GCSJ Campaign: The unsung hero — facilitator’s journey to incredible Impact
Hey folks, I am Rakesh Valasala, Google Developer Student Clubs Lead at Mohan Babu University. I am currently pursuing a degree in computer science and systems engineering.I was very fond of trending technologies in the industry and actively participated in community work.
Every developer starts their career with different technologies in the industry. My developer career started like this. It was my freshman year, and I was thinking about where to start my developer career to learn new technologies. Then I got to know about the Google Cloud Ready Facilitator Program 2022.
Google Cloud-Ready Facilitator Program
This program was very similar to Google Cloud Study Jams, where I started my cloud computing journey by learning Google Cloud and successfully completed the program. Then I got a chance to go through the Google career readiness program, where I went through Architecting with Google Compute Engine Specialization and Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: I took the Associate Cloud Engineer Official Google Cloud Certification Exam. I have worked on a Google Cloud project to build architecture with the Computine Engine and Kubernetes Engine.
Associate Cloud Engineer
This is a brief introduction to my developer expertise in cloud computing and Google Cloud.
I first heard about the Google Cloud Study Jams when I was exploring Google Developer Student Clubs and came to know this is a program of the GDSC of the university, which is very similar to the program with which I started my career, the Google Cloud Ready Facilitator Program. Then I am excited to facilitate the program at my university with the help of GDSC to share my knowledge with my fellow college students.
What is the Google Cloud Study Jam?
Google Cloud Study Jam is a program conducted by Google Developer Student Clubs in universities. The 150 students of the university are enrolled in the program on a first-come, first-served basis, with the help of the Google Cloud Study Jams Facilitator at the university. Undergraduate students are going through cloud computing and Google Cloud modules and cloud computing hands-on practice using Qwiklabs and the Google Cloud Skill Boost Platform.
As part of the Google Cloud Computing Foundation pathway from last year, GCSJ adds one new arcade game on threading technology, like ChatGPT Generative AI Arcade Game.
Google Cloud Study Jam
Google Cloud Study Jam
We started promoting the program at our university and on our social media platforms, and we got a huge response as many students are interested in participating in a program conducted by Google Developer Student Clubs. The available slots are 150. We were worried about the nearly 100 registrations—more than the available slots. Then GDSC India Community Regional Leads increased the 10,000 slots all over India, and there we got a chance to enroll all the registered people in the program, and finally we got 247 correct registrations.
How did I become a facilitator of the Google Cloud Study Jam?
As a community lead at GDSC MBU, I registered my name as a facilitator for the Google Cloud Study Jam.
Nominate Facilitator
A facilitator is skilled in cloud computing and Google Cloud and can work on developing cloud skills for program participants and helping them to enroll in the program, redeem pathways, complete pathways, and clear problems in completion.
This year, the GCSJ happened in two phases: the first phase was in September, and the second phase was in October. For my convenience, I chose the first phase and joined the orientation of GCSJ on August 29, 2023.
GCSJ Enrollment
Our event management team, Devarshini Rangineni, Nandini Puthramaddi, Madhumitha Kasarla, Leena Modupalli, V.S. Mustak Moulana, Khaleed Khan Patan, Revanth Thiruvidhi, and Karthik Jampula, played a tremendous role in program promotion at the university and on social media. The team worked hard to enroll participants, help them fill out the application, and redeem the pathways to their Google Cloud Skill Boost account.
Challenges in Hosting Google Cloud Study Jam as a Facilitator
Our college was a Tier III college, where students are not aware of tech communities and industry programs conducted by communities. The students at your college are very weak in development and other fields and are unable to work on good programs. So I decided to build a good tech community in college and spread awareness about emerging technologies and programs to help students build there careers in the IT industry. I started Google Developer Student Clubs at Mohan Babu University, the first ever tech community in our college.
As the GDSC is new, students are unable to work on filling out applications and registering for the programs, and some students are unable to join the community portals. As a facilitator, I found students were unable to fill out the application form for GCSJ, so we conducted a special virtual session on enrolling in the program.We conducted a virtual session on the proper redemption of pathways and how to complete the pathways successfully.
My main motive is to teach cloud concepts to the students, so we had a special session on technical cloud concepts. The first technical session, Kickstart Cloud Study Jam, was held on September 7th, 2023, on Bevy with 242 attendees. We discussed the basic terminologies of cloud computing and how cloud computing is revolutionizing present industries and organizations. A clear overview of how to handle the GCP platform
Here is the presentation link for the session: LINK
The overview of the session is as follows:
- Introduction to Cloud Computing
- Waves in Cloud Computing
- Introduction to GCP
- Introduction to Gen AI
We conducted a second session on Building Cloud Architecture on Bevy with 294 attendees using a compute engine and hosting web services using Apche 2.0 on the server to make the public use the service. This is a hands-on session with practical implementation of cloud concepts on the GCP platform to provide services. This session taught the students how to use the cloud and build awesome services for the public.
Here is overview of the session on Building Cloud Architecture
This session motivated students and helped them build innovative solutions in the cloud.
My personal Growth and Development with the Campaign
My personal life has changed drastically with the campaign. I have been an introvert by nature since my childhood. I didn’t stand out in any program until now and do not have any leadership qualities. This is the first time I have taken on a responsibility as a community lead at GDSC, as there is no prior experience. I was worried about how to handle this program and community, so I started going to work and just went with the flow. Gradually, I developed my skills in handling situations and programs; my communication with people and leadership qualities drastically changed. I have cleared all the challenges of my facilitatorship in the campaign.
Google Cloud Study Jam is the platform where I first conducted a technical session and made it successful with huge positive feedback from the participants, which is a memorable moment in the campaign. This is a game-changer in my life. My career is also developed with the campaign and good leadership skills to handle the program or a team. I gained professional skills with good experience in team building, management, and overall leadership, which makes me stand out in my profession.
Success stories of the Google Cloud Study jam
Participants in GCSJ actively completed the pathways of Google Cloud Computation Foundations and Gen AI arcade games to obtain skills in one of the emerging technologies, Google Cloud. We created a community group with the participants and GCJS experts who completed it in 2022 to help participants clear up their problems. Our community groups have extraordinary people who help other participants complete there pathways and solve technical issues while things go wrong in Google Cloud Skill Boost.
Apart from simply completing the hands-on session,we completely avoid solutions on the online platform and restrict your participants from using those because they may help in completion but are not good for their learning activities. We supported and motivated our participants to complete the hands-on labs using the documentation and lab guide; this way, they can learn the knowledge and stand out in the communities.
People guided each other on how to clear a problem during the completion of a hands-on lab. I help all the participants with major problems they face in the weekly Q&A session. Weekly sessions will focus on student interaction and doubt clearing.
My personal experience with the program
My personal experience with the Google Cloud Study Jam (GCSJ) program has been incredibly rewarding. As a facilitator, I have had the opportunity to help students learn and overcome technologies like cloud computing and Google Cloud and develop their cloud skills. I have also grown and developed personally, gaining leadership and communication skills.
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a facilitator is seeing the students learn and grow. When they start the program, many of them are new to cloud computing and Google Cloud. However, by the end of the program, they have gained a strong foundation in cloud concepts and are able to apply their skills to build real-world solutions.
The GCSJ program has also helped me to grow and develop personally. As a facilitator, I have had to learn how to manage a team, communicate effectively with students, and solve problems. I have also had to learn how to adapt to change and to be flexible. These skills have helped me to become a better leader and communicator.
Overall, my personal experience with the GCSJ program has been incredibly positive. I have had the opportunity to help students learn and grow, to develop my cloud skills, and to grow and develop personally. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a facilitator and to contribute to the GCSJ community.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the GCSJ program. It has been a life-changing experience for me.