Holberton School, an alternative, project-based school for software engineers, announced its partnership with Unity Technologies, creator of the most widely used real-time 3D development platform, as well as Tom Emrich, a leading visionary in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and wearable tech, to open the first AR and VR Learning Centers at their schools in San Francisco, Connecticut, and Bogotá, Colombia. The centers’ curriculum was unveiled in an event at the flagship San Francisco campus featuring Grammy Award winner NE-YO, and executives from Ubisoft and Unity Technologies.
“Unity’s real-time 3D development platform has been at the core of some of the most engaging AR and VR experiences like Disney’s Cycles, Crow: The Legend, IKEA Place, Wayfair Spaces, and many more,” said Jessica Lindl, vice president, Education at Unity Technologies. “We’re incredibly proud to work with Holberton School to enable success for the next generation of creators pushing the boundaries of what is possible in augmented and virtual reality.”
Holberton aims to teach its students how to use Unity for scripting, animation, UI design, the creation of shaders, game and application testing, as well as UX concepts specific to AR and VR, including accessibility, immersive storytelling, spatial audio, and user comfort. With these skills, students will be able to create interactive experiences of all kinds, not only for gaming, but also for use in sectors such as automotive, AEC, and film.
Holberton’s curriculum combines project-based and peer learning where students help each other to learn and reach goals with no lectures or formal teachers. The school claims that its model leverages “a proven system long-used in Europe.” Students acquire practical skills, an understanding of theory through hands-on learning, and the development of actual systems and applications. This practical, hands-on experience guarantees that students possess the skills necessary for the technology industry’s most demanding jobs. Students are also closely advised by mentors from Silicon Valley’s leading tech companies.
“Augmented and virtual reality mark a huge shift in computing, moving it from 2D to 3D, enabling digital experiences we can interact with just like we do the world around us,” said Emrich. “With this shift comes a need for a new set of skills. Holberton’s AR/VR curriculum equips students with real-world, business-imperative AR/VR skills positioning both the students – and the companies that hire them – for success in this next wave of computing.”
Emrich has more than a decade of experience in emerging technologies, working with powerhouse brands and organizations to devise and implement strategies leveraging AR/VR, and wearable tech. He has played a critical role in growing and nurturing the AR/VR ecosystem as an investor and community builder. His thoughts on the space are sought after by media, brands and technology companies as one of the world’s most recognized thought leaders on the next wave of computing.
“Tom and Unity have been instrumental in creating this curriculum, giving our students the tools they need to compete with students from MIT, Stanford, and Harvard for some of the most exciting jobs in tech,” said Sylvain Kalache, co-founder, Holberton. “AR/VR has already impacted every industry at every level, and our students will be ready.”
Holberton claims that its students are hired at top-tier Silicon Valley employers, such as Apple, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google. Holberton also boasts one of the most diverse learning institutions in the tech industry, with an “automated admission process designed to reduce human bias.”
By offering ISA as a tuition model, the school allows it so that students can either pay $85,000 upfront in tuition, or, for the first three and a half years after graduation, contribute 17% of their yearly salary (if the student is making less than $40,000 per year). According to Holberton’s website, which assumes the student will make $85,000 per year right out of school, a graduating student will wind up paying $50,575.
The alternate schooling model that Holberton provides could prove well for potential developers who don’t want to spend too much time in academia and just need their foot in the door to get a good job in AR/VR. Interest from a young age in AR/VR development is already being cultivated, as a high school in Virginia is creating an AR lab and CDI and ClassVR partner to bring VR and AR kits to K-12 students.
