Forward College

still thinking about last Friday… 🌊

our intern had hosted a beach day in hopes of strengthening our bonds while having fun and toasting marshmallows. there were satay sticks and roasted corn, there were (VERY) creative sandcastles and competitive games (which definitely ensured chaos)…

it was a day of good food and good vibes indeed. 😎

we hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we did.

thanks again, Amir, for planning such a fun event! ⭐

Most training programmes stop at the certificate. Our co-founder and CEO, Howie, doesn't think that's the point.

For Forward College, the real outcome isn't a piece of paper. It's whether you can actually get hired.

Full video is out on YouTube.

Apply now for the next cohort:
https://cloudignite.forward.edu.my/

cloudcareers

What I thought a CS degree would guarantee, and what it didn’t…. 👇🏻

I genuinely thought my CS degree would bring me success, let me learn more about the way computers work, and be part of the big scene in tech in general. I imagined working in Google, Microsoft, any conglomerate you can name, and leave an impact in the world.

What I did not foresee is that, there's actually more code than I can fathom out there in the world, and a lot of times, these codes are outdated, rigid, no longer applies, or just outright giving errors. Big companies usually do not hire you to fix their production code, what you have written today might not even make it into production by the time you leave the company.

Another thing is that I thought having a degree would mean that I can properly integrate into the working world, even if not in Google or Microsoft, I can still work well in a factory right from the get-go.

Little did I know, I could not be more wrong. There is so much to learn at work that my degree should have covered. How applications "talk" to each other, what is JSON, what is a server and client - explained simply. How to start a new project for development, requirements gathering, how to speak to clients that do not understand our jargons, turning requirements into technical specifications, setting up front-end and back-end separately, even something as simple as Git and GitHub. All of these are skills that I have picked up on-the-job, and they have proven invaluable to my experience as a developer.

While it did give me an introduction to programming while I was studying, it was always surface level, and we never got the chance to interact with any real data, or set up any proper systems for our applications.

—

A degree taught Paul the theory. The job taught him everything else: Git, client conversations, how systems actually talk to each other.

Skill still has to be built somewhere else.

not motivated - just not a quitter. 😂

☕ full conversation on youtube - check our [between sips] highlight

5 "tips" junior devs get told constantly that don’t hold up 💭

1. Pick one language and go deep
Only go deeper once you've actually explored what you like. Depth without direction just locks you into a niche you haven't chosen yet.

2. Avoid frameworks - build everything from scratch
Understanding fundamentals matters. Rebuilding a router by hand on day one doesn't teach you that… It just burns your week.

3. Never use Stack Overflow
That's like saying you can write a research paper without citations because you "figured it all out yourself." We're where we are as a species because we collaborate, review, and learn from each other.. This applies to seniors too: a senior who stops learning is only as good as their junior.

4. Memorise Big-O for every common operation
Knowing it exists matters more than reciting it. You'll look it up in five seconds when it's actually relevant.

5. 100% test coverage or it's not production-ready
Coverage numbers get gamed. Untested edge cases still slip through fully "covered" code.

📁 Save this before your next "helpful" senior finds you.

"You're not just learning. You're growing into someone who's ready for the industry."

That's Hong Zheng, on what 12 weeks of Project CloudIgnite actually does.

Practical, hands-on and job-ready by design - powered by AWS re/Start, delivered by Forward College with Exabytes (MY) Cloud Centre of Excellence and AWS.

Watch Hong Zheng, Azre Liyana & Shivaneson tell it in their own words - full stories on YouTube, link in pinned comment.

Some of the most important things our students learn at Forward College don't happen in front of a screen. Last week, that meant spending the day at Thean Oon Senior Home - singing along, helping out, sitting with residents who don't always get visitors.

💙 We teach code. We also teach why it matters who you build it for.

💭 Nov intake applications open - link in bio.