Screaming in the Cloud

Episode 32: Lambda School: A New Approach to “Hire Ed”

Listen Later

Are you interested in computer science? How would you like to go to school for free and learn what you need to in just a few months? Then, check out Lambda School!

Today, we’re talking to Ben Nelson, co-founder and CTO of Lambda School, which is a 30-week online immersive computer science academy. Lambda School has more than 500 students and takes a share of future earnings instead of traditional debt. So, it's free until students get a job.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

  • Bootcamps were created to address engineering shortages and quickly move people into technical careers
  • Lambda is not explicitly a bootcamp; its 30-week program gives students more instructions and more time spent on developing a portfolio
  • Lambda also makes time to cover computer science fundamentals; teaches C, Python, Django, and relational database - not just JavaScript
  • Employers appreciate the school’s in-depth and advanced approach, which results in repeat hires
  • Lambda avoids the typical reputation of traditional for-profit educational institutions by being mission-driven and knowing its investors want ROI
  • Lambda aligns its incentives with those of students; an income share agreement means the school doesn’t make money, unless students are successful
  • Lambda’s 7-month program is less of a risk for someone later in their career; some don't have capital to support their family while going to school for 4 years
  • Lambda incentivizes healthy financial habits; after two years of repayment, students can put that money into retirement, savings, and investments
  • 5 Tracks Now Offered by Lambda: iOS development, UX, Full Stack Web development, data science, and Android development
  • Mastery Based Progression System: When you're learning something sequentially, where knowledge builds, you don't move on until you’ve mastered it
  • Lambda’s acceptance rate is around 5% and based on people who can keep up
  • Lambda works with different partner companies to help them find qualified graduates - people they want to hire

    • Links:

    • Lambda School
    • Ben Nelson on Twitter
    • Y Combinator
    • Wealthfront
    • Datadog
      • .
      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      Screaming in the CloudBy Corey Quinn
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      92 ratings

      More shows like Screaming in the Cloud

      View all
      Software Engineering Radio by se-radio@computer.org

      Software Engineering Radio

      270 Listeners

      Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman by Scott Hanselman

      Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman

      383 Listeners

      The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source by Changelog Media

      The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

      290 Listeners

      The a16z Show by Andreessen Horowitz

      The a16z Show

      1,091 Listeners

      Software Engineering Daily by Software Engineering Daily

      Software Engineering Daily

      623 Listeners

      The Cloudcast by Massive Studios

      The Cloudcast

      151 Listeners

      Thoughtworks Technology Podcast by Thoughtworks

      Thoughtworks Technology Podcast

      43 Listeners

      Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

      Y Combinator Startup Podcast

      225 Listeners

      Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats by Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers

      Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

      987 Listeners

      AWS Podcast by Amazon Web Services

      AWS Podcast

      205 Listeners

      AWS Morning Brief by Corey Quinn

      AWS Morning Brief

      79 Listeners

      The Stack Overflow Podcast by The Stack Overflow Podcast

      The Stack Overflow Podcast

      63 Listeners

      Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

      Dwarkesh Podcast

      522 Listeners

      Oxide and Friends by Oxide Computer Company

      Oxide and Friends

      62 Listeners

      The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis by Nathaniel Whittemore

      The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

      617 Listeners