Make The Most of a CBC: Tips from On Deck and TPF

Tips from being part of On Deck CBC and leading and running two successful cohorts for The Product Folks

Hey folks! 👋🏽 Kavir here. Welcome back to another edition of The Discourse. After running two successful cohorts of the TPF No-code program — I have distilled my insights on how to make the most of a CBC here.

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So you’ve got yourself into a cohort program and wondering how to make the most use of it. Cohort programs have been all the rage in the ed-tech space in the last few years.

“Content is no longer king, cohorts are.”

Online courses have hilariously low engagement rates, just 3-6% completion rates. That means a lot of people are paying for education, but they aren’t utilizing it. An online course is self-directed, self-paced, learning through videos, and usually limited or no community.

A cohort-based course or program (CBC) on the other hand, combines elements of education, community, and accountability to create the perfect blend of education that improves learning and tangible outcomes.

I know a thing or two about cohort programs as I’ve been on both sides — as a participant in the On Deck No-code fellowship program and leading TPF’s No-code cohort program as the Program Director. Here’s what I learnt and can recommend to others joining such programs:

Be Intentional

Be intentional about what you want to take out of such a program and list down your goals. You should plan out your activities and divide them into interacting with the community, attending sessions/watching recordings, and building.

It's very easy to overthink, over-research, and not build until too late. The benefit of no-code is that you can build something really quick and test it with users.

Connect with others

• Add specific points in your intro about what you can help with and what you need help with

• Connect with others in 1:1 calls

• Attend the live sessions and ask questions when you can

• Be active in the Zoom chat

• Even if you're an introvert — you can use text channels on Discord to put yourself out there

Give more than you receive

• The more you help, the more you receive. If you're known as a giver, when you ask for help, there will be a lot of people willing to help you.

• It helps to be known for something specific - that way all requests and opportunities come to you first. For e.g. Ming-ya from TPFNC1 was known for her design skills, and Aswin was known as someone who worked at Angel List

Build in Public

• The more active you are on Discord and Twitter — the more you will attract opportunities. Combine that with being known for something specific, and you’ve got a winning combination. Example Srijith from Cohort 1 was able to get an internship at a web3 startup based on putting himself out there

• Share what you have learnt, ask for help, and provide frequent updates

• Read more about building in public

Key Takeaway

The more you put in, the more you can get out of it. You should think of the value of cohort programs as a combination of skill learning as well as being part of a community.

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Thanks to Dhrumi for providing feedback on early drafts of this piece.

That's it for today, thanks for reading!

Have you joined a CBC? How was your experience like? Reply or comment below, and I'll reply to you. Give feedback and vote on the next topic here.

Talk to you soon!

Follow me on Twitter @kavirkaycee

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