I'm right where you are, brother. I was more or less content until last year when I taught a beginners robotics and electronics class to local kids. I decided then that this was something I had to do and not just on a "free-time" basis. I'm trying to figure out how to make the jump myself.
I'll be watching your adventure with great (and also selfish) interest. Very best of luck.
What small piece of advice I can offer is this: if you truly want to teach please do so outside of a public school. When I went into teaching (elementary k-5) I was under the impression that as a computer teacher I would have more freedom than a typical classroom, but I quickly found out I was just as constricted. Rather than spend time talking to the kids about pieces of a computer, how they work, etc, I had to spend 2 months watching them type.
In NJ the core curriculum standards have gotten better but I still find them to be incredibly inadequate for the elementary level. Even at the middle school level (8th grade) one of the requirements is to basically take digital notes for a project and then use "digital authoring tools".
So if you want to do this maybe find a place to volunteer, after school program, etc. This will allow you to see if you enjoy and also allow you more flexibility.
Congrats on the decision , always glad to see Case grads doing awesome things :)
It was great to meet you at our link-state conference this fall. I was the one organizing that, although I only spoke to you briefly. Always glad to hear people doing what they truly live to do, which it seems you're doing.
A word of unsolicited advice. I purchased a few courses from two online vendors of good repute. They both included the free "lifetime" access to course material. One got bought out and changed the policy, and the other just changed their policy midway. As a buyer, I was a bit annoyed. It would have been far better from the vendors to not make the lifetime access promise. Frankly, their content (and it seems yours) is pretty high value anyways - just don't take promises you make lightly (specifically, lifetime access).
Best of luck to you! I'm likely going to sign up for your 1A course in the audit track!
Chris has been a longtime supporter of our mission to open up part data for hardware hackers at Octopart, so we know how much of a passion project this is. Congrats!!
Looks like a good plan. Only slightly off topic I LOLed at the electronics / milling machine connection. In our generation those two go together just like ham radio and amateur film photographer went together in my dad's generation. Sherline mill with Geckodrive powered steppers here.
This is probably some kind of trend or whatever that a startup could bounce off of.
It's neat to open HN and see very relevant topics. I'm taking Chris' Contextual Electronics course. It's structured around an 8 week period, but fortunately for me, it's still effective going at my own pace since life & work has been busy. Congrats Chris, and Thanks!
That's awesome - I have been a fan of Gammel's work (ChipTV, etc.) for a while. I've been more and more convinced that the next billionaire will be from hardware.
I'll be watching your adventure with great (and also selfish) interest. Very best of luck.