Y Combinator Startup Podcast

#131 - Jeremy Rossmann

Jun 19, 2019

Jeremy Rossmann, co-founder of Make School—a project-based computer science college in San Francisco—discusses the innovative education landscape. He shares how Make School's model ties tuition to job placement, offering students real stakes in their learning. The conversation dives into fostering self-directed learning in tech, challenges of traditional education, and the future of degree systems. They also explore income share agreements and their potential to reshape college financing, emphasizing the importance of practical skills for aspiring entrepreneurs.

42:37

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Episode guests

Jeremy Rossmann

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Differentiating Education: The MakeSchool Approach to Computer Science

3min

Navigating Education and Career Preparedness in a Diverse Landscape

3min

Empowering Self-Directed Learning in Tech Education

25min

Rethinking College Financing: The Role of Income Share Agreements

5min

Navigating Entrepreneurship in College

5min

Jeremy Rossmann is the cofounder of Make School. Make School is a college for computer science headquartered in San Francisco. Make School students don't pay until they have a job after graduation. They were part of YC’s Winter 2012 batch.

You can find MakeScool on Twitter @MakeSchool.

The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon.

Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.

Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

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Topics

00:00 - Intro

00:32 - What is Make School?

01:12 - How is their intensive track different than a traditional college course load?

2:22 - How are their students differentiated from students educated in a traditional CS program?

3:12 - Interacting with the parents of Make School students

8:12 - William Triska asks - What are some ways to encourage greater independence and autodidactic behavior in students pursuing technical skills and knowledge?

10:02 - The autodidact myth

15:57 - Two stakeholders making purchasing decisions: potential students and parents

20:07 - The education landscape 20 years from now

23:57 - Education stacking

25:02 - Vikram Malhotra asks - When are we going to do away with degrees?

32:42 - Evan Ward asks - Should liberal arts colleges consider adopting ISA's?

35:17 - Are there instances of predatory ISAs?

37:27 - Make School students who want to be entrepreneurs

40:27 - Advice for people in YC

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