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Udacity Is Now Offering a ‘Job Guarantee’ for Its Nanodegree Program Grads

MOOC hardball.

Udacity and other online education platforms still face a lot of skepticism from within the technology industries they target. A common refrain is that they're unproven. There's some standardization as to what a college class or college degree means in terms of effort put forth and comprehension gained, but a Udacity "nanodegree" or Coursera specialization track is still a question mark for hiring managers. A sentiment I see on discussion boards is that MOOC coursework shows interest in a topic or field, but not necessarily proficiency.

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Proficiency is what many MOOC programs are attempting, however. While the earliest MOOC-type programs, like Stanford's initial run of three courses in 2011, felt much more like organized self-learning than the formatted, rigid learning framework of a college class, things evolved quickly. As platforms like edX, Coursera, and Udacity emerged, so did a desire to directly challenge the establishment. Part of that desire was also to make money, e.g. provide an education product that people will want to buy.

That's about where we're at still. Udacity's latest effort at legitimizing its nanodegree programs, which offer credentials in various specialization suites in a way somewhat analogous to a college certificate program, is its just-unveiled "job guarantee." If the nanodegree-holder hasn't secured a job in six months after program completion, Udacity will refund the cost of the program ($1200 to $2400, depending on how long it takes the student to complete the program). It usually takes between six months and a year to complete a program.

The announcement that went out today reads:

Does this mean we will succeed? In the last year, we have quietly placed students in new jobs. Some of our graduates work at companies including Google, AT&T, Amazon, Nest, Goldman Sachs and others. Several of our graduates work for us now as global mentors, graders, or contract engineers. In addition, Google has invited our top graduates to their campus for an all-expenses-paid summit, and AT&T has reserved 100 new jobs for Udacity alumni. Based on our current placement data, we believe we can comfortably (and proudly!) offer this sweeping new guarantee.

I've taken several Udacity courses, and have fallen into a pattern of mirroring my college coursework with equivalent Udacity work, where it exists, as a complement. It's mostly really good! I don't think it quite compares to college coursework (it's easier and generally shallower), and I've found that the content/demands can be a bit soft compared to edX and Coursera (problems tend to feel less like problems than checkboxes), but someone driven enough should be able to get enough out of a program for it to count in the real world.

So I don't think a job guarantee is bullshit in the sense that the skills gained in the program aren't bullshit. The burden remains on Udacity, however, to convince its skeptics. This might just be a matter of time.