[pw]

I'm very for alternative education, but this trend of for-profit (or, more accurately, cash-up-front, as I think Hacker Schools is the exception) code schools is a little unsettlingly. I guess it's because it'd be very easy for them to prey upon people in the same way that for-profit universities do ("Earn $70k after three short months!").

On the other hand, they're not funded by student loans, so at least they can't prey on poor people. Still, they can go after someone who's desperate and just happens to be sitting on some cash.

[jurassic]

App Academy also has no upfront payment. I hope that in the long run App Academy and Hacker School will be able to differentiate themselves from the hoard of somewhat scammy cash-up-front programs that seem to be popping up everywhere and churning out grads of dubious quality. By delaying payment and tying their compensation to student success, AA+HS are able to be very selective about who they admit which sets up a positive feedback in terms of student outcome and program reputation.

Some big red flags, in my opinion, about Omaha School web page as it currently stands:

-- Who is actually teaching this class from the crowd of mentors depicted? Are they competent/qualified and have they been respected/successful in their career up to this point? Why are they doing this? The "Who We Are" is currently just pictures and twitter links, which doesn't inspire confidence.

-- I see absolutely no information about outcomes for program grads. Industry average salaries doesn't mean squat, because people doing this bootcamp don't have the profile of the average junior dev with a CS degree and the knowledge/experience that entails. What is the average salary of a program grad and what kind of places are they working? What percent drop out? What percent are kicked out because they can't learn at the pace required? (Kicking people out occasionally is good and indicates there is some combination of rigor/expectation/structure.)

-- The application asks nothing of the applicant and emphasizes how low their expectations are. This signals desperation to me. And what's with the weird age buckets?

[examancer]

2 of your 3 red flags can be almost immediately dismissed.

A quick search into the mentors will reveal that many of them are indeed highly respected members of their community and skilled developers. Some of the skilled developers have also worked in or built startups and have experience with doing much more than development.

Also, its pretty clear this will be the program's inaugural class, so providing outcomes from program grads is obviously not possible. The fact that this is the inaugural class might give some cause for concern, but they are very up front about that.

Your criticisms about the application seem valid, though minor.

I am in no way affiliated with the school, though I have met a few of the mentors before.

[omni]

I want to clarify that the students themselves never end up giving Hacker School money. If a company hires a student through Hacker School, the company pays a recruiting fee to Hacker School. Students pay nothing.

[pw]

Would love to chat with you more about code schools and your PhD to webdev transition. Email me [e-mail].

[xiaoma]

I found the $18k I spent at Hack Reactor to be the best investment I've ever made. I graduated in April, have already paid off my loans and am hooked into an absolutely incredible network that's rapidly coming to dominate parts of the SF tech scene.

In contrast, the average 4-year college student has $27k in debt, has about a 60% chance of full-time employment and an average salary of $45k if they do manage that.

[BrandonBradley]

Not all of them are for-profit.

http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/