This is my first article on AWS Builder Center, and I want to begin with the idea that has shaped the way I learn: build in public.
I spend a lot of time on YouTube and Instagram searching for creators and builders who develop excellent technology solutions. What attracts me is not only the final product. I want to understand the thinking behind it: how the idea started, which decisions were made, what challenges appeared, and how the builder transformed a concept into something real.
Seeing people create ambitious solutions reminds me that technology is not only something we consume. It is something we can learn, test, improve, and build ourselves.
However, inspiration is only the beginning.
There comes a moment when we need to close the video, open our tools, and start experimenting. That is when someone else’s work stops being only inspiration and begins helping us develop our own experience.
Why I decided to build in public
For me, building in public does not mean sharing every detail or trying to present unfinished work as a perfect product.
It means documenting the journey honestly.
When I record the problem, my decisions, the attempts that failed, and the final result, the project becomes more than something stored on my computer. It becomes evidence of what I learned and something that may help another builder facing a similar challenge.
Building in public also encourages me to practice excellence. Not perfection, but the discipline of organizing my ideas, improving the solution, explaining my decisions clearly, and taking responsibility for the quality of what I create.
One of the opportunities I have today came partly because of a project I built and documented publicly in the past. The work was organized well enough for other people to understand the problem, the process, and the result.
That experience taught me that we do not always know when a project will create an opportunity. The work we share today may become the proof someone needs to trust us in the future.
Learning and building with AWS
I am Rubens Jean Simon, a Computer Science student at the Federal University of Fronteira Sul in Chapecó, Brazil, and an AWS Student Builder Group Leader.
I am grateful for the opportunity AWS has given me to continue learning, connect with other builders, and help create a community where students can transform curiosity into practical experience.
AWS Builder Center makes that journey even more meaningful. It is a place where builders at different stages can share knowledge, discover solutions, and learn from real experiences.
As a student and community leader, I want to use this opportunity not only to improve my own technical skills, but also to encourage other students to start building, documenting, and sharing what they learn.
This is only the beginning
This first article is an introduction to the mindset behind my journey.
In my next article, I will share more about a solution I have been building with AWS services. I want to explain the problem, the architecture, the decisions I made, the challenges I encountered, and the lessons I learned during the process.
Thank you to AWS for this opportunity, and thank you to every creator and builder whose work continues to inspire others to move from watching to building.
You do not need to wait until everything is perfect.
Start with curiosity. Build something real. Document the journey. Practice excellence.
What will you start building today?
Join AWS Builder Center for a chance to win a $250 gift card.
We’ve sourced content from our Student Builder Group Leaders and have permission to use these as part of our sponsored content marketing. Find the original article on AWS Builder Center: https://builder.aws.com/content/3ClI22GwPNnJpVuswN3pflHR5fK/build-in-public-practice-excellence