MUHAMMAD HASAN BIN CHE ABDULLAH

What is my goal/dream concerning your course/program?

    I've always been the competitive type, so I always strive to excel in my studies, pass with flying colours and all that. Now that I'm officially a UTM student, I want to make the most out of my time here, not just academically but also dipping my toes deeper in the IT field, acquire as much skills and insight regarding computer software, big data, technology as I possibly can. 

     I have a longstanding wish to make my parents proud by graduating with a Dean's list and getting a stable, respectable job because they have sacrificed so much for me to get to where I am today. As their youngest child, I want them to be happy and content with my achievements, knowing I have grown up to be an independent young man. I'm attracted to job prospects related to the program I'm taking because it's one of the most rewarding in my opinion. 

What is the action/improvement/plan necessary for me to improve your potential in the industry?

    We are living in a digital age, which has brought many improvements and changes to our lives but also resulted in much higher requirements to be considered 'desirable' by employers and the likes. It's hard to stay up to date with the most basic of developments, and in order to be competitive you really have to put in the hours.

     I usually remind myself of the advice my high school alumni gave me when I was conducting a mock interview with him. He said "you should always be flexible", as in don't confine yourself to one idea, one goal and one mold. Only then will it be possible to improve oneself and I took that to heart. Once I realise chemistry was becoming an increasingly hard subject during my foundation, I quickly scrapped my initial plan to pursue chemical engineering and instead focus on my passion for tech. So I think, not putting all my eggs in one basket and diversifying my skillset will help me tremendously.

     Next on the list would be my soft skills, particularly my communication skills. We as students are constantly reminded by  our lecturers that comm. skills are incredibly important and that we best start building our experience starting from now. I agree, I realise how communication is a key component for us social animals to function the best we can. That's why I already signed up for Toastmaster and will be participating in their classes soon. I also want to increase my affability among fellow students, I'ts been quite a while since the last time I was in a physical class so I'm excited to go back to campus!   

My opinion on whether this subject contributes to my knowledge on specific area?

     In my opinion, this class has contributed the most to my furthering my understanding on current and developing technologies as well as their practical usage in this field. Even though it is conducted purely online this semester, I feel that it was a testimony of how ubiquitous technology has become in most people's lives that we could continue learning almost exactly the same. The group projects and assignments especially has been influential in my confidence with a number of softwares and online tools like Canva, PowerBI, Photopea, Lucidchart and OBS etc. My favourite was probably the Industrial Talks, the insider perspective was such a valuable insight to have, it definitely informed me more on what is it that is looked for in new graduates by employers and what sort of personal preparations should be made. Of course, I can't fail to mention the AWS badge that I received for completing the 10 modules of study course we were given. I was pleasantly surprised that we were generously given such exposure to a topic that is so relevant to this course's students so early on, now I can say with certainty that I am familiar with more than surface level knowledge about AWS.

Acknowledgement for my lecturer

     Given this opportunity, I'd like to say alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for all that we were blessed with this past semester. I am deeply grateful that even in the current pandemic, I am fortunate enough to still be a part of this class, continuing my studies. Syukur!

        To Dr. Izyan Izzati Binti Kamsani, I am forever grateful for the guidance and compassion you have shown us in each class. I know online classes have its own set of hurdles and challenges, Thank you for facing them head on and doing your best to impart your knowledge upon us with your unending patience and drive, it must have been much more demanding on you than it is on us, despite what we might believe. In the short and limited time we had together, your humbleness and intelligence helped solve all our problems and troubles, your willingness to learn from us, your students was also very commendable. It inspired me to always consider myself a student, a perpetual learner. Thank you again Dr. Izyan, I sincerely hope that you'll be rewarded for your contributions, may Allah shower you with His blessings and hope we meet again campus inshaaAllah :)

        I will preface by saying that by the 20th of January 2022, I have received an AWS badge by virtue of completing all 10 modules provided by Instructure's AWS Academy Cloud Foundations [10812] which I started in the middle of October 2021. That would mean I averaged completing one module per week amidst my first semester as a student in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). I can vouch for sure that with adequate access to the internet and a smart device (considering we're in a unique position due to the pandemic), that even students with considerably packed schedules of their own (e.g. myself) are able to go ahead with this course without much of a struggle. Now I don't think that the pace of learning  or finishing this course should be the main focus, rather the impact of said course towards its participants is of much higher importance. I finished after 10 weeks while I know people who have finished in 5 or even 2! Although they are in the minority. It is very accessible time-wise but I also found it could be a tad too lenient in its evaluation of students although not unchallenging! I thought that some were very lengthy for example Module 6 "Compute" while some were very easy to digest like Module 1 "Cloud Concepts Overview".

        For each of the 10 modules, students receive a number of piecemeal study materials like videos and student guides to further their knowledge on a particular aspect of AWS. For example in Module 2 we focused on Cloud Economics & Billing which has 6 videos to explain the pricing philosophy and model of each AWS services, one of which is a "console demonstration" that guides us through the actual AWS customer interface. Some modules also have "labs" for students to practice but all modules end with a Knowledge Check with a passing grade of 80% to proceed. This helped strengthen my understanding and  information retention about the topics.

        At the start of the class I only knew the bare bones definition of cloud computing and in extension AWS, let alone its crucial role in IR4.0 as well as its intricate interlocking systems. Participating in this course quickly piqued my interest in getting a deeper understanding about cloud computing, yes it is compulsory to finish the course as a student but I was more motivated by the opportunity to get a meticulous look behind the term we always see and hear about, "cloud computing", which this course delivers.

        Now I do believe that cloud computing is the future and is becoming ubiquitous already. Businesses big or small will find great use in the offerings of AWS and other cloud providers. It undoubtedly solves major problems that companies and enterprises all face, cloud computing cuts costs of maintaining and provisioning private servers by a landslide in both the long and short terms, allows a more efficient organizational and data management whilst greatly improving security of oraganisational data/networks. The speed of services allowed for by AWS' global reach and presence is astounding  and the low cost ceiling is a testimony of its economies of scale.  The only suitable next steps for me and other students of this course would be to explore the rest of the AWS certifications (e.g. WS Certified Data Analytics, AWS Certified Big Data) and possibly the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam after.

        I believe that all students who are enrolled in SECP1513 subject are required to take part in this program and rightfully so, studying data engineering means each one of us ought to be able to understand the inner workings of the cloud architecture that is the brain of the modern world we live in and source of the gargantuan amounts data generated by the second. Thus, it would be prudent if every Computer Science student can learn more about Cloud Computing in one way or another, this should be the norm everywhere. I can only speak for myself but I  have definitely formed a greater appreciation for the scale and prevalence of AWS and other similar cloud computing services after achieving the AWS badge, even with the relatively basic syllabus taught in the course it covers from A-Z including cloud conversion, billing and costs, range of services offered, AWS global infrastructure and AWS optimisations. Not to mention, just by having this badge on your CV or LinkedIn profile, it makes you stand out while greatly increasing your employability in they eyes of employers. I mean, it looks really good too