Pioneer Schools
Clearing out the wolves and bears
JPMorgan Chase just released a 29-page report called Tech Jobs for All? Exploring the Promise & Pitfalls of Technology Training in the United States.
I have to admit to being frustrated with their classification of the different types of technology schools.
The way that they have broken down the types of schools seems outdated, in some cases just wrong and makes the data difficult to understand.
It’s not just Chase, the media in general and companies outside our vertical simply don’t know how classify tech learning.
The Chase report breaks down technical training into five classifications.
- Traditional Education
- Bootcamps
- MOOCs
- Internships & Apprenticeships
- Integrated Technical and Experiential Programs
I was surprised by their inclusion of the term ‘MOOC’. The term Massive Open Online Course is exactly what it says on the tin. Lot’s of people sign up because it’s free but only a tiny portion of those finish the course. Hence, this has largely been discredited and is no longer used in conjunction with skills-based training designed to get someone job-ready.
I run Treehouse, an online technology school, and according to the Chase report we’d be in the MOOC category (because there is nowhere else for us to go). But that’s not quite right because we charge $25 per month for Treehouse, which means higher engagement. So we have a problem.
The media doesn’t know what to do with us. They don’t know what category to put us in. Either we get lumped with the free courses (not right) or we get put with the University of Phoenixes of this world (I’d rather they punch me in the face and steal my wallet).
I’m guessing other paid-for online technology schools like Pluralsight, Bloc and Code School have the same problem.
I feel like right now there is no category for us. Chase and most media organizations have trouble categorizing us because they’re not living this every day. It’s the wild west and we’re the pioneers scouting ahead to see what’s out there. Sure, people will follow us but only once we’ve cleared the way of bears and wolves.
We’re entering an entirely new age for education and job training. Old media and corporations are confused. It’s exciting. It’s new. No-one knows what the hell to do with us. We’re early responders. Treehouse is working hard at figuring all this stuff out so that you can be the first on the scene. I love that.
So I’ve created a new category name for us — Pioneer Schools.
What do you think we should be called?
