AT&T and Udacity partner to deliver “Nanodegrees,” new ways for people to become developers

Over the next several years, in the United States, and certainly around the world, the demand for high-skill technical work, particular in software development, is going to be so strong that some projections figure that as many as 1.5 million jobs in the US alone will go unfilled over the next five to ten years.

There are a lot of schools that can teach the hard programming disciplines in demand, but some of these programs are very expensive. When annualized against traditional four-year college degrees, one might argue better value paying cash for a year at Harvard.

Online programs have gained a solid foothold in traditional university studies, now AT&T (along with Salesforce and Autodesk) has partnered with Udacity to deliver what are being called “Nanodegrees.” The crux is what you would expect from what the degree is called, vocationally focused, and part of a lifelong “learning portfolio.”

The difference is that these classes will have industry recognition, and much less expensive than today’s traditional education model. The course work is still being developed, but a full time working student will be able to complete various curricula from six to twelve months.

The first round of nanodegrees will focus on front-end development, iOS and Android development, as well as web development. Compared to traditional venues however, these courses will be much more up-to-date, more flexible, and according to reports, much, much easier on the wallet. Raw skills are developed too, and that is a big benefit.

The first nanodegree programs will begin this fall. If you have been wanting to pursue this type of training, but did not want to give up your job in order to spend tens-of-thousands of dollars to go to school part-time, this looks very promising. AT&T has committed making up to 100 paid internship positions available for the first crop of students that complete nanodegrees.

sources: Udacity via VentureBeat