Gamuda AI Academy

How I got in with only a Cert in IT

Halfway through the JomHack Python bootcamp, I spotted Gamuda AI Academy on the same TikTok lives that had found me the bootcamp: an AI bootcamp fully sponsored by Yayasan Gamuda. The January intake looked full, with the earliest slot in May. Then a January slot freed up, by fate or by the grace of God, and I applied on the spot, sat the coding assessment, and passed it holding only a Cert in Information Technology. Not even a diploma. I told my whole family that Gamuda was sponsoring my studies.

The imposter syndrome hit hardest here. Most of my classmates were in their degree or master's, or already working in tech, and I was the only one without even a basic diploma. I decided that would not define me. Only I shape my future, through what I do today and tomorrow.

The program: GAIA, Cohort 5, KL Campus

January to March 2026, an intense three month upskilling bootcamp covering the fundamentals of a Full Stack Developer and the fundamentals of an AI Engineer (not an ML Engineer; those are two different things). Classes ran 9am to 12pm, then 1pm to 5pm was capstone time: Python, FastAPI, React, Langchain, RAG, agentic workflows, daily.

I can honestly say I was the least knowledgeable coder in the room when I joined. The trainers, my classmates, and my teammates were so supportive that I came out having learned coding, AI, networking, and most importantly, leadership.

JAAVIS: my team, my title

The cohort split into seven groups of six, and I landed in Team 3. We named ourselves JAAVIS, built from our own names: J for Jason, A for Alan, A for Adam, V for me, Varakorn, I for Irfan, S for Shasha. I was the youngest in the group, but maybe founder mode was on: I volunteered to lead, the team accepted, and JAAVIS Group Team Lead is a title I take pride in to this day.

Looking back, I lacked a lot in leadership, and I hope my teammates forgive my naiveness. But I stand by a lesson from Meng, my old boss at HYGR: be proud of your work if you know you did your best at that time, because at that time, that was your best.

Tendervise AI, and three minutes with a Minister

Our capstone was Tendervise AI: an agent that reads construction tender documents, extracts the requirements, and scores each tender against ESG criteria, targeting a 50% cut in tender response time. FastAPI backend, RAG over the tender corpus, Langchain orchestrating the agent steps.

Only two teams out of seven were selected to present to YB Datuk Chang Lih Kang, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI): JAAVIS, and Team 2, who later won first place for their capstone demo presentation on the final day. As team lead, the presenting fell to me. I was nervous and happy at once, and I did my best. He is the second YB I have spoken with; the first was YB Syed Saddiq, back during my HYGR days.

The people who changed the trajectory

Those three months were some of the best of my life: visiting Google HQ and Gamuda HQ, and networking with people who taught me how to think about the future. The advice that stuck came from Mr Johan Nasir, the kind of bold mind a successful person needs: "You can go to work first, no problem. But treat it as your business. Go in, understand the business problem, then solve it like you own it."

That advice is exactly who I am now as an AI Specialist at P10X Media, building custom internal software like I own the problem. I might still be catching up on the technology side, but I know damn well I am the kind of person who can survive any situation.