During three months in the FCAJ AWS Bootcamp, I gained substantial new knowledge about AWS, cloud computing, and how to build a technical project with a more practical focus. Before the program, I understood cloud only at a basic conceptual level and could not clearly picture how a system on AWS should be designed, deployed, and operated.
Through the LiveCap project, I explored Amazon S3, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon ECS Fargate, Amazon ECR, Application Load Balancer, Amazon CloudWatch, IAM, AWS WAF, Amazon Transcribe, and Amazon Translate. I also learned about WebSockets, real-time captioning, CI/CD, Terraform, logging, monitoring, cost optimization, and resource clean-up to prevent unnecessary charges.
The most important lesson was that a technical project should not merely “work.” It also needs a clear architecture, reasons for service choices, basic security, error visibility, cost controls, and documentation that others can understand. I previously evaluated projects mainly by whether their features were complete. After the bootcamp, I understand that a good project must be considered as a complete system.
I learn new material reasonably well when I have a clear objective. However, I also recognize that I am not yet consistently proactive. I tend to work better when an environment, team, or mentor provides motivation. Without that momentum or a clear sense of direction, I can fall into working only when I feel inspired or when a deadline is close.
During the bootcamp, I focused mainly on learning, developing the project, and completing requirements. I was not very proactive in asking administrators or mentors questions. In the early sessions, I primarily approached the program as a listener, and there were not many situations in which I felt that I needed to ask directly. At times, I also did not know exactly what to ask or did not yet feel comfortable initiating the conversation.
I assess my communication ability as average. I can communicate normally, but my technical communication is not always clear and structured. During the project, I realized that the scope and implementation direction were not finalized early enough, so the project improved through several stages. This produced a better result over time, but it made task division, idea presentation, and explanation of technical decisions less efficient.
For networking, I can speak with unfamiliar people when they initiate the conversation, but I am not yet good at starting conversations or actively maintaining connections. This is an area I need to improve to grow in technology communities and professional environments.
I am reasonably confident in my English ability. However, I still lack some specialized vocabulary and have not been proactive enough in demonstrating this ability during learning, networking, or technical presentations.
The bootcamp and project taught me that problem solving is not only about fixing an error; it begins with understanding where the problem exists. LiveCap required me to examine several system layers, including the frontend, backend, WebSocket communication, AWS services, IAM permissions, deployment, routing, logs, and operating costs.
Initially, I did not fully understand why CloudFront or an ALB was needed, how ECS Fargate differed from EC2, where WAF should be placed, or why a working project could still create high cloud costs. Each failure and question gradually taught me to analyze the system as a whole instead of treating every issue as an isolated defect.
I still need to improve my teamwork. I was not consistently proactive in communicating, asking questions early, or sharing progress. When the team lacked momentum or a clear initial direction, my own motivation and initiative were also affected. This is something I need to address because a professional environment will not always provide a team or mentor who creates motivation for me.
The bootcamp helped me understand that teamwork is not limited to completing an assigned task. It also requires communication, agreement on scope, clarification of requirements, and maintaining a shared working rhythm.
My largest personal contribution was developing LiveCap from an initial idea into a project with a reasonably clear AWS architecture. The project helps participants in workshops, meetings, or classes follow content through real-time captions, transcripts, and Vietnamese-English translation.
I contributed to use-case definition, AWS service selection, architecture design, backend and frontend implementation, real-time flow research, session handling, transcript storage, log monitoring, and basic cost optimization. I also prepared project documentation covering the architecture, selected services, reasons for technical choices, deployment steps, testing, security, cost optimization, and clean-up.
Although the project can still be improved, I consider it an important step in my development. It taught me how to turn an idea into a structured technical system with an architecture, documentation, and a story that can be presented to other people.
My most important area for improvement is initiative. I need to be more proactive in learning, asking questions, seeking support, communicating with others, and building professional relationships. I previously worked best when external motivation or an inspiring person was available. After the bootcamp, I understand that technology professionals, especially in cloud, must learn to create their own momentum.
I also need to improve technical communication. I should practice presenting problems more clearly, confirming scope earlier, explaining technical decisions more logically, and collaborating more effectively with a team. A project not only needs to be implemented; it must also be communicated clearly so other people can understand and develop it further.
Technically, I need stronger foundations in AWS networking, IAM, security, Terraform, monitoring, and cost optimization. The bootcamp introduced these topics, but I need more practice to understand and apply them deeply.
Finally, I need to maintain LinkedIn, GitHub, my portfolio, and my CV more consistently. I now recognize the importance of building a professional profile, but I have not yet maintained it regularly enough. This will remain an important goal after the program.