Since 2019 I have published free courses on my YouTube channel. Many times, people have commented on my videos something like "Wow, this course is amazing! It's a lot better than the expensive course I purchased!". I started reflecting after that. Why on earth is someone getting paid thousands of dollars selling a course that is worse than the one I made for free? Also, why does my course only have 100 views on YouTube? This isn't fair.
Identifying the problem
There are lots of people who want to learn programming and also lots of free courses available. However, most of the time, these two groups don't meet each other.
Why? Two reasons. One is that multiple VC-backed predatory coding bootcamps spend millions of dollars targeting newcomers and telling them that the only way to get into the industry is by spending all their money on expensive online courses. Two, the YouTube algorithm is super hard to master. If you recently created a channel, it can take years to reach a bigger audience.
The solution
What if we could easily find all the free courses out there without the YouTube algorithm standing in our way? That's where TechSchool steps in. It is a platform that contains all the free content that might be flying under the radar. It is also open-source, which means anyone who knows a cool course can easily open a PR to add it.
Website: https://techschool.dev
Discord: https://discord.gg/C4abRX5skH
GitHub: https://github.com/danielbergholz/techschool.dev
Let's fight back against the expensive barrier to entry! Tech education should be free and accessible to everyone! We are all gonna make it 🔥
Disclaimer
TechSchool is forever a work in progress. We are all collectively adding more content over time, so if you don't like the options available right now, wait a couple of weeks and then re-visit the website! I'm sure you'll find something new.
The tech stack
I have it all explained on the README, but in summary, I decided to use Elixir and Phoenix, because it's a freaking AWESOME combo. I'm also using Live View on all pages, so hopefully the transition between them is super smooth!
Top comments (50)
You made my dream.
I didn't realize at first what you made but once I saw I am so happy.
I had an idea a few years ago when I started to learn to code to make a page of resources after I realized there is just so much stuff but no one place. How do I know what's good and what's not? Tons of courses and YouTube channels... How about have a place for all and people can find them.
You did it.
I am happy and thank you.
I think it's not only in coding and in many other things. Tons of resources but if your new then good luck.
I think another great thing if someone ever does it is compile same idea but for tools that help you code, for example like CSS tools... Tons of websites and tools but so many people don't know of.
Thank you so much for this amazing comment! It made my day 🎉
I also had this dream for a long time, a place where we can group all the free content out there. That's the biggest difficulty beginners say they have. I also created the bootcamps tab, where you can even see a suggested order to learn each topic
Saw something like that the other day on kodytools.com
Looks slick. Good luck.
Thank you!
Amazing, thanks for using Elixir and Phoenix
that is a huge differentiator with other content and courses
since the tech stack in most content gravitates towards Javascript / Ruby / Java.
Using Elixir for newcomers is a wonderful addition and choice!
You found my secret! I’m trying to bring more people to Elixir 😈
Not able to join the discord through link provided in previous thread, says link expired, could you reshare?
I tested the link on mobile and on a private tab and it seems to be working
Thank you @danielbergholz I have joined the discord group from laptop. I tried from my mobile, it still threw expired invite. Maybe something is wrong with my Mobile or link. I am not sure about it though.
discord.gg/2N9wc9sK68
A noble goal 🥳🥳
🙌 🚀
Hey brother! That's awesome that you've put yourself out there like this! There's a little tip for you on your YouTube channel. Schedule some live videos for the future (3-6 months down the road) and it should boost you to the forefront on peoples feeds and then just put the link to your video you're wanting people to check out. I heard this works amazingly. Best of luck to you. Let me know if you decide to try it out and if it works or not. One Love!!
Thanks a lot!
My YouTube channel is a bit stale, soon I'll start posting content again (now in English). And I'll also post an announcement there!
Can people create content for free to support Tech school?
Any free content on YouTube can be featured on Tech School, so you can just keep posting your courses on your channel and later open a PR to add to Tech School!
Awesome! Thank you Daniel!
Wow, this is really cool! Down the line would be great to add a rating feature for the courses featured.
That’s a super interesting idea! Thanks for sharing 🔥
This is so exciting! My mentor sent this to me and give me such hope! I’m ready!
This is awesome! It’s very nice to know that people are already sharing the website 🚀
Yeah man! Word is getting out haha! Keep it rocking a
Very cool, I love the courses available and I hope to see more in the future. Well done bro. You are tackling a problem in the tech world, keep it up.
Thank you! You are more than welcome to revisit the website in the future, I’m adding new courses daily 🔥
Bravo :-)
Interesting. Missing Angular! I did a pull request github.com/danielbergholz/techscho...
Thank you! I just merged it 🤝
I hope to have a pleasant learning experience in the China region.thank you
Most of the websites are hosted on the US, the round trip to china can take some time
Why are websites often slow to load or sometimes fail to access in China? As someone who enjoys programming, could you suggest any effective ways to resolve this problem?
Thankyou.
Any particular reason The Odin Project did not make the list?
Currently, it’s only possible to add YouTube videos to TechSchool. Soon I’ll add the feature to add other websites
Such a cool concept, Daniel!
Thanks sir for your kind effort 🙂