How do I become a programming teacher full time?

[markhagan]

I have this website: http://www.markhagan.me/samples

I currently ad-support this hobby and make about $1.00/day doing it. :) I get a few emails a week with questions/thanks/etc which is actually what makes it worth my time.

How do I go about making this my full-time job while keeping the information and videos completely free?

--- I was thinking: buy a domain to hold the programming samples, get on a regular video-posting schedule, beg for donations. Many of you guys are going to have far more experience than me in this realm, and I would love to hear your opinion. Teaching people to code is my dream.

Thanks!

[michaelpinto]

You're asking the wrong question.

The right question is: How can I make a site that's more compelling than lynda.com or stackexchange?

I also think part of your problem is that you want to keep the information and videos for free. Yes a real infobusiness will give away some stuff for free, but it can and should also sell content if that content has any value.

Hint: If your content solves a problem, it has value.

Other thoughts:

- Not every hobby should be a business

- Another model can be to use free information to build a consulting business

[markhagan]

Thanks for the feedback!

I love stackexchange. They are fantastic at responding to one-off questions. My style is to build small, functional applications from launching visual studio to debug without cutting the video.

I feel you on not making every hobby a business. I also brew beer and have now given up on "starting a micro brewery" and, instead, focused on brewing really great beers that my friends and I like. Ever since doing that, I have been winning more awards and have tuned my brews to my tastes.

Given the current amount of questions that are emailed to me, maybe a model could be a private screen-sharing session where I can correct their mistakes on their computer. I would like that.

[corkill]

When was the last time you donated to someone for videos?

Run an 12 week course teaching people to code like bloc.io with leads generated from your free content.

[markhagan]

Good point. I can't remember ever paying for a specific video (or even considering donating, other than clicking an ad). I wasn't familiar with bloc.io, but that is really cool! That road is the all-in approach if I go it solo. I have some designers at my disposal: maybe one of them would help me.