Ryan Carson’s tech-education company, Treehouse, teaches computer coding as a trade skill, giving students an opportunity to enter the work force, or change careers in nine months, at a fraction of the cost of a four-year degree.
- Ryan considers coding a trade skill, rather than profession that requires a four-year degree.
- Ryan founded Treehouse to help people avoid student debt, get a job sooner and start saving for their 401k sooner.
- There will be 1.4 million new jobs in tech, and only 400,000 will be filled by college graduates.
- A trade job is composed of acquired skills, or “stackable skills”, like a mechanic or electrician.
- Will the future be primarily trade jobs?
- How is Treehouse different from other coding schools?
- How does apprenticeship work in the tech industry?
- What is TalentPath, and how does it help develop young coders?
- For a skilled job, such as coding, landing a job is more dependent on a portfolio than a degree.
- How does apprenticeship impact a person’s retirement savings, compared to earning a college degree?
- Are there any degrees that are more valuable to a new professional than a year of on-the-job experience?
- An apprentice has four more years of experience than a college graduate.
- How can companies create talent, rather than hire talent, in order to compete with big tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, etc.?
- How do employers measure a coder’s skill?
- What development language is most in demand?
- Trying out a school – traditional four-year university, or trade school, or treehouse – is important. How does TreeHouse allow students to do that?
- Ryan started a company that facilitated large-file sending, but ultimately decided to pursue business that he felt contributed more on a human level.
- TreeHouse originated from a desire to make coding education available and financially accessible to more people.
- Students can trial for free. Basic treehouse course is $25 a month. Full coding school is $200 a month.
- Success in life is mostly related to the ability to keep going when something is hard.
- Most people are going to quit something because their internal “why” isn’t strong enough.
- Coding is hard; it’s like going to the gym. Pursuing coding will require a certain amount of grit – but once you find your “why”, the grit comes.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Treehouse
- TalentPath | How Treehouse is partnering with Boys and Girls Club of America
- How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life
- Basecamp
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
- Wait But Why
- SpaceX’s Big Freaking Rocket – The Full Story
- Large Rubber Duck
