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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

#161

Post by justonepost »

usegolang wrote: post #158
Humphrey wrote: post #154

Australia has the best of all of this already to study at any Australian University! - Depending on your social-economic background, The government pays you a cost-of-living income [1], - pays your university fees [2] which are tiny compared to US fees, - and you repay back 4%/year once your have an income > than approx A$55,000. 17% looks very painful in comparison! Of cause, you need to be an Australian, so it prob…

4% a year for how long and what's the cap? What if you never get a job? Any other restrictions? Ps - forgive my shortness I'm on mobile.

Yesh, how many years?? Two years is nothing.

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

#162

Post by sanderjd »

mobilefriendly wrote: post #156
austenallred wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before taxes.

I applaud your effort and am interested in how you're working out the tax implications. $17,000 doesn't come of the top in reality, for the marginal $50k person you'd be taking nearly 1/2 of their take home pay. Seems like a longer repayment would be more fair. Also if you forgive the $30,000 that's still a taxable event for the student; they'd owe the IRS as through you'd given them the money, might cost the student…

Note: 17%, not 17,000. So $8,500 for a person making $50k. But 17% does seem a bit high to me, pre-tax.

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

#167

Post by ryan-allen »

minikomi wrote: post #165

For those outside of the US take note: Just a note: We are currently unable to offer income-based repayment outside of the United States. You can still attend Lambda School, but you would have to pay at least $10,000 up-front

Ouch, and 17% seems quite steep? Hm. It might be cheaper compared to a student loan in the USA, but in Australia, you can attend university and get a degree for roughly that cost (or cheaper, from what I understand).

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

#168

Post by GuiA »

keithnz wrote: post #150

I feel it's misleading, it's naming feels like its coat tailing off implying something like a university comp sci degree ( with a practical bent), and this seems more of a React web/mobile app design course with a bit of C++ and some basic algorithms ( presumably so they can pass interviews that seem to be obsessed with such things ) $30k seems steep, and while 0 $ upfront is appealing, that kind of strategy can be e…

17% is huge, particularly when you consider it within the context of after tax income. $100k salary is $60k or so after taxes in California; take away $17k + rent and food, and you're getting pretty close to paycheck to paycheck living, particularly if the person has loans from a failed college attempt, medical expenses, etc.

They're essentially asking for $30-$60k or so - which is more than in state tuition for a bachelor's degree in many states. The difference is that a BSc is still widely recognized and accepted and will still be in 10 years (despite what many HNers would like to think), unlike this program, which most certainly won't even exist anymore.

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

#170

Post by uniclaude »

Amazing! I'm pleased to see that there are startups out here trying to solve this type of problems. Taking the risk is ballsy and should be rewarded!

Questions!

- Do you plan to extend the syllabus to something more fundamental? Asking because you have some C++ and already go further than bootcamps, so I'm wondering if you intend to pursue this direction and get closer to a formal CS education.

- Do you plan to work on giving some sort of degrees later? Some countries require degrees for immigration, which is a door that bootcamps do not open. By offering degrees, you open the global market to your students, and in an increasingly connected world, it can make a huge difference. I basically owe my quality of life to the mobility I got thanks to my degree, and this is something I wish to everyone.

Massive Kudos to you guys! I hope you will eventually offer the same service to students outside of the US. The market is large.

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