6 months is enough to go from zero to AI agent engineer.

if you actually build instead of watch.
here's the honest path:
→ python + APis first.
no shortcuts. requests, async, fastAPI.
→ LLM fundamentals before you touch agents.
tokens, context windows, embeddings.
→ prompt engineering is a real skill.
treat it like one.
→ RAG before agents.
know how retrieval actually works.
→ agents are just tools + memory + planning.
not magic.
→ build real apps.
copilots, research agents, automation tools.
→ learn the infra.
vLLM, ollama, latency, caching.
→ ship publicly.
write docs. record demos.
most people stall at stage 3 rewatching the same youtube video.
builders stack reps and get hired.
the gap between "learning AI" and "building with AI" is just one shipped project.