Trust

This week we created customer journey maps. A customer journey map documents the complete process a customer goes through to engage with your business.

The initial stage of the customer journey map is awareness. Unfortunately the “bootcamp” and technical education space is characterized by overpromising and underdelivering. Because of a profit motive, schools have sold something that was not good enough and left students stranded in debt without a job and without adequate training to find a job.

I don’t know how to convince students that we are different, that we will always care about you and give our very best effort and support to place you in a job. Currently there are online programs offering Cyber Security certificates for $500, and all they offer is an online course with little guidance and no direct instruction. There are $20 courses online claiming they will teach you web development. If that is true, why is there such a shortage of qualified developers when the starting salary is over $60k?

Furthermore, there are many people who have never considered a career in tech. How do we serve them and at the same time protect them from being taken advantage of by our less honest competitors?

Recently I asked a major player in the education space if they had placement or completion percentages to share, and the answer was no. For us to make changes, we’ve got to have data and hold each other accountable.

Everyone deserves access to a quality education, and this must begin with trust. My commitment is to building a trustworthy organization.