Let’s be honest — being a final-year engineering student and AWS Cloud Club Captain is like trying to balance a load balancer on top of a caffeine-fueled tornado.
Here’s how I managed (most of) it.
1. Divide and Conquer (Literally)
The best decision I made: splitting the club into teams and team leads.
Technical, Design, Social Media, Events, Documentation, and Logistics — each team had its own mini-ecosystem.
They handled the small fires; I handled the ones with alarms.
They’d report to me and the core team, and I’d coordinate the chaos like a project manager who just discovered Google Calendar.
Academics, unfortunately, didn’t come with team leads.
That was a solo project — powered entirely by sticky notes and caffeine.
2. Template Everything
Our design team are absolute legends. They built poster templates, pitch decks, event kits — everything reusable.
That way, if someone messages me at 11:45 PM saying,
“We need a poster by tomorrow morning!”
I can just say, “Check the template folder.” Bam boy.
3. Backup Plans Are Your First Plans
In every event, there’s that one speaker who cancels last minute. So, I made backup plans as my default.
If a speaker couldn’t come, I’d have a mini session ready — or two other members prepped to fill in.
Sometimes, I’d even do a live demo or an impromptu workshop myself. It’s called “disaster recovery,” but for humans.
4. Time Management ≠ Magic
Getting event approvals from college was… let’s say, a full-time sport.
Half my time went into convincing admin offices that a cloud event wouldn’t literally require clouds.
So yes, time management is survival — not luxury.
I leaned heavily on Google Calendar, alarms, and guilt reminders (“if you don’t do this now, you’ll regret it”).
5. Motivation Is… Complicated
Keeping teams motivated is hard. Sometimes, gentle encouragement works. Other times, you just have to get on their nerves until the work gets done.
My trick? Show them impact.
When members see their poster go live, or their code deployed on AWS, they light up — and that’s contagious.
6. Genius Hacks
Always keep a folder of pre-approved designs, templates, and forms. Saves you hours.
Create a “Panic Page” — event agenda, contacts, backup slides, all in one place.
Keep one spare HDMI cable. You’ll thank yourself one day.
7. Unfiltered Advice for Future Captains
You’ll have amazing days, chaotic days, and days where you’ll question your sanity. But here’s the truth:
“No one’s going to care about your club as much as you do — and that’s your superpower.”
Do it yourself if you have to.
Lead with empathy.
Laugh at your rookie mistakes.
And never forget — caffeine might keep you awake, but passion keeps you alive.
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/iamlabeeq
Please leave a comment on how I can do better both in club and posting stuff!
Top comments (1)
So real, so funny, and surprisingly full of great management wisdom...