Journey to becoming a Google Developer Student Club Lead

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“There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.”
― Idowu Koyenikan

Purpose of Writing this blog:- Documenting my Journey of Community Experience & Sharing my Insights, in hope that it may help you for the same.

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This Blog Cover following points :-

1. What is GDSC?

2. How to apply to become GDSC Lead?

3. What GDSC Lead do?

4. The Journey/ Steps to become GDSC Lead

5. My experience of becoming GDSC Lead

Q. What is Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSC)? And how you can also become GDSC LEAD?

Google Developer Student Clubs are community groups for college students interested in Google Developer Technologies. Students from all Undergraduate or Graduate programs with an interest in growing as a Developer are eligible to join. By joining a GDSC, students grow their knowledge in a peer-to-peer learning environment and build solutions for local businesses and their communities.
GDSC is an initiative by Google to encourage Developer Community Environment.

Being a part of this Global Community helps you to grow professionally and personally. Being a Lead of a Community enhance you to gain Leadership skills which is an important quality nowadays. And also the main quality that being in community teaches you is the "TEAM WORK". It will gradually boost your confidence even if you are not an public speaker, you will learn public speaking skills that will help you at the time of your presentations/ interviews.

So now you might be wondering whether your university/ college has GDSC Community or not. To know more about GDSC and to check for your nearest club you can explore the Google Developers Student Clubs Program Page

Q. What does a GDSC Lead do?

To put it in the simple words, A GDSC Lead is responsible to start a Club at his/her university if it's the first time that their university is having GDSC, else you will be taking over the lead position from your past lead.

Every GDSC Lead has a 1 year tenure and they have power to choose their own Core Team. We will discuss this in the upcoming points.

After becoming lead, you will be responsible to host various kinds of Events/ Workshops for your club students. And this workshops/ events are "not" sponsored by Google or Google Community.

Then you have to build projects that can get a Global Platform to show your skills and enthusiam for the technology. This will be done under Solution Challenge Program.

Q. The GDSC LEAD Selection Process

During the "Form Evaluation" step, you have to answer few questions as this will help GDSC Selection Panel to understand you. You also have to attach one "self introductory video" along with it.

As you qualify the first step, you will be selected for Diagnostic Test. This test will cover topics like basics of programming, General Aptitude and some logic-based questions.

After qualifying the steps above, you will reach your "interview round" here you have to appear for interview with an executive. You will have freedom to choose interview date & time. This interview consists of technical questions & related to how will you handle the challenges that you may face as a lead either its regarding arranging a speaker at last moment due to any reasons, or maybe handling the audience or the venue capacity.

Q.My experience of becoming a GDSC Lead

A. To be completely honest, before learning about GDSC or GDG, I knew nothing about developer communities. After that, I did some research and spoke with a couple of my seniors as well as several professionals who had already worked on this. Then I submitted my application—the first time a student from my university had done so. After that, a number of my friends assisted me in creating my one-minute application video and in getting ready for the general aptitude test and some programming problems. Being from the previous year, they were already familiar with the kinds of questions to prepare for these kinds of technical roles & interviews.

And because so many students from my university had applied, I was nervous after finishing the application procedure. The circumstances were tight. When I was selected, my university Dean congratulated me, it was truly a satisfying occasion. Furthermore, he still sincerely supports and promotes GDSC activities & also provides advice based on his knowledge.

It has been a challenging yet exciting journey through which I got opportunity to learn and understand myself, and create a better version of myself. It was an honour for me to be the first GDSC Lead of my University.