Open X

Dynamic DisruptIONS.

[Open X Education was founded in 2015 by a small group of ambitious Engineers, Programmers and Technology fanatics, who found that the world leading technology employers in Aerospace, Automotive, Robotics, and more have a massive demand for people who understand the cutting edge technologies they use, yet a massive shortage in supply of qualified candidates. Companies like Boeing, SpaceX, Tesla, Apple, and Microsoft are willing to hire people who have taught themselves the technology – if the candidate can demonstrate they understand it.]

[The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or opinions of Open X Education]

I’ve been on Facebook for something like eight years. Over that time, I’ve participated in dozens of groups that encompass many of my interests: business, art, culture, literature, media, and technology. As someone who admins a group that contains over 20,000 members, I’ve noticed that a general trend across Facebook groups is that they become more unruly and toxic as they grow. 

A good way of thinking about this dynamic is that it’s a sort of digital mirror of Dunbar’s number. Simply put: as a group grows, the social lattice tends to hang heavy with the languor and chaos of network effects. People cut each other down, engender negativity, and showcase a gamut of passive aggressive behaviors and attitudes. However, every once in a while, something materializes within the world of Facebook groups that defies these trends and breaks all the rules. Enter Open X.

While it’s not obvious how and why groups like this emerge seemingly out of thin air, when they do- it pays dividends to carefully watch these black swan events. Passion and enthusiasm are notoriously overvalued commodities in our day and age. However, when focused on a common goal, these creative energies can dramatically change the world- often permanently. I believe that the Open X community possesses all of these traits and then some. 

I won’t attempt to describe the vision of Open X, since the outline provided on their website is basically unimprovable:

“There is a large challenge in the world today. Technology is evolving at an exponential rate, beyond what our infrastructure was prepared for. The modern education system leaves much to be desired in terms of flexibility and cost for the individual, but maybe the most crucial factor is that the majority of programs today do not teach the advanced skill sets needed at companies.

We created Open X Education as a first step to addressing that problem. We focus on enabling individuals to succeed and grow their careers in advanced technologies by creating a next generation online learning platform. We bring together industry experts and have them teach their trade, particularly ones that are in high demand around the world. We then open it up so anyone can join with no tuition and no admissions process. The average market price to learn the skills we focus on vary from $3,000 to $8,000 depending on how in depth you want to go. The platform we designed allows us to provide more training, more support and more help – for less than one-tenth of that price, most of our courses are between $200 and $400. We believe in a future where any individual has the ability to pursue an advanced technology career, without going in debt, stressing over the time or not getting the support they need. We help our members develop their resumes, give them industry proven tips and coaching on interviewing and help them land a new career or excel in their current one.”

Stark, right? That’s not your average mission statement, but a bold declaration that a lot of things are about to be disrupted for good. With regards to recent developments in the world, there could not have been a more ripe opportunity for such an organization to assemble itself and set its teeth on solving a problem that’s dogged the youth since the 1980’s, namely: the cost of education.

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I’ve been a member of this community for about six months. Over that time, I’ve made promising connections, gained access to information and resources that were otherwise unattainable, and interfaced with a network of entrepreneurs and small business owners who are much like myself. Open X possesses all the immediate benefits of network effects without sacrificing the quality of the group or the content within it. How is this almost dreamlike quality achieved in a Facebook group? Simply put: all posts are approved and metered by a team of admins.

The amount of work required to monitor that much pending content is understandably and undeniably bruising. More exactly, community members engage with curated and accordant content, a sort of relevance hierarchy that keeps things in tight orbit around STEM, education, industry, networks, and newsworthy innovation. Members share status updates on projects they’re working on, provide insight into their career life, and encourage one another to pursue their self-development with direction and discipline. This community builds its members up in ways that are not conventional. However, the approach to form this guid within a Facebook group is intuitive and the upshot is remarkable.

There is an ethos within this community that’s reminiscent of the early days of internet forums, something that’s easily lost in social networks and groups containing more than a few hundred members today. Soon as news hits that someone is relocating across the country, their post is met with encouragement, employment recommendations, and networking opportunities at no cost or risk to them. This rowdy amalgam of workaholics, car enthusiasts, aerospace personnel, engineers, tradesmen, welders, veterans, and small business owners has been unified around a common goal and solving problems that once enjoyed an infinite shelf life. 

This feature was not intended to be a promotion of Open X Education, but a celebration of the community and its ethos. A place where those who dare to tinker and dream may find opportunity to realize their potential and acquire valuable skills. Open X best embodies the words of the great Eric Hoffer, who mused that “in times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”