How Much Is Your Education Worth? Depends How Much You Make
A new school in California lets you pay your tuition by essentially selling shares in your future self.
There are other places to learn computer science.
Photographer: Erin Lubin
Is it possible to equitize human labor? For years people have talked about the idea of selling shares in one’s own talent, in the hope of attracting funds and assistance from others. Now it seems that this idea is happening at scale, through the Lambda School in California.
The Lambda School teaches information technology skills online, and it charges zero tuition and offers stipends to select students. The deal is that students pay back 17 percent of their income from the first two years of work, if earnings exceed $50,000 a year, with a maximum payment of $30,000. Students who don’t find jobs at that income level don’t pay anything. Students may also opt to pay $20,000 in tuition upfront and keep their future income.