How to Turn a $10,000 Investment Into a $70,000 Salary
It seemed like a classic utopian vision. Free prestigious university classes delivered online, open to anyone, offering the potential to slay the college debt monster.
Instead, so-called Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, proved how little students often learn from online classes. Dropout rates as high as 90 percent were reported, and it seemed that traditional higher ed's stranglehold as the gateway to higher-paying jobs was even tighter.
But new models of higher education alternatives are rising from those ashes that really can challenge -- or neatly supplement -- a college degree. MOOCs have morphed into hybrid programs with a more human touch, and ultrafocused, skills-based training courses in fields like computer programming are proving to be real contenders, offering 90 percent-plus job placement rates.
We're trying to democratize education, make it available to as many people as possible.
The success of programs like General Assembly and The Flatiron School in New York City lead to an inevitable question -- at least if you're technically inclined: Why spend $200,000 on four years of college when you can spend $10,000 on 12 weeks of training and get hired by an app developer for $70,000 or more?
