7

Pathways for Our Learners

From Student to Colleague

I call our seventh principle Pathways for Our Learners, but its internal motto is much simpler: "Eat your own dog food." This philosophy comes from hard-earned lessons in both software development and education.

💔 The Perfect System Nobody Used

Of the many systems I've built, one stands out in my memory the most—not for its success, but for what it taught me. It was an in-house system, and on paper, it was perfect. The development team met every business requirement, we finished quickly, and we were proud of our work. There was just one problem: the users didn't openly refuse to use it; they just... didn't. They were unwilling and did everything they could to avoid it.

I still remember the crushing realization when I walked through the office weeks after deployment. People were still using spreadsheets, still doing things the old way. Our "perfect" system sat unused, a monument to our disconnect from reality. The worst part? We had been so confident that we'd already started planning to sell it externally.

We had made a classic mistake: we left the most important stakeholder—the end-user—out of the process and then forced a system onto them. Unsurprisingly, when we tried to sell this "successful" system to external customers, it failed completely.

🎓 The Education Disconnect

I see this same disconnect happening constantly in education. I've hired many developers from so-called bootcamps and even universities who are a testament to this gap. They often know plenty of things they don't need to, and very little of what is actually most important for the job. In one extreme case, a graduate from a prestigious college admitted to me that he had bribed a professor to pass.

The common theme is clear: many institutions teach a curriculum and then leave the learners on their own after graduation, with little accountability for their actual success.

I once enrolled in an online university that promised internships with its related companies after completing half the subjects. It was a compelling idea. But the university eventually had to abandon this model, buckling under financial pressures and flaws in its own educational methods. However, it taught me a valuable lesson: if you truly believe in the quality of what you produce, you must be willing to use it yourself.

💡 The Core Philosophy

"Eat Your Own Dog Food"

If you truly believe in what you create, you must be willing to use it yourself.

🔄 The Self-Reinforcing Loop

This is the very soul of our Pathways for Our Learners principle.

I envision an organization where we create pathways for the people we educate to join our own team. This is our ultimate proof of quality and our method for building our own successors. The e-learning platform we build will also become the main educational platform for our own future staff, creating a powerful, self-reinforcing loop.

I understand this is a long-term vision. In our early phase, with limited course offerings and the challenges of a rough start, direct hiring opportunities will be few. But by building our organization on a foundation of quality and using our financial model (Principle #12) to serve our mission without pressure for short-term profit, we are confident this principle is not just a dream, but an achievable and essential part of our future.

It's our promise to our learners: we are so committed to your success that our goal is to one day be your colleagues.

Learning from Disconnects

What happens when education forgets its purpose

💻

The Unused System

A technically perfect system that users avoided because we never asked what they actually needed.

Lesson: Only promise what you can deliver by using it yourself.
🎓

The Unprepared Graduate

Students who know theory but can't apply it, or worse, who bought their way through.

Lesson: Education without accountability is just expensive entertainment.
🏢

The Broken Promise

Institutions that promise job placement but lack the quality or connections to deliver.

Lesson: Success isn't measured by features completed, but by lives improved.

The Self-Reinforcing Loop

How eating our own dog food creates excellence

📚Learners Study
🤝Best Join Team
🎯Team Creates Content
Platform Improves
Skill-Wanderer

Every graduate who joins us brings fresh perspectives. Every team member who creates content knows it must be good enough for their own learning. Every improvement makes the next generation even better.

The Journey Ahead

Building pathways takes time, but the destination is clear

Early Phase (Now)

Building foundation courses, establishing quality standards, creating our first content. Limited direct opportunities but unlimited commitment.

🌱

Growth Phase

First learners complete programs, initial hires from our community, proving the model works. Success stories begin.

🌿

Maturity Phase

Regular pipeline from learner to team member, alumni creating content, multiple career paths available within our ecosystem.

🌳

Full Circle

Former learners leading teams, creating new programs, mentoring the next generation. The loop becomes self-sustaining.

🔄

Creating Real Pathways

How we turn promise into practice

Internal Education First

  • Every team member learns through our own platform
  • New hires onboard using our courses
  • Continuous learning paths for existing staff
  • If it's not good enough for us, it's not good enough for anyone

Performance-Based Opportunities

  • Track learner progress and engagement
  • Identify top performers through projects
  • Offer internships and contract work first
  • Full-time positions for proven contributors

Building Succession

  • Today's learners become tomorrow's colleagues
  • Career progression from student to educator
  • Leadership development for future growth
  • Creating our own talent pipeline

We are so committed to your success that our goal is to one day be your colleagues. This isn't just education—it's an invitation to join us in building something extraordinary.

- Quan Nguyen, Founder of Skill-Wanderer