April 17, 2024, a day filled with learning and curiosity. This prestigious event was held at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines,  Bulwagang Balagtas. This event served as a guide for budding tech enthusiasts and students who want to learn and dive into the world of cloud computing with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Throughout the day, participants got to listen to inspiring and knowledge filled discussions each designed to deepen their understanding of AWS technologies and the community. Every moment was a chance to absorb new knowledge, exchange ideas, and connect with fellow learners and industry experts.

What is Amazon Web Services (AWS)?

AWS is a cloud service provider which provides services throughout the internet for different IT resources. It is an ever-evolving cloud computing platform offered by Amazon. Its services are mostly used by businesses, organizations, developers, and individuals to build and deploy various types of applications, from simple websites to complex enterprise-level systems.

Main Event

The main event of the AWS Student Community Day was the Fireside Chat by Dr. Werner Vogels – VP and CTO of Amazon, Moderated by Mr. Jerry Bongco – AWS Philippines, Country Manager. In Dr. Werner’s talk, he said that “if you want to predict the future, you have to create it” and that’s what they do in Amazon, they create the future of IT. He also said that he is excited to go to work almost every day because he gets to meet so many different customers and get to build things that are never forgotten. What I found to be the most intruiging part of his talk is about the day 1 mentality which comes from the world of the startups or companies that are extremely successful on day 1 then become complacent because of the success as the days go on. It basically means that we should always stay fresh, stay ahead, and be engaged since it’s always day 1.

There are 2 types of decisions, reversable decision, which can be likened to a two way door and non-reversable decision, which can be likened to a one way door. Contrary to the day 1 mentality, he talked about what happens in day 2 for companies that have been successful and have become complacent. They start to treat fast-moving decisions as non-reversable decisions, therefore creating irreversable mistakes, which can lead to the decline of a company. In Mr. Jerry’s words, we should always continue to experiment, stay hungry, and move fast so that we’ll be able to maintain the day 1 mentality.

Mr. Jerry asked Dr. Werner about what advice he could give to young developers and builders to keep up with the ever-accelerating pace of technology development. Dr. Werner’s response was to learn how to learn, being in this industry requires us to be critical thinkers and life long learners. He said that being a software engineer, you have the most creative job in the world because every morning, you can go to work and create something new. What struck me the most was what he said about software engineers, “we are the artists of technology”.

The final part of his talk was his words of encouragement. “Do technology for good”, we should help make major changes in this world and make sure that we can create more equitable and democratic access to technology so that everybody can benefit.

Important Speakers

One of the speakers of that day was Mr. Raphael Jambalos and his talk about his life story from being an Econ Major to a Dev Manager. The main thing I’ve learned from his talk is that we should learn soft skills, stand out, always take every opportunity that we can get, and not to forget to have fun. Another speaker was Mr. Paul Sears, and his talk about the lessons on becoming an AWS Solutions Architect. What I’ve learned from his talk are the soft skills needed in the tech industry, such as building your own brand, finding your spark, to learn and be curious, and not being afraid to fail. The next speaker was Mr. Mark Achiles G. Flores Jr and his talk about the basics of the basics to AWS. His talk was the most technical part of the whole event, where we built an app with him titled EduLearn. This part of his talk was mostly about modeling an AWS architecture for the hypothetical app (EduLearn), which included various AWS services such as S3, EC2, Lambda, Dynamodb, and many more. The next speaker was Mr. Raphael Francis Quisumbing, and his talk about the AWS community of the Philippines. According to him, you can be a millionaire in the cloud computing industry. He also said that there is no shortage of jobs in the IT industry and that there is a high level of community engagement in the Philippines. His advice is that we should join different communities since by doing so we can connect with like-minded individuals who share similar interests, goals, and challenges with us. Last but not least are the closing remarks by Mr. Joshua Arvin Lat. To my surprise, it was actually his birthday that day, so everyone in the room sang him a happy birthday song. In his speech, he said that we have control of our careers and that the most important time of our career as a student is the next 5-8 years. His advice was to cherish friendships and moments together and I completely agree since these bonds will serve as pillars of strength during challenging times and also sources of celebration during moments of triumph.

Student Speakers

There was a panel discussion held by the Cloud Captains from different universities which was moderated by Precious Grace Deborah Manucom (COO of AWSCC-PUP Manila). The Cloud Captains involved are the following: Sheldon Raige Sumeg-ang (MPSPC-Benguet Captain), Kimi Villareal (PCU-Cavite Captain), Christian Gazzingan (NU-Bulacan Captain), John Danmel Laranga (UC-Laguna Captain), Marc Hendri Soquiat (PLM-Intramuros Captain), and Enrica Dio (DLSU-Manila Captain). The Cloud Captains answered a series of questions asked by the moderator, such as: “What inspired you to start a cloud club at your institution”, “What role do you think tech communities play in driving innovation and growth in the Philippines”, “How has your cloud club impacted the learning experience of its members”, “What steps can be taken to foster diversity and inclusion within tech communities in the Philippines”, and many more. There was also Marvin Barrios, a student speaker who gave a wonderful talk about the upcoming technopreneur community, which was the AWS-CC e:Novators. This community was made for working students, budding student entrepreneurs, hackathon enthusiasts, and students who have or are planning to build a startup company.

Cloud Captains Panel Discussion

Conclusion

The event, overall, was a huge success. This wouldn’t have been possible without insightful discussions and inspiring talks by industry experts and student speakers alike. Not only that, but also because of the student organizations and esteemed sponsors who made great contributions for this event to be a resounding success. Personally, what I liked the most from the event was the inspiring talk by Dr. Werner. I hope that there are more events where professionals like Dr. Werner will be able to tell us about their wisdom and experiences. The AWS Student Community Day was more than a mere event. Participants didn’t just attend, they left with new knowledge, new connections, and a renewed sense of inspiration. It wasn’t just a successful day, it was a turning point, paving the way for a brighter future in the realm of technology, cloud computing, and AWS.

Special Mention

A special mention to Isaeus Guiang (Founder, Captain, and CEO of AWSCC-PUP Manila) for leading the whole event and giving wonderful opening remarks. To all the volunteers, for their hardwork not only on the Production Day but also on the day of the event. Ranging from logistics to marketing to manpower and contributions, too many for me to mention. To all the attendees, the event wouldn’t be what it was without your participation and presence.