In 2009 I took my skills and experience from my career in technology and started creating video education that was focused on empowering viewers to solve their problems and get ahead in their careers. Now I’m taking the lessons I learned from over a decade of online education and building an education system in the physical world.
Our Guiding Principles
Authorityless
Gatekeeperless
Free to the End User
Hands on Technology Education
that
Empowers Students to Do Whatever They Want
Authorityless – Why do so many people insist on systems where a single person can deny another resources simply because the authority figure is having a bad day? Our goal is to create a structure that removes the position of authority to give or deny access to education. Currently we are using Meetup to allow people to RSVP. With this system there is simply a number of available seats, and anyone can RSVP until those seats are all taken. As we grow the goal is to use systems that prioritize access based off of basic rules that directly impact the ability to provide education. As in if someone RSVP’s and then does not show up they will get a “demerit” due to the fact that they consumed a seat that someone else was not able to use. Or students will earn “merits” as they attend more classes so that they can be prioritized to advance in their education.
Gatekeeperless – A curb may be too high for someone in a wheel chair to overcome. In the modern world there are many walls and gatekeeping systems that are invisible to those with access, but insurmountable for those that don’t. Even a $1 per class paywall is detrimental to someone who does not have a credit card, or whose PayPal account was suspended. The goal is to remove the the friction points that these walls create.
Free to the End User – As a YouTube Content Creator I have learned the immense satisfaction of being able to provide high quality education that my students have not had to pay a dime for. At the same time I have been compensated by advertisers and generous people who have crowd funded my work. In our modern education system the most naive and least monetarily advanced are the ones that have to pay the most and sign onerous legal payment obligations for education. Yet once people become successful they no longer need to pay large sums for education. Our goal is to create a program where the people that understand the full benefits of having an educated citizenry and are able to pay are the ones that support those becoming educated.
Hands on Technology Eduction – Having taught online for over a decade and also having spoken with hundreds of my viewers I have seen that there is a disconnect between watching a video class and actually learning the skills to solve technical problems. Online videos are fine for learning specific problems, or gaining an overview, but for students that are new to the field or trying to get ahead in their careers in person education is still invaluable. Being able to ask “stupid” questions. Having a teacher reinforce concepts, and building their own contact list of fellow students that they can turn to in the future is simply something online education does a poor job of.
Empowers Students to do What They Want – Education shouldn’t be about simply passing a test. Education should be about giving students the skills to solve their problems. Our goal is to give our students the skills to solve the problems they have. Maybe it will be building a website for a business. Maybe for them to setup their own Minecraft server, or possibly trying to build the next Facebook. It’s not for us to say what “good”, or “bad” goals should be. Our job is to pass on the skills of our industry.
Types of Classes
Executive Briefings – These are 30-60 minutes seminars where we will go over material that I wish my clients had known before they had called me. Concepts such as what Digital Marketing Is, How Websites are Built, What is “the Cloud” Really, What are Systems Architectures (Mainframe, Client/Server, SOA, Serverless). The goal is to give a broad overview so that students can decide how much further they want to learn about a topic.
Executive Briefings will start in August (You Don’t have to be an “executive” to sign up) Join our Meetup Group now to be notified when they are schedule. https://www.meetup.com/silicon-dojo-free-technology-education/
Day Long (Weekend) Seminars – The Day Long classes are seen as accelerators for our students. The goal is to provide students with all of the relevant foundational information that they need in order for them to perform basic tasks in an area, and then to know enough to be able to utilize Google going forward. The biggest hurdle to self studying technology is simply knowing the glossary and grasping what concepts are needed to make a system function. Our job is to give students a foundation so that they can build their skillset as they see fit.
Day Long Seminars will start in the Fall, probably September. Join the Meetup Group to stay notified. https://www.meetup.com/silicon-dojo-free-technology-education/
Weekends – Our hope is to have the weekend classes be valuable enough that students from outside of the Asheville area will attend. They can fly in on Friday night, and out again on Sunday night. Asheville is a beautiful town with many things to do. We’ll suggest places to eat and entertainment for Friday and Saturday Night and students can meet each other and bond outside of the classroom.
Full Weekends will start sometime in the Fall, possibly September (maybe not). Join the Meetup Group to stay notified. https://www.meetup.com/silicon-dojo-free-technology-education/
One on One Conversations – Do you need to bounce ideas about your career or business off of someone who is not a colleague or family member? You can sit down with me for an hour or more and we can discuss your goals and how to achieve them. We can talk about education, career/business development, and high level concepts about technology. Just to be clear. This isn’t “free consulting” or therapy, or even coaching. We’re simply having a conversation. I’ll give you my honest opinions and a broad overview of what my line of thinking would be in your position
One on One Conversations can now be scheduled. Simply follow the link and select the time that works for you. These are IN PERSON sessions only, please do not sign up and then ask for a Zoom call. https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=11825293