I Built a Free IT Learning Platform: Structured Paths for Sysadmins & Homelab Enthusiasts
The Problem With Learning IT Online
If you’ve ever tried to learn something like PowerShell, or Proxmox, or Active Directory from scratch, you know the drill. You search YouTube, find a video, it’s two years old. You find a newer one, it assumes you already know three things you don’t. You find a written guide, it’s behind a paywall. You find a free one, it’s missing half the steps.
There’s no shortage of IT content out there. The problem is structure. One video here, a Reddit thread there, a Stack Overflow answer that’s mostly right but not quite for your setup. You piece it together and eventually get somewhere, but it takes three times as long as it should and you’re never sure if you actually understood it or just cargo-culted your way through.
I’ve been in IT for years (networking, systems, the lot) and I’ve watched junior colleagues, career changers, and homelab enthusiasts hit this same wall over and over. So I built something to fix it.
Introducing Mylemans Labs
Mylemans Labs is a free IT learning platform built around structured learning paths. Not a dumped playlist of videos. Not a course factory churning out certificates. Actual, deliberate paths that take you from zero to confident on a specific topic, with the knowledge checks to back it up.
Today it goes live with three paths and around ten lessons. More paths are in progress and rolling out over the coming weeks.
Here’s what’s live right now and what’s coming:
| Path | Status | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|---|
| IT Foundations | ✅ Live | How networks work, security basics, Windows Server & AD intro |
| Networking | ✅ Live | VLANs in practice, real configuration and troubleshooting |
| Virtualization | ✅ Live | Hypervisor fundamentals, Hyper-V, Proxmox, Active Directory |
| PowerShell | 🔜 Coming | Fundamentals, automation, remote management |
| Microsoft 365 | 🔜 Coming | Admin center, Entra ID, Exchange, Teams |
| Backup & DR | 🔜 Coming | Strategy, tools (Proxmox Backup Server, UrBackup), DR planning |
| Docker & Containers | 🔜 Coming | Fundamentals, Docker in practice, Docker Compose |
How It Works
Each path is made up of modules, and each module has video lessons followed by a short knowledge check. The videos are real: no slides with someone reading bullet points at you. The quizzes test whether you actually understood the content, not just whether you clicked play.
Your progress saves automatically in your browser. No account needed, no sign-up, no email address handed over. You come back tomorrow and pick up where you left off.
Finish a path with an average quiz score of 75% or better and you earn a Certificate of Completion with your name, the path, your score, and the date. You can share it, print it, or add it to your LinkedIn. It’s not a CompTIA or a Microsoft cert, and I won’t pretend otherwise, but it shows practical, hands-on knowledge and that counts for something, especially if you’re building a portfolio or making a career move.
Who Is This For?
Honestly, a few different people:
If you’re new to IT and want to get into a sysadmin or service desk role, the IT Foundations path is your starting point. It covers the stuff that every job description assumes you already know.
If you’re already working in IT but have gaps. Maybe you’re solid on Windows but shaky on networking, or you’ve been meaning to actually learn PowerShell properly. There’s a path for that. These aren’t beginner-only; the later modules in each path go deep.
If you’re a homelab person who learns by doing, the paths are built around real scenarios, not toy examples. The Proxmox and Docker content especially.
If you just want a structured refresher before a job interview or a new project, the knowledge checks tell you quickly where your gaps are.
Not Sure Where to Start?
There’s a short quiz on the homepage (takes about 60 seconds) that looks at your current level and goals and recommends the best starting point. If you’re completely new, it’ll send you to IT Foundations. If you’re already working in IT, it’ll point you somewhere more appropriate.
What’s Coming for Members
One of the paths coming up will be members-only, available to YouTube channel members. It’ll be extended hands-on lab content that goes beyond the video lessons: step-by-step practical exercises, real configs, the kind of thing you’d do in a lab environment. The free paths will always be free. The members path is for people who want to go further.
Go Try It
That’s about it. No grand promises, no “learn to code in 30 days” marketing. Just structured, practical IT content that I wish had existed when I was starting out.
labs.mylemans.online, free, no account needed, start whenever you want.
If you’ve been meaning to finally get your head around PowerShell, properly understand VLANs, or get comfortable with Proxmox, this is a good place to do it. And if you have feedback once you’ve been through a path, I’d genuinely like to hear it.