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Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

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Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#111

Post by hysan »

austenallred wrote: post #90
hysan wrote: post #82

Out of curiosity, I signed up for the JavaScript Mini Code Bootcamp - Archive to evaluate the quality of the lectures. I've been watching/listening to the first 20+ min and so far, I'm quite skeptical of the quality of the instruction. Are the archives some sort of practice run or are they reminiscent of the actual lectures?

That's where we test new instructors. It's a class taught to thousands of people at once, so very, very different.

I see. Thanks for answering that. If you don't mind, I have some follow-up questions then (since I'm considering doing this as a way to get back into a programming career and possibly recommending this to a friend's friend who has been looking for a bootcamp to change careers):

* What is the style for the actual lectures?

* Are you using any tools aside from screencasting and chat to supplement the lectures?

* Your courses are listed as full time, 9-6 affairs. What is the typical schedule over the course of the day?

* Is there any room in the course/syllabus for the instructors to help students with questions about related topics not included in the syllabus? For example, a quick glance shows that you cover React Native's ListView but I see no mention of the newer FlatList or SectionList.

* Related, do you discuss why certain tools are chosen to be taught over others? And how to choose a library to use when presented with several seemingly similar options? For example, XMLHttpRequest vs fetch vs SuperAgent vs etc. vs your choice of axios. Same with react-navigation over other libraries. People unfamiliar with the field will undoubtedly hear about these other libraries or even get asked about them, so I'm a bit concerned about recommending this to someone without any background in programming at all.

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#112

Post by ztratar »

austenallred wrote: post #110
dragonfax wrote: post #109

This isn't new. And with schools like this, they say "good job" or tech job, but they mean "any job" (that pays over 50k). I've had friends screwed by this before. If you can't get hired because you went to a "dev bootcamp" or just aren't good enough with code after spending all that time in school, they'll come after your for that car mechanic pay check.

That's simply not true

Actually it is.

https://www.appacademy.io/

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#114

Post by austenallred »

JavaOffScript wrote: post #99
austenallred wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

If that's how you want to optimize your life, congratulations. You cheated the school that gave you a chance out of a few thousand dollars.

Might be smarter to just get paid more :)

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#115

Post by austenallred »

sureste wrote: post #113

Anyone can help me with a question I have? What if I want to take this program from outside of the USA and want to work remotely? Would this count as working in the USA? (Which is one of the questions on the form)

No, it's almost impossible for us to guarantee that kind of a job.

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#116

Post by austenallred »

ztratar wrote: post #112
austenallred wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's simply not true

Actually it is. https://www.appacademy.io/

I was referring to the part about us taking a percentage if you're not working as an engineer. Of course there are other schools that use income share agreements.

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#117

Post by austenallred »

hysan wrote: post #111
austenallred wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's where we test new instructors. It's a class taught to thousands of people at once, so very, very different.

I see. Thanks for answering that. If you don't mind, I have some follow-up questions then (since I'm considering doing this as a way to get back into a programming career and possibly recommending this to a friend's friend who has been looking for a bootcamp to change careers): * What is the style for the actual lectures? * Are you using any tools aside from screencasting and chat to supplement the lectures? * Your c…

I hope you'll forgive me that it'll take a minute to get to these questions.

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#118

Post by austenallred »

bored wrote: post #108

Do you offer opportunities for existing programmers who are looking to improve their skills with the goal of getting a higher programmer salary?

We're working on that. Not yet, probably three months out.

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#119

Post by austenallred »

balls187 wrote: post #94
austenallred wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

You sign an agreement.

Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job

#120

Post by austenallred »

balls187 wrote: post #101
sattoshi wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly is this taking advantage of anybody?

The exact terms aren't disclosed, and what is disclosed is too open ended. This is what I could get from their website. https://lambdaschool.com/about > Attending Lambda School is completely free up-front, and students pay back a portion of their income after they find a high-paying job. > If, for some reason, a student is unable to find a job with a salary above the set threshold, they are not required to pay anythi…

If you email we can send you a link to the whole agreement. We don't post links to it publicly for a few reasons.

You sign an agreement at the beginning of the course, so we can't change terms on you.

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