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Specialization Decision Clinic

You are producing the specialization rubric and the 12-month learning plan. The deliverable is a document filed at library/raw/12-month-plan.md in your portfolio repo.

Retrieval Prompts​

  1. What are the six common specialization tracks defined in Cluster 4?
  2. What are the three axes of the specialization rubric?
  3. From memory, describe what "strength 3" means in the calibrated scale.
  4. What are the two most common single-axis failure modes in specialization picks?
  5. What is the quarterly artifact cadence that a credible 12-month plan uses?

Compare and Distinguish​

Separate these pairs clearly:

  • strength (from evidence) vs interest (from preference)
  • market signal vs personal fit
  • specialization track vs job title
  • aspirational plan vs plan that survives first contact with real work
  • finishing a topic vs shipping a visible artifact about it

Common Mistake Check​

For each, identify the error:

  1. "I'll pick the highest-market track -- the others will sort themselves out."
  2. "My 12-month plan has 14 objectives; I'm ambitious."
  3. "I rated myself 4 in distributed because I watched a great talk about Raft."
  4. "The plan doesn't need artifacts -- they'll emerge naturally from the work."

Mini Application​

Work through this sequence over 2-3 focused sessions.

  1. Strength grid (concept 10). Fill all six track rows with concrete artifacts from across the degree. Rate each track 1-5 using the calibrated scale. Mark the top two and bottom two.
  2. Track definitions (concept 11). For each of the six tracks, write one sentence in your own words stating the center-of-mass problem. Verify they match your strength evidence.
  3. Rubric (concept 12). Score each track on Strength × Interest × Market. Sum. Identify the top and runner-up.
  4. Defense paragraph. Write 150-200 words defending your top pick against the runner-up. Sit on it for 24 hours. Re-read. If weak, consider switching.
  5. 12-month plan. Convert the pick into four quarterly objectives, each anchored on one visible artifact (repo, post, PR, case study extension). No objective lacks an artifact.
  6. Review cadence. Pick a review rhythm (monthly self, quarterly peer). Put the first review date on a calendar.
  7. Gap list (concept 15). Produce 3-5 gap entries using the three-part structure (gap / why / first step).

Evidence Check​

This practice page is complete only if:

  • strength grid is filled with concrete artifacts in every non-zero cell
  • rubric is filled across all 18 cells (6 tracks × 3 axes) with real numbers
  • a 150-200 word defense paragraph of the top pick exists in writing
  • a 12-month plan with four quarterly objectives and four visible artifacts exists at library/raw/12-month-plan.md
  • a 3-5 entry gap list exists at library/raw/gaps.md using the three-part structure
  • one peer or mentor has challenged at least one cell, axis, or objective, and you have either defended or revised it