@isaacmorehouse I tagged the Praxis account on Twitter a couple of weeks ago when he tweeted about Google, Apple, et al. officially dropping the college degree requirement. I thought that maybe I helped make an internet connection that day -- alas, Ryan is so ubiquitous on the interwebz that my tweet was superfluous. It's great to see you guys getting more exposure. Congrats on the new office and recent growth!
Hey everyone! At Praxis we're committed to helping people discover and do what makes them come alive.
The stale, stagnant, credentialist conveyor belt is dying. Good.
We're helping people gain skills and build a signal of those skills through a "body of work" - a collection of real projects that prove their ability, and then leverage that into an apprenticeship.
Resumes and degrees won't get you skills, and they won't get you interviews. You have to be your own credential, and we can help!
The coolest thing is that we focus primarily on non-tech people, and help them get awesome non-tech roles (usually at tech companies!). Things like sales, marketing, customer success, and operations are amazing starting points to get into the real world and learn more about yourself and the market.
We've launched over 250 careers. 96% of our grads get hired straight away, at an average salary of $50k. Almost none of them have degrees. By the time their peers do, they've got 3+ years of work experience and a whole lot more!
Our program has a net cost of zero. You earn more than you pay in tuition. But it's hard. This isn't school, with a bunch of hoop-jumping and grade-grubbing. You've got to commit to growth and learn to create value.
OK, hit me with questions, and if you know anyone who's a good fit for the program, send them our way! We have tons of free career launch resources at our website too!
I had the pleasure of chatting with @isaacmorehouse recently to learn about Praxis. There are a billion coding bootcamps to teach people how to become developers and outside traditional education there are relatively few companies focused on teaching non-tech skills (which makes up the majority of professions).
I'm curious how Praxis has changed/evolved since you got started ~4 years ago, @isaacmorehouse?
@rrhoover whew! Great question.
Our Education Director TK Coleman can probably talk for a few hours on all we've learned and how it's led to our evolution! I'd say a few keys:
>One of the biggest hurdles for people starting their career is fear of getting "trapped" in a job. We've learned how to help people discover good career starting points, and help them see it as just that - a starting point. Helping people adopt an experimental mindset, vs. a locked-in-for-eternity "pick what you want to be when you grow up" has been huge.
>We discovered participant usually need a "deschooling" process for the first month or two. The schooled mindset runs deep, and it makes it a lot harder to build a great career! We've adapted our curriculum and coaching early in the program to help people realize that they aren't here to follow rule, but create goals for themselves. This isn't about right/wrong, it's about cause/effect.
>It's crucial to help people see things from the perspective of those who make hiring decisions. Small stuff like sloppy email use sends really big, bad signals, but people just starting their careers don't understand why. It's not enough to say, "don't do this", we've got to find contexts to put participants in the shoes of hiring managers so they can see why it's a problem. We've incorporated a lot of really cool feedback and content and projects that do this.
Those are a few big ones! We're constantly, relentlessly adapting and improving to better help our customers achieve their career goals.
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I got accepted into the Praxis program in July of 2017. Even before I started the program, I was invited into a community of people that pushed me past my limits and encouraged me to never stop growing. The community constantly collaborates on projects. The more experienced ones pass on their knowledge, and the flow of ideas never stops in the community.
During the 6-month boot camp, I was challenged more than ever before in my life. I became a better writer and thinker, and I learned the basic skills that it takes to succeed in the startup world today. This boot camp is something that many people try to get from a 4-year business degree, in 1/8 of the time!
The cool thing is, the entire program was entirely customizable to my individual career goals. Advisors worked one-on-one with me as I completed the boot camp and kept me accountable to my own plans and ideas.
The second half of the program is the apprenticeship. I'm making back the money I put into the program. I'm being paid to learn! There's nothing like taking the reins of your career and learning by experience.
Now, I'm almost finished with my apprenticeship as a marketing associate. It's been the best $12,000 year of my life!
Pros:
It's the experience that entrepreneurial-minded young adults need.
Cons:
It's a new idea that is just catching on!
Report
I was accepted to the Praxis program this past May. I start the program officially in October, but as a pre-program participant there is already so much I can gather and say about the program. From the day I was accepted, my life, both externally and internally, changed profoundly. I feel myself changing everyday (for the better), and transforming into a more productive, creative, motivated human.
There is something really refreshing about being a part of a community of like-minded people. Despite differences in backgrounds, interests, and goals, we are all in the Praxis program because we share the same mindset about the Praxis mission: documenting a proven track record that there are (many) other ways to learning, success, happiness, goal-achievement outside of traditional higher education.
I'm very happy with the program thus far and I can't wait to see what else I can do.
Pros:
strong community, networking opportunities, many resources for learning all kinds of skills, PAID apprenticeship with an actual company
Cons:
Relatively new so they're still working out kinks in the program
Report
Easily the best career decision of my life, Praxis rocketed me from teen terrified of the future to confident person in the working world.
I was at home and like most kiddos my age, I was anxious and worried about “what to do with my life.” Praxis solved the problem.
I completed their professional bootcamp and learned the ideas and skills necessary to create legitimate value for real companies.
Then they helped me move across the country to work in a growing startup, where I learned an invaluable lesson: that every career is a dynamic, ever-changing animal, and that the most exciting part is adventuring through the endless roar of options.
It’s a shame we fret about ”a perfect future”, because we miss out on the fun that comes from discovering our future one experience at a time. That is what Praxis taught me, and I am more competent and happy in the world because of it.
Pros:
Excellent content, world-class training, and a life changing experience.
Cons:
Praxis doesn’t have job opps for every possible industry, but that will surely change soon.
Report
I was recently accepted to the Praxis program. I'm currently in the pre-program. And I'm totally fulfilled, the community and the Praxis team are fantastic. The modules are very interesting, I think I learned more in 2 weeks than in 3 months at school.
Pros:
Great community and the modules are very interesting. Very selective, so only the best get accepted.
Cons:
Can't get a business partner if you don't have a green card. Also not in remote..
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I got accepted into the Praxis program in July of 2017. Even before I started the program, I was invited into a community of people that pushed me past my limits and encouraged me to never stop growing. The community constantly collaborates on projects. The more experienced ones pass on their knowledge, and the flow of ideas never stops in the community.
During the 6-month boot camp, I was challenged more than ever before in my life. I became a better writer and thinker, and I learned the basic skills that it takes to succeed in the startup world today. This boot camp is something that many people try to get from a 4-year business degree, in 1/8 of the time!
The cool thing is, the entire program was entirely customizable to my individual career goals. Advisors worked one-on-one with me as I completed the boot camp and kept me accountable to my own plans and ideas.
The second half of the program is the apprenticeship. I'm making back the money I put into the program. I'm being paid to learn! There's nothing like taking the reins of your career and learning by experience.
Now, I'm almost finished with my apprenticeship as a marketing associate. It's been the best $12,000 year of my life!
Pros:It's the experience that entrepreneurial-minded young adults need.
Cons:It's a new idea that is just catching on!
I was accepted to the Praxis program this past May. I start the program officially in October, but as a pre-program participant there is already so much I can gather and say about the program. From the day I was accepted, my life, both externally and internally, changed profoundly. I feel myself changing everyday (for the better), and transforming into a more productive, creative, motivated human.
There is something really refreshing about being a part of a community of like-minded people. Despite differences in backgrounds, interests, and goals, we are all in the Praxis program because we share the same mindset about the Praxis mission: documenting a proven track record that there are (many) other ways to learning, success, happiness, goal-achievement outside of traditional higher education.
I'm very happy with the program thus far and I can't wait to see what else I can do.
Pros:strong community, networking opportunities, many resources for learning all kinds of skills, PAID apprenticeship with an actual company
Cons:Relatively new so they're still working out kinks in the program
Easily the best career decision of my life, Praxis rocketed me from teen terrified of the future to confident person in the working world.
I was at home and like most kiddos my age, I was anxious and worried about “what to do with my life.” Praxis solved the problem.
I completed their professional bootcamp and learned the ideas and skills necessary to create legitimate value for real companies.
Then they helped me move across the country to work in a growing startup, where I learned an invaluable lesson: that every career is a dynamic, ever-changing animal, and that the most exciting part is adventuring through the endless roar of options.
It’s a shame we fret about ”a perfect future”, because we miss out on the fun that comes from discovering our future one experience at a time. That is what Praxis taught me, and I am more competent and happy in the world because of it.
Pros:Excellent content, world-class training, and a life changing experience.
Cons:Praxis doesn’t have job opps for every possible industry, but that will surely change soon.
I was recently accepted to the Praxis program. I'm currently in the pre-program. And I'm totally fulfilled, the community and the Praxis team are fantastic. The modules are very interesting, I think I learned more in 2 weeks than in 3 months at school.
Pros:Great community and the modules are very interesting. Very selective, so only the best get accepted.
Cons:Can't get a business partner if you don't have a green card. Also not in remote..