App Academy: How a School Tuition Of $12,000 Leads To Annual Salary Of $83,000 in 9 Weeks

What if a school told you that after completing their nine-week course, you stood a good chance of getting a job that paid $83,000 per year? What if they did this at a cost of $12,000, payable over six months after you got a job, and only if you got a job within a year of completion? If you get hired by one of their partners, the cost is just $7,000. Want to start your own company after graduation? Repayment doesn't start until six months after you've started the company.

This is not a scam. This is App Academy. With locations in New York and San Francisco, App Academy was started because the founders believe there is no reason to go into debt for years studying for a degree that will not result in a well-paying job. They carried this belief into their business model and are in the black.

If you are one of the 5% to be accepted, be prepared to work hard. The facilities are open 24/7 and lab work, which is the heart of the curriculum, takes up 80-90 hours per week. 10-15% do not make it. For those who do, the school connects students with companies hiring Rails developers.

Programming experience is helpful but not required. According to the school's web site: "Prior programming experience will help, but there are no hard requirements beside a passion for building cool stuff. You do need to be comfortable using a computer. You won't need a college degree."

There is a lot of discussion on the cost and value of a traditional college education. For the millennial generation, it is probably one of the most important issues of the day. Has App Academy come up with one of the answers?