Nanodegrees - A new alternative to college

[Sunbourn]

Udacity has recently introduced a new credential which could potentially replace the need for college to get in to professions related to computer science, if we allow it to. Google is involved in making and teaching the courses, so they're getting quite a bit of street cred right off the bat.

Of course, the burning question is whether or not potential employers will take a nanodegree seriously. Reading around on the net, I've encountered people who say they've already gotten jobs aided by their completion of a nanodegree, which is really encouraging at this early stage. Udacity has even walked the walk and hired people who've completed their programs of study.

The choices are Front-End Web Developer, Android Developer, Data Analyst, iOS Developer, Full-Stack Developer and Intro to Programming. The learning experience is heavily centered around the completion of projects, because learning by pure regurgitation is not the aim here. At $200 a month, it's considerably less expensive than the traditional college route. Currently you also get half of your tuition back if you complete your nanodegree, which makes it quite the thrifty alternative to paying out the asshole for college, although I wouldn't be surprised if people with nanodegrees aren't given preference over people with degrees for promotion opportunities. Anyway, I just really wanted to share this with you guys and let you know that this option is out there.