NOOR HANNANI SYAMIMI BINTI MOHD SUFFIAN

REPORT 1

ACTIVITY INFORMATION

NAME OF PROGRAM : UTM GAMES 2023

DATE : 1st December 2023 - 9th December 2023

VENUE : University Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor

ORGANIZER : Pusat Kecermelangan Sukan UTM

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES :
Communication Skills
Adaptability
Leadership and Teamworking Skills

POSITION/ROLE :
Participant

MINI REPORT:

I had the privilege to participate in the UTM GAMES 2023, a dynamic sports event held at the esteemed University Teknologi Malaysia in Johor Bahru, Johor, from December 1st to December 9th, 2023. The event, organized by the Pusat Kecermelangan Sukan UTM, provided a platform for students to showcase their athletic prowess and foster a spirit of healthy competition. As a participant in the volleyball and basketball competitions, I experienced firsthand the vibrant energy and camaraderie that defined the UTM GAMES 2023.

Participating in multiple sports not only tested my physical abilities but also honed essential graduate attributes. The UTM GAMES placed a significant emphasis on communication skills, requiring effective coordination with teammates during both volleyball and basketball matches. The fast-paced nature of these sports demanded quick decision-making and adaptability, pushing me to think on my feet and adjust strategies in real-time. Moreover, the experience reinforced the importance of leadership and teamwork, as success in both volleyball and basketball depended on a cohesive unit working towards a common goal.

The UTM GAMES 2023 not only served as a platform for athletic competition but also provided an invaluable opportunity for personal growth. Engaging in spirited matches alongside peers from diverse backgrounds fostered a sense of unity and mutual respect. The event exemplified the university's commitment to developing well-rounded individuals with a blend of physical and interpersonal skills. Overall, my participation in the UTM GAMES 2023 was an enriching experience that not only elevated my sporting abilities but also contributed to the development of crucial graduate attributes that will undoubtedly benefit me in future endeavors.

SELF-REFLECTION:

Participating in the UTM GAMES 2023 as a volleyball and basketball player was an immensely enriching experience that left me with valuable insights and personal growth. One aspect that stood out was the importance of effective communication. In both sports, clear and concise communication with teammates proved to be instrumental in our success on the court. This experience highlighted the need for not only expressing myself clearly but also actively listening to others, fostering a sense of unity within the team. Moving forward, I recognize the significance of honing my communication skills both on and off the sports arena.

Adaptability emerged as a key theme throughout the UTM GAMES. The fast-paced nature of both volleyball and basketball demanded quick thinking and flexibility in strategy. As a player, I learned to embrace change, adapt to unforeseen circumstances, and make split-second decisions. These lessons in adaptability extend beyond the sports field and will undoubtedly contribute to my ability to navigate challenges in various aspects of life. The UTM GAMES served as a practical classroom, teaching me that adaptability is a skill that transcends sports and is crucial for success in any endeavor.

The UTM GAMES also provided a unique platform for developing leadership and teamwork skills. As a participant, I had the opportunity to lead by example, motivate teammates, and contribute to the overall success of the team. Collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds enhanced my appreciation for the strengths each team member brought to the table. This experience underscored the importance of collective effort and reinforced the idea that effective leadership is rooted in collaboration and mutual support. Moving forward, I am committed to further cultivating these leadership and teamwork skills to positively impact not only my athletic pursuits but also my academic and professional endeavors.

A summary of what I have gained from completing the course.

    Overall, this course took me nearly one month to complete this course and what I gained from completing the course is that I acquired a clearer picture of cloud computing. From not knowing the word itself, I get to know its contexts. Plus, I learned how AWS worked and understood the advantages that AWS cloud computing can give entrepreneurs. For instance, instead of purchasing, operating, and maintaining physical data centres and servers, entrepreneurs can rent computing power, storage, and databases from a cloud provider on an as-needed basis.

My motivation to complete this project.

       For me, this project is quite a lengthy project. I break it up into minor parts and plan the assignment thoroughly to complete it. But overall, the one that leads me to complete this badge is to gain marks and conclude this course successfully.

My opinion on this badge difficulty.

          In my opinion, getting the badge was easy as the AWS website gives a lot of clear guidance on what to do. However, in my opinion, understanding the contexts of cloud computing is a bit difficult. Many unfamiliar words keep appearing in the tutorial video that sometimes I have difficulty understanding. Nevertheless, they explained it very well in simple words that I could understand. Plus, the most accessible module I had completed was module 3. I would say this because it is the shortest module and the term words in there are not that difficult for me to understand. The challenge of the unfamiliar words may be that I do not have any basics of cloud computing.
         On the other hand, module 6 was the most complex of the courses. It is because it is the longest and there is a lot of activity needed. In this module also, I need to be able to classify which AWS compute services need to be used in a specific situation. 

A badge's worth.

        While there are many advantages to AWS certifications, I would be honest that the most value is seen where certification could lead to a better job and higher money. However, I cannot be satisfied with that because the badges will not guarantee the dream career I want. This certification or badge may help me land interviews and may even help me land positions.

Feedback on getting the badge.

           Indeed, it broadens my knowledge and skills in cloud computing. Before starting this course, I didn't even understand or know cloud computing. But, thanks to this course, I could understand it, and I had a chance to do a project that included cloud computing. This helped me better understand the purpose of cloud computing.

My opinion on whether every company should shift to cloud computing.

       In my opinion, for them to improve their operations, businesses invest a lot of money creating and implementing software. Here, cloud computing helps their company use the software as a service through the Internet instead of building the system physically. Cloud computing is also a secure method to store their company data and share the data. Moving to the cloud will boost their company's competitiveness and flexibility, improve disaster recovery plans, protect your critical data, and save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

I think every computer science or UTM student should learn cloud computing.

          From my perspective, every science computer student should learn or get the AWS badge after I experience the course. It could strengthen their base and help them understand the trend in technology prospects. It also contains a lot of advantages to a student itself, so why not give it a try, right?

Advice to my friends who have not gotten their AWS badge yet.

        To those who did not get the AWS badge yet, grab the chance faster. Upgrade and expand your knowledge to stay competitive in this industry. AWS badge was one of the SECP1513 lessons; this means you could get it for free, so why not start something to upgrade yourself and help to fulfil your resume later.

My direction after completing the badge.

         After completing the badge, I would say that I need to gain more knowledge about the cloud computing world to secure a career in the future. The AWS badge already provides the base; therefore, I need to build up the path myself.

My opinion about getting the AWS badge is concluded in the SECP1513 course. 

             It is a great way to persuade the students to learn cloud computing. At the same time, it allows the students to understand better the trend playing around the technological world. Plus, the students also gain extra help from their respective lecturers to help them complete the badge.

Goal or dream concerning my course or program.

As I finished this semester, I realised that there are more things that I need to explore and educate myself. These are my goal and dream about these courses and programs.

First, I would like to sharpen and upgrade my programming technique skill. After finishing course SECP1015, I will explore in C++ language first. Make sure that it is strong enough, and at the same time, I understand the program entirely that whenever someone needs a hand on it, I can explain it to them well. I found myself very fond of this course. Hence, I would like to focus and sharpen my coding skills by taking advantage of that interest. Plus, if I have the opportunity to learn another language program, I would take it gladly. This course helps sharpen my creativity.

Other than that, after taking a step back to review all the courses that I had learned in this program, I found that I need to make a significant effort in understanding Discrete Structure. I am having a hard time understanding this course. Every time assignment needs to be done, I need my friends helps to do with the assignment given. Without it, I don't think I can finish it. Therefore, I hope to understand this course well before the final test.

As you can see, these two courses play a significant role in this semester. For other courses, I enjoyed learning them. One of the best memory is for the TIS assignment where we need to do a low-fidelity prototype. I hope in the new semester I can do some more similar projects like that again.

Action or plan to improve my potential in the industry

Knowing what I can improve is a tremendous help in coming up with a strategy for resolving my flaws and becoming a better employee in the future. I can make myself a more appealing candidate for promotions by addressing areas of weakness and expanding on areas of strength.

However, I need to choose or specify the career path I want before all that. To be honest, I still don't know what to choose, but I will follow my interest in programming. I will set that as my starting point in my career journey. The most significant action that I need to take is strengthening my foundation, which involves soft and hard skills. Here, I would like to focus on this two first rather than travel far in planning my action towards this goal.

Firstly, I need to reinforce my soft skills. This way, I could interact with others with ease and confidence—one of the skills that I need to prioritise is my communication, time management, and leadership. How? Overall, I will first self-reflect to identify the best approach to make up for my weakness. Next, step out of my comfort zone to get into a settling that I do not naturally gravitate to. For instance, I always felt timid and intimidated whenever I needed to speak English. Therefore, the best way was to join an English club or casually speak English with my friends every day. Next, asking for feedback about my soft skills could also strengthen my skills. Lastly, actively listen—many of the soft talents described before require excellent listening skills. When I listen, I need to be sure that I listen to comprehend, not just to respond.

Next are the actions that need to be taken for hard skills. Hard skills are those that are required to do a given task. These abilities are often obtained through education and training and are necessary for pursuing and succeeding in a specific employment field. For now, I would like to focus more on computer skills as my most extensive interest is in those scopes. The specific computer skills include Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Suite skills. Plus, programming skills are also classified as computer skills. Therefore, learning Python, Java and C++ would be my goal. I can think of and do several ways: to take online courses such as Harvard free course and regularly practising these hard skills is a key to getting better at them.

My opinion on whether this subject contributes to my knowledge.

The TIS or Technology and Information System course do contribute a lot of knowledge to me. It exposes the emerging trends of information systems and technology and how it is used ubiquitously at home and the workplace. This helps me understand more about technology and broaden my career prospects. The most important lesson was when we needed to complete the AWS academy and make a low-fidelity prototype website. AWS certificate exposed and taught me a lot about cloud computing systems. Plus, making the low-fidelity prototype help me to understand better design and flow in making a useful website.

Acknowledgement for my lecturers.

I want to express my special appreciation and thanks to all my lecturers in year 1 for their constant guidance, which they always provided me. I want to thank you all for always encouraging me in doing all those assignments and projects. These would never be possible without the appropriate guidance and motivation. Once again, thank you.