There’s a movement in higher ed about the “alt ac,” to help promote nonacademic careers to the PhD candidates who will listen before they hit the tenure-track job market and learn how bad their job prospects really are. It’s a runaway truck ramp for the implicit promises that the current faculty make to their trainees (while simultaneously saying “one only pursues a PhD out of passion, not out of hopes for a job afterward”).

I wised up to that game.

What I’m interested in is alternative education, “alt ed.” The boundless cradle of information that is the internet has birthed many different alternatives to the “traditional” American educational structure. As someone who sees first-hand every single day into the depths of the scam that is the modern university system, I’m interested in encouraging this sort of thing.

To do that, I’m going to start documenting interesting companies, orgs, and non-profits that I find. This is not a vetted list of trusted places to get an education. I have no idea if any of things are actually good. I’m just compiling a list.

Experience Institute

“Experience is for everyone. And we believe learning through experience leads to better work, better careers, and better lives.”

It’s very much cathedral-approved, but seems to have good intentions. The Casey Neistat of education?

Runchero University

Kevin Runner made a bunch of money correcting addresses in Banner (that’s the software that 75% of universities run on). Now he’s building a university with a “commitment to environmental sustainability, agricultural innovation and a healthy, thriving local community.” 

It’s a little hipstery, but I’m listening.

Colleges that don’t take federal money

MIT OpenCourseWare

You can get an entire education from MIT online for free. Proving that you know all the stuff is, of course, a little more difficult BUT if your goal is to learn, get at it.

MOOCs

 

TO BE CONTINUED