The platform provides an opportunity for aspiring developers to learn from experienced developers.
I had the opportunity to speak with Elmer Morales, CEO and Founder of Koder about his new platform, U, which enables anyone to teach a live class, pass along their expertise, and earn money for doing so. For participants, it’s a safe way for learning something new. For instructors, it’s a new and easy way to reach their audience.
There’s a lot of great developers without computer science degrees. Elmer is a self-taught developer who ended up managing engineering teams at Microsoft, Facebook, and American Express. Elmer and members of Koder were invited to a lot of coding boot camps to see what people were learning, how the classes were conducted, and to see projects developed in the demo days.
There’s a lot of companies pitching students on getting a six-figure job from a six-month boot camp for $12,000 to $15,000. However, only one in 20 graduates of those programs are sufficiently prepared to get a job, let alone a six-figure job.
Since COVID-19, with everyone working and many studying remotely, coding boot camps have been getting a lot more attention. Elmer saw an opportunity for developers to teach others, charge a fee, and generate revenue by sharing their knowledge.
“Online learning is a great way for people to upgrade their skills at any time, but never more so during the pandemic. However, from early on during this period, we noticed how challenging it has been for instructors to effectively reach their audience,” said Elmer. “We built U to take the hassle and complexity out of recruiting participants, safely connecting with them, and earning money for delivering a great class.”
U offers instructors a digital platform, complete with embedded Zoom video and live chat capabilities, to reach participants. Instructors set the cost of their classes and recruit their own students, while U handles the payment and billing process. U collects a small fee for each class. Classes are offered as either a live class, a series of live classes or as pre-recorded, on-demand sessions. The instructors create and retain full control of the educational content.
For those enrolling in classes, U offers an opportunity to browse topics that are professionally and personally beneficial. Participants can learn something new, or simply sharpen their skills in their field.
Because of Koder’s network of best-in-class software engineers, the initial focus will be on classes for people who want to become better developers. Shortly thereafter, the variety of classes being offered will greatly expand.
“In addition to classes for developers or IT professionals, very soon you’ll see instructors from a variety of industries offering classes. In fact, U is the ideal platform for tutors to conduct sessions with groups of students. The possibilities are vast, if you’d like to teach a cooking or gardening class online, you can easily do it with this platform,” said Morales.
As part of its launch, U is hosting a number of classes for free. Topics include web and mobile development, cybersecurity, AI, and coding for kids. U is available via desktop, iOS, and Android.
Both instructors and participants can visit https://u.camp to request an invite code.