Woz U
p/woz-u
Woz U is an EdTech enterprise revolutionizing education.
Ryan Hoover
Woz U — Steve Wozniak's new tech education platform
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Woz U is specialized in technology and career-based programs designed to get people into the workforce quickly and affordably. Inspired by the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak.

Replies
Ryan Hoover
Woz U's focus is on making tech education affordable. From @stevewoz: "Our goal is to educate and train people in employable digital skills without putting them into years of debt" I'm curious how this is different from Codecademy, Udemy, Skillshare, Treehouse, and many other incumbents.
Charlie Benkendorf
@stevewoz @rrhoover IMHO, it's the packaging. You could find all the components on all the sites you named, but Woz puts it into a package like a bootcamp. https://avant.looker.com/looks/2... There's a certain level of trust built up when you can see how all the components tie together to achieve a result (ah yes, I see how all these skills add up to be a strong foundation to be a programmer. It's not just learning Ruby or X software). I think Treehouse is the closest thing from the incumbent list you named. But even then, the objectives are "build a website", or "learn Ruby", vs "get a career as a software developer" in Woz's site. Also Woz's site includes curriculum to become a computer support specialist, which is something I haven't seen too much of. Most online education has been focused on programming, design, or data science. Curiously the Woz site doesn't talk about how long it takes for students to get thru program, or even estimates. That worries me a bit. At least Treehouse mentions it's 6-12 months for students putting in several hours per day. Also no pricing also worries me a bit.
Vytas Butkevicius
@stevewoz @rrhoover very interesting indeed. My guess would be that their courses are more similar to traditional CS degree. I've done Codecademy courses myself and they only give you the basic understanding.
Vytas Butkevicius
@stevewoz @rrhoover @cbenkendorf it says the whole course takes 33 weeks (their about page).
Hayden Evans
@rrhoover I think the “assessment” piece kinda differentiates this a little. None of the other platforms assess where you are currently at before suggesting courses to take next right when you sign up. That and Woz is involved!
Muhammad Meigooni
@stevewoz @rrhoover @cbenkendorf You're right, it's packaging, or more accurately a repackaging of SCI's online program: http://www.scitexas.edu/programs... https://woz-u.com/curriculum-sof...
Cody
So many products in this space. Also, for some reason the name really bugs me...
Christopher Leach

I was interested in signing up with these guys and went through the application process. It was a pretty relaxed application process and I got accepted within the first phone call. I was a bit sketched out about how fast they wanted me to sign up and pay. They kepy saying the class started Oct 30 when that was two weeks away and I should pay soon etc. I eventually just stopped accepting calls because they would call me at work (I work nights and specifically said don't call that time.) Did further research and found out they where cold calling veterans trying to get them to sign up. Thanks but after all that I'm ok.

Pros:

Didn't really have any

Cons:

Uses Woz's name thats it, cold calls you twice a day pressuring for decision

Woz U
Hi Christopher, Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. I’m very sorry we failed to meet your expectations. We will use the feedback to make us better and to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Again, we apologize that our service did not satisfy your expectations.
John Blakley
The form to enroll on mobile doesn’t work on iPhone 6
Riel Roussopoulos
@inventanew or on desktop {"status": "success", "attempt": "59e0fcac-71ca-447a-a150-f3c04bec6e90", "id": "250259c3-ee56-4224-93d2-b28a394bd0ac", "request_id": "59e0fcac-71ca-447a-a150-f3c04bec6e90"} doesn't inspire confidence that's for sure :)
Riel Roussopoulos
@inventanew @stevewoz @shoshinzen lol ... I'm guessing not :) Probably not doing the zapier hookup they screwed up either :)
Riel Roussopoulos
@inventanew @stevewoz @shoshinzen I feel bad for him, classic launch glitches I guess it happens to the best of them :)
gazzer82
Not available in the UK 🙁
Elavenil
Good
Anthony Flores

Is this the Trump University of bootcamps? There little transparency on WHAT this exactly is.

Pros:

Not sure. Doesn't give any demos

Cons:

Asks for phone number. Doesn't allow you to log in immediately. Not transparent on pricing or if it's free.

Woz U
Hi Anthony, We always aim to deliver a great experience. We are gutted when we miss the mark! Thanks for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We will use the feedback to make us better, more transparent and to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
ben

I'm always looking for more ways to learn, so I eagerly downloaded this when I got the Product Hunt email about it.

Went to sign up with email/password, and right away: there are hidden password restrictions. It says "must be at least 6 characters with one capital letter and one number", so a long 1Password random-word-string won't work, but I used a 32-character generated 1Password random string, and the fields stayed red. After a bunch of trial and error, I discovered that there's a max of 15 characters. Why 15? Who knows? Why not tell the user why the password is invalid? Who also knows?

Then I did the Evaluation, which was intriguing and I was excited to see what it told me, but the (I assume) final screen simply says "Please enter your phone number so we may contact you about scholarships and additional free learning material." There's one form field, and a grayed-out submit button. No way to opt out or not provide phone number. No way to continue without giving it or agreeing to what are clearly spam phone calls. My phone is constantly getting unwanted calls already, so I'm not interested in giving it out with the expressed intent of increasing that volume.

That's when I came back here and discovered the other reviews. I guess I don't know a ton about what Woz has been up to lately, but I'm surprised he would put his name and likeness on this.

Pros:

None that I could find. Presumably aims to educate people?

Cons:

Terrible signup experience; possibly a scam?

Woz U
Hi Ben, We apologize. Please know that your situation was an exception. As you can see on other reviews, we are known for taking ownership and caring deeply about our customers. We can’t fix the past but you have our personal commitment to improve the way our staff serves every customer. Until then, please accept our sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone on the team.
Ktryn Dchrs
He looks so candid & likeable with his big little face 😅
Hicham Tahiri
Great!
Michael Ohana
it says "part of SCI" on the footer, which links to http://www.scitexas.edu/ suddenly this looks really cheap licensing of Woz picture on the front to sell traditional online courses...
Nicole Nelson
@michaelohana @productpearson Hi Mike, I see the confusion with thinking Woz U is a part of SCI! I work for Woz U and would like to help clear this up :) SCI, along with many other schools such as Bethel Tech and NJIT, partner with us to gain access to our curriculum. Although SCI is our partner through our Education as a Service model (EaaS), we are our own entity and not owned by any other school.
Sooraj Chandran
I'm curious how is it different from all the programming tutorials out there 🤔
Sooraj Chandran
@ekambos Haha! Being a Wozniak fan I would sign up for it. But I'm looking forward to seeing how good the content is compared to other platforms.
Blair Rorani
@ekambos @iamsooraj Pretend it was actually made by Woz (which seems unlikely from previous comments) - what would you expect him to teach that no one else could - how to start your own 'Apple' or how to revolutionise personal computing or how to start a company from an actual garage? If that was the actual curriculum, then Woz would need to adapt his 'lessons learned' from the 1970s and early 80s to today's tech, trends, and business environment. I have no doubt Woz knows a lot, but he'd still need to go beyond, 'back in the 70s, here's what we did to solve that problem' and prove it was likely to work in 2017.
Sven van der Zee
When is the android version coming ;)
Payman Taei
@stevewoz Great stuff. Need to check this out.
Erik Florida

This program is not a new product developed by Woz and team. It appears to be a licensing gimmick with http://www.scitexas.edu/ which, no one here would be up-voting and signing up for a software dev course from that website.

Do your research before you give your phone number to scam artists.

Pros:

None, nothing new/unique

Cons:

Does not appear to actual involve Woz in any way, just his name.

Woz U
Hi Erik, Thank you for posting a review and we’re sorry to hear that your experience was not of the quality you expected. We are indeed affiliated with Steve Wozniak and work with him to provide affordable and innovative tech education. This includes our efforts in K-12 schools http://www.wozueducation.com as well as our boot camp style platforms. You can find more information about us and Steve Wozniak here https://woz-u.com/
Nathan Maas
I'm excited to learn more for sure. As a General Assembly and Code Fellows alum I'm interested in the assessment and how that will work. I called the number but nobody answered : (
Guus Hoeve
Here's the thing and most of you should ask this question; say Wozniak wasn't the face of this platform, would you take the course? What's left or different then other courses out there?... To me this sounds like well branded course that is jumping on the bandwagon of online education for thos aspiring a tech carreer. So they pulled Steve in to persuade the flock that wants to jump on the bandwagon for people unhappy with their current jobs.
Sasha Mur

- Website name has a dash =) Really?

- No association with Wozniak apart from first three letters of the last name

- Expensive

- Poor mobile app (iphone only, not even universal)

- They said that I can only fill out an application over the phone with the same rep that called me, who then asked for my name, address, phone and Social Security Number. =) Claiming that the SSN is required for FAFSA and that I have to disclose it over the phone in order to see, if I qualify for the financial aid. REALLY?

At this point, I hope that it is just another bootcamp, and not some sort of bigger scam.

It did get a lot of press coverage, so I would think that a lot of people will show interest. But giving my full information to some guy over the phone having all of the above on the back of my mind makes me wonder.

Pros:

Not sure

Cons:

Looks like another way of selling a dying down interest in bootcamps

Woz U
Hi Sasha, We are indeed affiliated with Steve Wozniak and work with him to provide affordable and innovative tech education. This includes our efforts in K-12 schools http://www.wozueducation.com as well as our boot camp style platforms. You can find more information about us and Steve Wozniak here https://woz-u.com/ Our online courses are instructor-led and offer personal mentor support for each student. Our prices are competitive with schools nationwide and we believe our lifetime commitment to our students adds value. Woz U graduates receive free lifetime continuing education and career services to ensure their long-term success.
Yadi Younse

Looks scammy

Pros:

None

Cons:

Sounds like just using the Woz name. What will this cost people?

Woz U
Hi Yadi, We are indeed affiliated with Steve Wozniak and work with him to provide affordable and innovative tech education. This includes our efforts in K-12 schools http://www.wozueducation.com as well as our boot camp style platforms. You can find more information about us and Steve Wozniak here https://woz-u.com/
Rick Segal

This is super, crazy, disappointing. @stevewoz? You believe in 'redefining' education and you essentially give you name to SCI? "Inspired by" isn't you doing much beyond lending your name. Trump Steaks would be a bit much of a comparison, but gezz, after all these years, this is the best you can do? No pricing? People cold calling me? Really? Disappointing...

Pros:

Another Educational opportunity

Cons:

This is linked to Southern Careers Institute who is going to call you and press you to sign up.

Woz U
Hi Rick, We set a high standard for ourselves, and we’re so sorry to hear this was not met in your interaction with our business. We are indeed affiliated with Steve Wozniak and work with him to provide affordable and innovative tech education. This includes our efforts in K-12 schools http://www.wozueducation.com as well as our boot camp style platforms. You can find more information about us and Steve Wozniak here https://woz-u.com/