[the_watcher]

I'm a fan of MOOC's in general (at least as a concept), and support them charging for things like nanodegrees, in theory. While I do agree that the commercial is eerily similar in tone to the ITT Tech ads most of us remember, $2400 for a nanodegree is much cheaper. Further, so long as they continue to not be tempted by the federally backed loans spigot, people pay for these out of pocket, as opposed to levering the hell out of themselves. While that presents it's own issues, it wildly reduces the incentives that the excesses of federal loans has led to, as the fact that much of their market simply don't have that kind of money to outlay at once.

Also, I've got a few friends who have gotten nanodegrees from Udacity, and every single one has been more than satisfied, which may color my opinion a bit. That said, I'm a firm believer in the idea that there should be options for those of us who prefer a structured curriculum of courses, but aren't interested in the breadth education required from a traditional degree, and that is priced in a way that someone who lives frugally can save for and pay for up front, out of pocket.