President, Chief Executive Officer & Director, STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC
Karl McDonnell: CEO Strayer Education
Skype interview from NYC.
About Karl Mcdonnell
In a September 2016 interview, Karl McDonnell, then CEO of Strayer Education, discussed the company's acquisition of the New York Code and Design Academy (NYCDA) and its nationwide expansion. McDonnell stated that the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated a shortage of about one million coding-related jobs by the end of the decade, and described NYCDA's programs as a way for individuals to switch careers into high-paying fields, with salaries in the $60,000 to $80,000 range. He noted that alumni had gone on to work for companies such as Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, or as independent contractors. McDonnell said Strayer was expanding NYCDA to markets including Salt Lake City, Austin, Texas, Raleigh, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. He described the curriculum as including a 10-week full-time intensive web development program and a 16-week evening program. McDonnell also remarked that the "Internet of Things economy" would create coding demands across all sectors of the U.S. economy, and that coding was a growing field among women, which he said Strayer supported.
Transcript (25 segments)
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Host0:08
Welcome back to the Mountain Morning Show, and we are thrilled to have on the program the CEO of Strayer University, Carl McDonald, who is with us. Welcome to the show, Carl.
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Karl Mcdonnell0:21
Thanks for having me.
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Host0:24
Good morning, good morning. How are you, Carl?
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Karl Mcdonnell0:27
I'm doing well, thank you so much.
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Host0:31
Terrific, terrific. Well, we're excited to talk to you today because this is something I've been talking about with my little boy quite a bit, getting him prepped up for it already, and that is coding.
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Karl Mcdonnell0:43
Yeah, coding is essentially the language that powers everything in the digital space. Every computer program, website, smartphone app is all written in code, and so coders are the architects and builders of the digital age.
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Host0:58
Indeed, there is a tremendous future in this particular area. Can you talk about, for those who don't understand what coding is, can you give them a little bit more of an understanding?
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Karl Mcdonnell1:07
Sure. There are coding languages, and the best way to think about it is coding essentially is creating a recipe, if you will, for a website or a smartphone app. It's a set of instructions done in a specific language that enables you to build all sorts of web engines, websites, smartphone apps, and really the sky's the limit in terms of creativity.
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Host1:30
Indeed. Could you talk about what the future holds for somebody who looks at this as their future, as their program?
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Karl Mcdonnell1:39
Well, currently the Bureau of Labor and Statistics is estimating there'll be a shortage of about 1 million coding-related jobs between now and the end of the decade. So for individuals who are looking for some sort of career change, coming to an institution like the New York Code and Design Academy to learn web programming or mobile app development could be an outstanding way to switch careers into areas that offer pretty high-paying jobs, salaries in the 60, 70, even $80,000 range. And we know that the career prospects are going to be quite bright for years to come.
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Host2:11
Yeah, these translate very quickly to six-figure jobs after not too awfully long, as I understand it. You get in that 70k range, and it sounds like 10 years in you're doing very, very well for yourself, typically.
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Karl Mcdonnell2:27
Yeah, we've heard great stories from alumni. People come to the New York Code and Design Academy to learn either web development or mobile app development, and that enables you to go work for really big companies in some cases—Facebook, Apple, Amazon—but also small companies, or a lot of individuals like to work for themselves as a contractor so they can set their own schedule and work their own hours.
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Host2:49
And Carl, what is Strayer's role in this sort of revolution of new employment opportunities in education?
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Karl Mcdonnell2:55
Well, we saw this great need in the economy for more coding-related boot camps, and we acquired the New York Code and Design Academy earlier this year. Together with their management team, we're now expanding nationwide, including coming to your area in Salt Lake City, but also in Austin, Texas, Raleigh, Washington DC, Seattle—a lot of major markets across the United States. Strayer's had a home in Salt Lake City for many years, and now we're excited to bring NYCDA to it as well.
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Host3:23
Talk to me about what that'll be like as you unroll it here in Salt Lake City. What are some of the things that will be available?
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Karl Mcdonnell3:32
Well, we'll offer our 10-week intensive web development program, which is a full-time program where individuals go essentially from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. over the course of 10 weeks. But we'll also be offering our 16-week evening program, as we understand not everyone can go full-time during the day. So we'll be offering both of those at our facility in Salt Lake City.
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Host3:54
That is tremendous. Now, I assume that there is a period of time for enrollment that we've got to meet, is that right?
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Karl Mcdonnell4:00
Well, our next classes start on September 6th, so as long as you're enrolled before September 6th, you'll be able to start attending those classes. The best way to learn about enrolling and learn a little more detail about the programs themselves is to go to our website at nycda.com.
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Host4:17
The other thing that we probably have to talk about, because both Li and I have young people, and as I said, my 9-year-old, this is all he thinks about pretty much at this point, is video games and computer programs and different things. We've talked to him quite a bit about coding, and he seems to be pretty excited. And there's even some classes for kids his age. Is that a good place to go? Should we be introducing them to this stuff early, I guess?
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Karl Mcdonnell4:46
Absolutely. Part of NYCDA is a little segment we call Generation Code, and it's coding for kids. It's an excellent age to start learning coding. I'm with you—I have a 9-year-old who not only plays Minecraft all the time but watches videos of other people playing Minecraft, which is huge now too. So the more familiar young people can be with coding, certainly the better. The Internet of Things economy is going to literally touch every sector of the US economy, so there's not a company in America that's not going to have some sort of coding demands put on it in the coming years. Young people should certainly start familiarizing themselves with it.
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Host5:23
And Carl, what I think is so great is computer science has traditionally been thought of as a really male-dominated industry, and lately you've seen so many programs and incentives for young females to get involved and start getting more into coding and the computer science background. So I think just to reiterate your point, people shouldn't be intimidated if they're interested, and they should go on your website. You've really got something for everybody.
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Karl Mcdonnell5:47
Absolutely, and you raise a great point. Coding amongst women is a very growing field, and we're very supportive of it. The best way to learn about our programs is to visit us at nycda.com.
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Host6:00
All right, well we want to thank you so very much. Strayer Education CEO Carl McDonald, thank you for joining us. It sounds like it's going to be a tremendous start here in Utah, as well as so many other places, as you guys unroll this new program. It's tremendous. Thank you.
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Karl Mcdonnell6:16
Yeah, thanks for having me. And again, we're just thrilled to be in the Salt Lake City community, and we look forward to serving your community for years to come.
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Host6:23
Indeed. Thanks for joining us. Thank you.