Guide Education Philosophy
Why Coding Should Be Free (And What’s Broken in Tech Education)
Coding should be free for a simple reason: typing is free, and the ability to use a computer to its full potential shouldn’t require a half-year salary. In a world where AI tools make building more accessible than ever, we should be expanding access— not gatekeeping it behind expensive funnels.
1) If you own a computer, you should be able to use it fully
A computer is not just a consumption device. It’s a general-purpose machine—one of the most powerful tools humans have ever created. If you own a computer, you own the right to explore what it can do: build tools, automate tasks, create apps, and understand the systems you rely on.
Historically, that’s been the magic of computing: curiosity, tinkering, experimentation, and a culture of sharing. The web itself grew because people could learn, publish, and collaborate without asking permission.
2) College computer science can be worth the cost, but “JavaScript bootcamps” often aren’t
To be fair: a full computer science degree can justify tuition because it typically covers a broad, rigorous foundation—hardware, software systems, algorithms, mathematics, and the theory behind computing.
What’s harder to justify is the modern “bootcamp economy” where people are charged premium prices to learn skills that are widely available: JavaScript fundamentals, frontend basics, and standard framework patterns. The problem is not that teaching has value—it does. The problem is the mismatch between price and what’s being sold.
3) What’s broken: confusion as a business model
A lot of modern tech education marketing is built around urgency and insecurity:
- “If you don’t pay now, you’ll fall behind.”
- “If you don’t join this program, you’ll never break in.”
- “If you don’t follow our exact path, you’ll fail.”
This creates an environment where people are pressured into expensive commitments before they even understand what they’re committing to. It turns learning into anxiety management.
4) Our position: YouCanBuildTech has to be free
Knowing all of the above, its genuinely difficult for us to imagine YouCanBuildTech as anything but totally free. We’re not here to trap curiosity behind subscriptions. We’re here to make software understandable again—especially for beginners navigating the AI era.
Is it tempting to introduce special offers or premium gates? Sure. But it wouldn’t align with the learning culture many of us grew up with: open tutorials, shared knowledge, and experimentation—especially in the early 2010s era of web learning.
5) The goal: reignite the fun and curiosity of “endless possibilities”
One of the best parts of the 2000s internet and early web culture was the feeling that you could build anything. That spark matters. And paradoxically, with AI-assisted coding (what many now call Vibe Coding) becoming widely available, those possibilities are more reachable than ever—if people have the right mental models.
What YouCanBuildTech will do differently
- Teach the fundamentals clearly (without academic overload).
- Explain frameworks and tools so you understand what’s happening, not just what to click.
- Teach Vibe Coding responsibly—how to use AI effectively, and where it breaks.
- Keep everything open: no paywalls, no hidden tiers, no gated “knowledge.”