Perl
Training

Experiences, Anecdotes
and
Vague Conclusions

Dave Cross
dave@dave.org.uk

I run
Perl training courses

Doing so
since 2001

Alongside
conferences

YAPC::Europe
UKUUG Conference
LPW

Internal courses for companies

Acxiom
AMP
Morgan Stanley

Public
courses

Perl Teach-In
UKUUG/O'Reilly

Perl Teach-In

June 2007

Free
training
course

Sponsored
by
BBC Backstage

Not
originally
my idea

Simon Cozens

Japan

Many Perl
jobs in
London

Not enough
experienced
programmers

One-day
advanced level
Perl course

Turn beginner
programmers
into
experienced
programmers

50 places

All booked
in days

(Remember
it was free)

Very positive
feedback

ThamesValley.pm

Who attended?

BBC people

A few
london.pm
people

Lots of
people
I didn't know

Marketing
success

A less
successful
story

July 2008
Public Perl
courses
in London

Five days
of training

Priced
less than
QA or
Learning Tree

Marketing
failure

Charging
makes a
difference

Need good
contacts

Word of mouth
not enough

Commercial
advertising
on Perl Monger
mailing lists?

Cancelled
due to lack
of interest

Need better
marketing

UKUUG and
O'Reilly

February 2009
Two days
of courses

Central
London
hotel

One day beginners
One day advanced

Not aimed
at the
same people

Recommend
three months
experience
between courses

Marketing
needs to
make that
clearer

Twenty places
on each day

Almost
sold out

A few
london.pm
people

Lots of
people
I didn't know

University
staff

Large companies

Interesting
omission:
Internet
start-ups

UKUUG and
O'Reilly
were happy

Doing it
again in
November

This time
three days

Beginners
Intermediate
Advanced

mag-sol.com/train/public

University
of
Westminster

Evening class
in
Computer
Forensics

Computer programmning
for
data munging

Invited
to give
evening class
in basic Perl

Four hours
6 10pm

With
practical
exercises

Some
vague
conclusions

People are
still
interested
in Perl

People still
want
Perl training

Marketing
is
important

Marketing
is
hard

Perl Training
London
24 - 26 Nov

mag-sol.com/train/public