College + Career Roadmap

Tai Buhler

Montgomery Blair High School · Junior → Senior · Takoma Park, MD
Target field: Cloud Infrastructure & IT

GPA 3.6–3.8
SAT — 2nd attempt Jun 2026
CompTIA A+ — up next
FRC 449 · Small Things Matter · TRI-M
Application Timeline
Phase 01 · Now
Junior Spring
  • Build initial college list (15–20 schools)
  • SAT 2nd attempt — June
  • Ask 2 teachers for recommendations
  • Finish junior year strong (GPA)
  • Begin A+ Core 1 study plan
Phase 02 · Summer 2026
Pre-Senior Summer
  • Campus visits (virtual or in-person)
  • Draft Common App personal essay
  • Narrow college list to 8–12 schools
  • A+ Core 1 & 2 study + take exams
  • Non-IT summer job
Phase 03 · Fall 2026
Senior Fall
  • Submit ED/EA apps (Nov 1–15)
  • Complete Common App
  • File FAFSA — opens Oct 1
  • Regular Decision prep (Jan 1 deadline)
  • Network+ study begins
Phase 04 · Spring 2027
Senior Spring
  • Receive admissions decisions
  • Compare financial aid letters
  • Visit accepted schools
  • Commit by May 1 — National Decision Day
  • Network+ exam target
College List
Rochester Institute of Technology
Reach
Rochester, NY · ~18k students · Acc. ~57%
Top-tier IT/CS program with mandatory co-op. Graduates with real work experience before degree.
IT BSCo-opStrong placement
Drexel University
Reach
Philadelphia, PA · ~15k students · Acc. ~81%
6-month co-op rotations. Computing & Informatics college. Philadelphia puts you near major tech employers.
Co-op modelMid-Atlantic
Virginia Tech
Reach
Blacksburg, VA · ~37k students · Acc. ~57%
Strong IT program with direct pipeline to DC/NoVA tech and government contractor market.
IT programDC corridor
University of Maryland, College Park
Match
College Park, MD · ~30k students · Acc. ~44%
In-state tuition saves $15–20k/yr. iSchool + CS. DC/NoVA tech internships minutes away.
In-stateiSchoolDC access
Penn State University Park
Match
State College, PA · ~46k students · Acc. ~54%
Dedicated IST (Information Sciences & Technology) major — one of the best IT-specific programs on the East Coast.
IST majorAlumni network
George Mason University
Match
Fairfax, VA · ~39k students · Acc. ~90%
Close to Takoma Park. Deep ties to NoVA tech and government contracting. Strong IT & cybersecurity programs.
IT & CyberNoVA hubClose to home
UMBC
Safety
Baltimore, MD · ~14k students · Acc. ~68%
Punches above its weight in STEM. Strong CS and cybersecurity reputation. In-state tuition.
In-stateSTEM repCyber focus
Towson University
Safety
Towson, MD · ~19k students · Acc. ~79%
Solid in-state fallback. CIS department with real career outcomes. Low cost, close to home.
In-stateCISMaryland
Certification Roadmap
CompTIA A+ Core 1 + Core 2
Foundation — hardware, OS, networking basics. Validates everything from homelabbing.
Target: Summer 2026
CompTIA Network+
Networking, TCP/IP, VLANs, routing. Formalizes your server stack knowledge.
Target: Senior Spring 2027
CompTIA Security+
Cybersecurity fundamentals. Near-required in the DC/NoVA market. Opens both lanes below.
Target: College Year 1
↳ Pick your lane in college
AWS Cloud Practitioner
Cloud fundamentals. S3, EC2, IAM. Best first cloud cert.
AWS Solutions Architect Assoc.
Design cloud infra, VPCs, load balancing. Real cloud engineering.
Terraform Associate
Infrastructure as code. Automates what you do manually with Proxmox/Docker.
Linux Foundation LFCS
Linux sysadmin cert. Already your strength — Debian, Ubuntu, Proxmox.
CompTIA CySA+
Threat detection, SIEM, incident response. Step up from Security+.
CompTIA CASP+
Advanced security architecture. Senior-level credential.
CEH — Certified Ethical Hacker
Penetration testing, offensive security. Highly valued by DC contractors.
Current Technical Skills
Proxmox
Docker / Portainer
Debian / Ubuntu
Linux (general)
Windows
macOS
VMware / VirtualBox
Hackintosh / VMs
Gitea
Open WebUI (AI)
Game servers
Self-hosted services
Computer hardware (8 builds)
Laptop repair (5–8 units)
Photography
Violin (8 years)
English + Japanese
Progress Checklist
Register for SAT — June 2026 Now
Ask 2 teachers for rec letters Now
Build initial college list (15–20) Now
Start A+ Core 1 study plan Now
Take SAT — June 2026 Summer
Draft Common App personal essay Summer
Campus visits / virtual tours Summer
Pass CompTIA A+ Core 1 Summer
Pass CompTIA A+ Core 2 Summer/Fall
Narrow list to 8–12 schools Summer
Complete Common App Fall
Submit ED / EA applications Fall (Nov)
File FAFSA Fall (Oct 1)
Submit Regular Decision apps Fall (Jan 1)
Pass CompTIA Network+ Spring
Commit to a college — May 1 Spring