As you may have heard, BitDegree signed an agreement with blockchain-based cryptocurrency platform, Ethos, in the crypto world also known as Bitquence. The agreement means that Ethos will create the ‘Introduction to crypto and cryptocurrencies’ course on BitDegree platform. It will give students the chance to take their first steps into the world of crypto and cryptocurrencies. MVP already available here.

Shingo Lavine, previously described as “the next Mark Zuckerberg”, takes a keen interest in education; he is also the co-founder of the Jobs University, which like BitDegree, gives students the chance to learn the necessary core skills to succeed in the workplace. Whilst our incentivized learning model of giving our students the chance to “earn by learn” was one factor in creating the BitDegree and Ethos tie-up, Shingo explained that community driven platform was also a deciding motive in choosing to partner with us.

So, now it’s turn to Shingo to reveal his views on education, his role at the Jobs University, the current state of education, social intelligence-driven platforms, and what’s coming next for BitDegree and Ethos.

Happy reading!

BitDegree: What is it about BitDegree that inspired Ethos to team up with us?

Shingo Lavine: Education has been a long time interest of mine. Edtech is a rapidly growing sector that is seeking to address the inequalities that exist in accessing quality learning materials. In the same way that Ethos is seeking to make finance more accessible, BitDegree is seeking to make education more accessible. Our missions overlap in a unique way where we can partner with Bitdegree to create and syndicate materials to increase financial and blockchain literacy.

You are creating the ‘Introduction to crypto and cryptocurrencies’ course with BitDegree. What is it about, and is it based on your experience as the co-founder of the Jobs University?

The course I’m creating is about the fundamentals of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the cryptocurrency market in general. It is addressing the core questions that many people ask me all the time when I talk about cryptocurrencies such as “What is Bitcoin?” “What is Ethereum?” “Should I buy some?” With this course, I’m providing foundation-level knowledge of how the Bitcoin and Ethereum protocols work and what it means as someone takes their first steps into the industry.

With regards to Jobs University, yes! I’ve created lots of video lectures through my work at the Jobs University. Any of our students who happen to go through this course may notice a very similar format! With Jobs University, we split up all of our curriculum into courses each with eight knowledge units or bite-sized nuggets of information. By splitting up the course in this way, it makes it very easy to digest each “bite” of information and sets the pace for the course while maintaining a fast-paced learning environment..

Like BitDegree, Ethos uses Social Intelligence or “people power” on its platform. What are the benefits of using SI, and was BitDegree’s use of it part of Ethos’ partnership with us?

We have seen over the past few decades that companies have built entire services around this idea of Social Intelligence. Uber, Yelp, AirBnB are three who have built networks of people who collectively provide a service to others. At Ethos we have a deep commitment to our community, and Bitdegree is fostering a similar atmosphere. I believe that there is an opportunity to grow both of our communities in tandem as we release our offerings.

Why do you believe that traditional education is not always effective in preparing learners for the job market?

Traditional education doesn’t often focus on many of the things employers are looking for in employees. People out of college often have a lot of knowledge, but not much in the way of practical skillsets. These skillsets include things such as how to read a balance sheet, how to create a sales pipeline, and discovering the difference between sales and marketing.

Even if someone doesn’t work within finance, sales or marketing, they often work in conjunction with people who do. Why is it that so few people seem to be financially literate out of school? Why is it that people seem to know so much, yet lack core skills? The courses created at the Jobs University were created in order to address these sorts of questions.

Do you believe that online courses such as those provided by BitDegree and the Jobs University could one day completely replace traditional education?

Time will tell! Traditional universities are beginning to harness the power of massive online education courses and other online educational resources to supplement their own offerings. That is just a testament to where education is headed. Brick and mortar schools will probably always have a place, but an ever increasing number of people are going to be learning in a vastly different way than most people did previously. I think that the courses provided by companies like BitDegree and Jobs University will pave the way for the future of education.

How do you see the future of BitDegree and Ethos working together?

I hope to create more courses for BitDegree and eventually sponsor a financial and cryptocurrency literacy section of the BitDegree platform. I think many users who go through BitDegree may also have questions such as “how do I store my digital currency?” or “how do I buy some?” These are services that the Ethos platform can provide. Ethos can also send some of our users to BitDegree who want to learn more about the different coins that they discovered on our platform.

If you have any questions, feel free to send us a message on Telegram and we will happily answer whatever you’d like to know!