I remember the Functional Programming course you guys taught. Any chance of putting that course in the "Free Course Archives" :)
Sure :)
Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
91–100 of 275 posts
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#92Looks very similar to Holberton School - https://www.holbertonschool.com/ - launched 2 years ago, it's also 17% after students get a job. Their curriculum covers low-level programming, high-level programming and system engineering. They have a pretty good track record so far, students finding opportunities at NASA, LinkedIn, Apple, Dropbox, Docker.
Ya, holberton is solid. It would be difficult or impossible for most of our students to move to San Francisco unpaid for two years.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#93How do you know that your graduates are or aren't making more than 50k? How do you know that you're getting your 17%? Aside from that, you're essentially giving your students a loan and then having them repay it once they start earning money. How is this any different than a regular student loan (but with way more risk on your end)?
> How do you know that your graduates are or aren't making more than 50k? Great question. In addition to our income share agreement, each student submits a form to the IRS that will essentially copy us on their taxes. We have annual reconciliation based on those numbers to see if they match a student's self-reported numbers. > You're essentially giving your students a loan and then having them repay it once they star…
Came across your site the other day. I was wondering is the 17% from their base salary before taxes? So they (if in say California) pay federal, state, & you guys off the top? Great idea either way!
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#94How will you prevent this from becoming predatory as pressure for improving the bottom line mounts? It feels like a very fine line between altruism and taking advantage of ignorance.
I'm not sure how to answer that question; if you are giving people a job it's hard to be too predatory so long as you charge reasonable rates. We simply try to be honest and fair up-front.
> so long as you charge reasonable rates. We simply try to be honest and fair up-front.
And what is your plan to prevent you from changing your terms later?
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's not a "type" we're looking for; some of our best students barely finished high school, let alone college. Our schedule is full-time just because we're looking for people that are dedicated. We're working on part-time, but have to be more careful with that, as it would be about a year long.
But how would a person in high school dedicate full time learning 'how to program'? That seems impossible. The same goes for full time college student. Let's say I think I am dedicated (I know you'll have your own criteria on identifying my dedication). Say that I am in high school. How do you expect me to study during your defined hours full time? The best I could think of is dedicating my full time hours during sum…
You don't have to start full-time, but most of our students have dabbled. That's not a 100% truism.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
But how would a person in high school dedicate full time learning 'how to program'? That seems impossible. The same goes for full time college student. Let's say I think I am dedicated (I know you'll have your own criteria on identifying my dedication). Say that I am in high school. How do you expect me to study during your defined hours full time? The best I could think of is dedicating my full time hours during sum…
I think the concept is awesome and I hope that my comment won't be taken as cynical: I get the dedication part but some people may have commitments that they can't avoid at all - childcare, for example. Having commitments shouldn't be confused with lacking dedication, IMO. For me, the biggest USP about a remote school, or any MOOC really, is the flexibility that it offers. Structured , yes, but 3-5 hours a day would…
Ya we're working on part-time, it just comes with other complications.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#97Do you plan on accepting students from outside the US, and if so how does that change your model?
We will open in the EU and Canada soon.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#98Do you accept or plan on accepting international students?
Working on it. It comes with a lot of complications.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
If that's a step function, then people would be happy earning $49,999 than $60k (and may even try to negotiate with the employer to reduce the salary)
I suppose that's a risk we have to take, though being willing to forgo $10k of income for two years ($20k) in order to avoid paying $20k seems a little silly; all you'd gain are the taxes, but you'd also have a hard time getting a raise, etc.
Unless they form a contract with their employers saying they will take 49,999 for 2 years with a guaranteed raise to 60k at the end. Employer saves money, employee saves money, school gets screwed...
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#100Looks very similar to Holberton School - https://www.holbertonschool.com/ - launched 2 years ago, it's also 17% after students get a job. Their curriculum covers low-level programming, high-level programming and system engineering. They have a pretty good track record so far, students finding opportunities at NASA, LinkedIn, Apple, Dropbox, Docker.
Ya, holberton is solid. It would be difficult or impossible for most of our students to move to San Francisco unpaid for two years.
They get paid pretty fast though at Holberton, as they start their first internship after 6 months in.