Lambda Fellows
Does LambdaSchool think the thing holding back their developers is that companies cannot <i>onboard</i> new developers?<p>While many small companies do not pay much attention to onboarding, I&#x27;m not sure that this is the actual stumbling block.<p>I think the bigger problem LambaSchool graduates who&#x27;ve talked to <i>me</i> say is that LambdaSchool&#x27;s poor reputation and haphazard leadership have left the value of their schooling in question, and that puts them at a material disadvantage compared to people with a traditional college degree. This is a variant of the problem that Udacity and co face: companies recruiting have reservations about that type of education and view it as a risky hire.<p>AFAIK (it predates my time with Udacity substantially) Udacity discontinued their active placement programs, and generally when they do that (again, I have no special knowledge) it happens because it was neither working nor cost effective.<p>I think LambdaSchool would be better served using its resources to improve the reputation of its graduates by actually highlighting their work and functioning like a more traditional university; sponsoring open source work and research and showing their graduates and produce such work. Universities get famous and reputable off the back of work like this.<p>They might also consider not being such shady actors, with a long history of tax disputes and illegal operation. It doesn&#x27;t matter if state and federal rules are unjust; what matters here is that companies (especially smaller ones) need to maintain the <i>appearance</i> of managing risk. An association with LambdaSchool damages that.<p>Full disclosure: I don&#x27;t like the leadership of LS at all. But I have a lot of compassion and respect for the individuals that have taken their destiny into their own hands and learned the trade through any means necessary. I think folks that emerge from these processes are often <i>better</i> members of the workforce than traditionally educated people; because of the tight selection filter (only very talented and motivated people <i>can</i> pass through these processes and succeed, therefore you&#x27;re selecting from an inherently more dedicated and energetic candidate pool).