built Something That Moves
    Designed and built something with moving parts that works reliably — a machine, robot, mechanism, vehicle — demonstrated in motion.
    Ahead
  • №11
    Built Something That Holds
    Designed and built a physical structure that bears real load — a shelf, table, treehouse, bridge, frame — and has held up under use for 30+ days.
    Ahead
  • №12
    Electrified It
    Built something that uses electricity you wired yourself — a lamp, a circuit, a powered device — and it works safely.
    Ahead
  • №13
    Outdoor Build
    Designed and built something that lives outside and survives real weather — a garden bed, chicken coop, mailbox, weather station, planter, outdoor bench, sign — and has stayed functional through rain, sun, and temperature swings for at least 60 days.
    Ahead
  • №14
    Made It From Scratch
    Built something where you made every component yourself — no kits, no pre-made parts — from raw materials up.
    Ahead
  • №15
    3D Printed It
    Designed an original object in CAD, printed it yourself, and iterated through at least 3 versions to reach a working final piece.
    Ahead
  • №16
    Version 2.0
    Rebuilt a project you'd already finished, made it meaningfully better in a measurable way, and documented what changed and why.
    Ahead
  • №17
    Passed a Real Test
    Submitted a built thing for external technical evaluation — FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad build event, maker competition, engineering fair — and it performed.
    Ahead
  • №18
    Documented It
    Produced full build documentation for something you made — plans, code, photos, materials list — good enough that someone else actually rebuilt it from your docs alone, and their version works.
    Ahead
  • №19
    The Maker · Any one of three
    Built something with scale, ambition, or technical complexity beyond a normal project.
    • Built a structure or vehicle a person can safely use (treehouse, shed, kayak, go-kart, e-bike) that has been used for 30+ days without failure
    • built a robot or autonomous machine that completes a defined task reliably
    • built a working physical product that went through 5+ design iterations with documented changes
    Capstone
  • №20
    The Engineer · Any one of four
    Built something the technical community recognized.
    • Placed or won in a recognized engineering/build competition (FIRST, VEX, Science Olympiad build, youth maker fair with judges)
    • had a built project published by a maker publication, or featured with editorial independence (Make Magazine, Hackaday, Adafruit, etc.)
    • filed a patent or received a design recognition from a professional body
    • built something that was adopted, used, or iterated on by people outside your family
    Capstone