Can you fail out of this program? If not, the degree is worthless. If so, the program wastes all the money it spent educating you.
The incentives at play here seem a bit out of whack...
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
#172Can you fail out of this program? If not, the degree is worthless. If so, the program wastes all the money it spent educating you. The incentives at play here seem a bit out of whack...
Of course you can fail out. We have to build that into our risk model.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#173Amazing! 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…
1. We think we're already covering a lot of the fundamentals. We're not all the way yet, but we're within striking distance of a CS degree.
2. To give a "degree" you have to be accredited, which brings all sorts of ridiculous rules along with it that don't really make sense. So yes, but we're not ready to jump through those hoops yet.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#174What if the student decides to use those skills to create their own startup, instead of getting a regular job? How would you get paid?
We still take a percentage of income. So we'll be rooting for you!
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#175Who are the founders?
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#176Services like this will flood the job market. I wish I could get out of engineering
There's a service called college that millions of people begin each year. We'll barely be a drop in the bucket.
The demand for engineers is growing rapidly. You'll be just fine.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#177Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#178How 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…
> It's an equity instrument, and we think it's much better and more forgiving than loans as a result of that.
I wonder whether this type of financing is more acceptable to Muslim students. Do most Muslims in the US avoid traditional student loans which charge interest?
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#179I 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 ba…
Repayment is capped at $30k max, so the most we could possibly take is $30,000.
Re: Launch HN: Lambda School (YC S17) – CS education that's free until you get a job
#180I 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…
I think we go a lot deeper than you seem to think - we're not a 100% proxy with a full CS degree, but we're more CS degree than just code bootcamp.