Born less than 24 hours ago, my Ruby Mendicant University idea is already more than a third about half of the way to having its initial costs covered. In less than 12 hours, we've had 35 59 people request a copy of the entrance exam. So now that the idea is validated, it's time to begin on the execution.

Here's what you need to know: 

Because I'm busy, and won't be quitting my day job to run this program, you shouldn't have to either. 

I will try to keep the workload and interactive commitments down to 5-10 hrs a week, but leave challenges for those who want a more intense experience

There WILL be an entrance exam, which you need to pre-register for via this google form.

Its purpose is not to select the "best solutions", but instead, to  gauge how I should select a group that will work well together and benefit the most from the content I produce.

Donations do not affect my decision on who gets accepted to the program.

I'm pretty sure that'd be illegal, anyway.   But please only donate to support me in executing this idea, not because you expect anything in particular in return.

Most exercises and meetings will be optional.

But every student joining the program should commit to the full 3 weeks and attempt to stay involved with what's going on in the course. I hope that everyone who joins the session gets "Alumni" status, but it's going to take more than lurking to get it. :)

There WILL be a final exam, which must be submitted to gain "Alumni" status.

Like the entrance exam, this is not an objective measure of skill as much as it is a way to gauge your individual progress and ensure a decent understanding of the fundamentals.

I will not be posting a course syllabus

This is because much of what I teach will be dynamic in nature and focus on problem solving rather than a bullet list of topics. We will take advantage of the small group setting to do 1-1 coaching and peer review. Upon submitting the entrance exam, you will have an opportunity to list the topics in particular that interest you, and I'll let you know whether I plan to cover them before you need to commit to the course. 

This course will be conversational, light-hearted, and pragmatic in nature.

I'm not looking to create an academic experience here, nor am I trying to act as a "judge" of your Ruby skills. The goal is to create an open-ended learning experience that will take you closer to mastering your craft, but at the end of the day, the course will be what you make of it.

Some events will be open to the public

While a key part of this program is creating a comfortable and private environment to study in, some of our exercises and events will be done out in the open.  This will be perhaps 20% of the overall material, so the truly shy may still apply and skip these events, but community interaction is part of what it takes to become a masterful Rubyist.

Still on board? Then, you'll want to know about these dates as well:

• June 13th: Entrance Exam sent to those who pre-registered
• June 20th (00:00 UTC): Deadline for Entrance Exam submissions
• June 20-27th: Invites to accepted students will be sent.
• June 28th: Inaugeral Class List is announced. (Students have the option of remaining anonymous)
• July 1st: If we have reached our funding goal, then the sessionwill go on as scheduled.
• September 1st-22nd: Session 1!

Things you can do right now:

• Make a donation if you like this program and want to support it.
• Submit a request to receive the entrance exam.  No obligation to submit, or to join the program, so anyone interested is welcome.
• Keep up on the latest news about the program by watching the Ruby Mendicant tag and/or following me on twitter here.
• Tell your friends via Twitter, IM, Reddit, or even smoke signals if you want.  Spread the word any way you know how.
• Ask a question or make a suggestion to help make this program better

Thanks for helping me make this idea a reality.  Expect to hear more soon!