Your First 30 Days in the Club
No guessing. No overwhelm. Follow this week-by-week roadmap to go from “where do I start?” to building real GRC automation, landing interviews, and growing your professional brand.
Orientation & Foundation
Get your bearings and understand what GRC Engineering actually looks like.
Start Here: Your GRC Engineering Club Roadmap
The master guide to navigating the club. Bookmark this and use it as your compass for everything that follows.
Welcome to the GRC Engineering Club
Meet the community, understand the mission, and learn how to get the most out of your membership from day one.
What GRC Engineering Really Looks Like in the Cloud
Forget checkbox compliance. See what modern GRC looks like when you bring engineering principles to the table.
Why First Principles?
The thinking framework behind everything we build. Understand why we approach GRC differently than everyone else.
Cloud Computing 101
A no-fluff introduction to cloud concepts every GRC engineer needs to know before touching AWS.
The Non-Negotiable Tech Stack
Set up your GRC engineering workbench with the exact tools and configurations the pros use daily.
Hands-On Labs
Stop reading, start building. Get your hands dirty with real AWS labs.
AWS CLI Tutorial: Setup and Configuration Guide
Your first hands-on exercise. Get the AWS CLI installed, configured, and ready for everything that comes next.
LAB: Building an Automated Access Review
Build a real access review automation from scratch. This is the kind of work that gets you hired.
LAB: Password Policy Verification
Write Python scripts that verify AWS password policies meet compliance requirements automatically.
LAB: Inactive Key Rotation Check
Detect stale IAM access keys and build an automated rotation checker that auditors love.
Using CloudWatch Logs to Troubleshoot Lambda Functions
A 3-minute GRC overview of how to use CloudWatch for monitoring and compliance evidence.
By Week 2, Members Are Already Winning
This is what happens when you stop watching from the sidelines and start building.
“I turned a cold DM into a real shot at a GRC role. The club gave me the confidence and the playbook to make it happen.”
Akeem
Landed a GRC Role
“Completed the AWS labs and immediately applied those skills at work. My manager noticed the difference within a week.”
Darius Bush
AWS Lab Triumph
“The community here is different. People actually help each other. I went from lurking to leading a study group in 3 weeks.”
Club Member
Community Contributor
Go Deeper
Connect the dots between automation, evidence collection, and real-world compliance.
Every Auditor's First Question: Show Me Your Logging
Learn what auditors actually look for in cloud logging infrastructure and how to have the answer ready.
From AWS APIs to Audit-Ready Excel
Build automation that pulls cloud data and transforms it into evidence spreadsheets that actually get used.
LAB: AWS Least-Privilege Compliance Checker
Build a tool that scans IAM policies for over-permissive access and flags compliance violations.
Cloud Encryption Evidence Lab
Collect and verify encryption-at-rest and in-transit evidence across AWS services programmatically.
Shifting Security Left: A Hands-On Lab
Learn how GRC engineers can integrate security checks earlier in the development pipeline.
Podcast: From Zero to Cloud Security AVP
Hear a real career journey from entry-level to AVP in cloud security. Pure motivation and actionable advice.
Level Up & Career
Turn your new skills into career momentum. Resume, interviews, and portfolio.
From Resume to Offer: What Actually Moves Your Career Forward
Cut through the noise. Learn the specific actions that lead to interviews and offers in GRC.
How to Build a Resume That Opens Doors
Structure your resume to highlight the technical GRC skills hiring managers are searching for.
Mastering the STAR Method for GRC Interviews
Nail behavioral interviews with structured answers that showcase your hands-on cloud security experience.
Terraform 101 for GRC Engineers
Add infrastructure-as-code to your toolkit. Learn Terraform fundamentals through a GRC engineering lens.
Automate Your Portfolio Deployment with GitHub Actions
Set up CI/CD for your personal portfolio site and demonstrate DevOps skills to potential employers.
AWS Portfolio Website Deployment Kit
Everything you need to deploy a professional portfolio on AWS. Stand out from every other applicant.
Build Your Brand & Take the Challenge
You've built the technical skills. Now build the professional presence to match. Complete the LinkedIn Brand Builder course and take on the 90-Day GRC Builder Challenge.
LinkedIn Brand Builder Course
The exact playbook AJ used to grow from 9 to 50,000+ LinkedIn followers. Eight modules covering strategy, content, engagement, and the 90-day system that builds real professional influence.
LinkedIn Brand Builder Intro
The course overview and why building your personal brand is the highest-ROI career move you can make right now.
Module 1: 90 Days - Ignore the Results, Build the System
Stop chasing vanity metrics. Build the daily system that compounds into real influence over 90 days.
Module 2: Mastering LinkedIn - The Golden Hour Strategy
The exact timing and tactics to maximize your LinkedIn visibility during the critical first hour after posting.
Module 3: LinkedIn Post Secrets - Get MORE Engagement & Views
Proven post formats, hooks, and structures that consistently drive high engagement in GRC and cybersecurity.
Module 4: Dominate LinkedIn - Whale Strategy for GRC & Cloud
Target high-value connections strategically. The whale strategy that opens doors you did not know existed.
Module 5: Stop the Scroll - Visuals & Content That Converts
Design scroll-stopping visuals and content that converts passive scrollers into engaged followers.
Module 6: Engagement Strategy That Builds Real Relationships
Go beyond likes and comments. Build genuine professional relationships that lead to opportunities.
Module 7: Content Calendar Strategy
Eliminate daily posting stress with a content calendar system that keeps you consistent without burnout.
The 90-Day GRC Builder Challenge
Put everything together in a structured 90-day challenge. Build your brand, sharpen your skills, and create real career momentum with accountability and community support.
And This Is Just the Beginning
After your first 30 days, unlock advanced deep dives into the frameworks and standards that define enterprise GRC.
Implementing Organizational Guardrails with AWS SCPs
Lock down multi-account AWS environments with Service Control Policies that enforce compliance at the org level.
Mastering ISO Standards for Security, Privacy, and AI Governance
Bring GRC Engineering principles into ISO 27001 programs using IaC, automated control tests, and streaming evidence.
HITRUST Framework: A Deep Dive for GRC Engineers
Go beyond surface-level HITRUST knowledge. Understand the framework like an engineer, not just an auditor.
FedRAMP 20x: Modernizing Federal Cloud Security
The future of federal cloud compliance. Learn how FedRAMP 20x changes the game for GRC engineers.
Frequently Asked Questions
A structured 4-week roadmap covering orientation and GRC engineering foundations, hands-on AWS compliance labs, advanced automation and evidence collection exercises, and career development resources including resume building and interview prep.
No. The roadmap starts with foundational concepts like Cloud Computing 101 and first principles thinking before progressing to hands-on labs. It is designed for both career changers and experienced professionals looking to add GRC engineering skills.
Labs include building automated access reviews, password policy verification, inactive key rotation checks, AWS least-privilege compliance checkers, cloud encryption evidence collection, and shifting security left exercises. All labs use Python and AWS.
Week 4 of the roadmap focuses entirely on career acceleration: resume structure for GRC roles, STAR method interview prep, Terraform 101, CI/CD portfolio deployment, and a full AWS portfolio website deployment kit. Members also get access to mock interviews and resume reviews.
An 8-module video course included with your membership that teaches the exact LinkedIn strategy AJ Yawn used to grow from 9 to 50,000+ followers. It covers posting systems, the Golden Hour strategy, engagement frameworks, and a 90-day challenge.
Yes. The First 30 Days page shows every piece of content in your onboarding roadmap with descriptions and content type labels. The posts themselves are members-only, but you can see the full curriculum and decide if it is right for you before subscribing.
Ready to Start Your 30-Day Journey?
Join hundreds of GRC professionals who are building real cloud security skills, growing their careers, and connecting with a community that actually ships.
Join the Club