BitDegree, a Lithuanian cryptocurrency startup, hopes to help change the face of online education through their online platform and cryptocurrency.
So What is BitDegree?
BitDegree is an online platform, with its own native cryptocurrency, that was founded at the start of 2017. BitDegree intends to revolutionize how education functions today and allow prospective users to learn technology-based skills through online courses.
BitDegree utilizes companies looking to hire employees to help fund online courses for such future employees.
Let’s say that Company ABC was looking to hire blockchain developers. This company would then fund courses while partnering with BitDegree to create a comprehensive course, focusing on blockchain development, which would fit the role which they desire. This system allows for the platform’s users to learn more about the technology industry while receiving a financial incentive in the form of the BitDegree Token.
BitDegree hosted an ICO towards the end of 2017 and raised over 33,600 Ethereum, easily hitting their hardcap. The platform has garnered a network of support through its advisory board. Electronic Arts co-founder, Jeff Burton, has taken up a spot on the advisory board.
Burton stated in an interview:
BitDegree is pursuing a way of reaching millions of people with material which they need in order to succeed and it’s in a way which is so elegant and it has not been possible before.
Roberto Santana, former senior manager at Coursera, a prominent online education web service, has also joined the ranks as an advisor to the BitDegree team. Seeing such a prominent figure in the online education industry join BitDegree helps validate this startup, as well as assisting it in reaching its goal to become a worldwide education platform.
As of April 2018, the website already hosts courses on Solidity, the Ethereum smart-contract coding language, as well as marketing and social media courses, just to name a few topics.
However, BitDegree also encourages non-funded courses, offering a large array of technology-based courses which hope to help entrepreneurs succeed in their respective fields. By the end of 2018, the platform is expected to have courses on robotics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
This course lineup is far from those easy A classes you took in order to pad your GPA.
The best part is that it is all free. As mentioned earlier, the funding provided by partner companies, along with other methods of financial support, allows the platform to stay free for users worldwide.
By taking advantage of the free nature of the platform, the team at BitDegree hopes that their platform will allow low-income and impoverished people to obtain education and stable jobs.
That’s the beauty of the platform. With mobile devices and computers becoming increasingly cheap, those locked out of traditional education avenues can turn to platforms like BitDegree to become acquainted with the future of the worldwide economy—technology.
Andrius Putna, the CEO and co-founder of BitDegree, put it best by saying:
It (BitDegree) aims to open up technology courses to everyone, regardless of their income, to address skills shortages.
It is clear that BitDegree is planning on becoming the next online education standard by utilizing blockchain technology and implementing innovative ideas which are unique to the BitDegree platform.
“The more participants there are, the bigger chance of a project becoming a success. We’re hoping to become the largest education community online,” said co-founder Danielius Stasiulis as he talked with ZDNet in an interview.
What do you think of projects like BitDegree? Do you think that they are a solid alternative to classical education methods or other online education sites? Tell us in the comments below.
Images Courtesy of BitDegree, Pixabay, and Wikimedia Commons/@Tulane Public Relations.