Cockroach University: Free, Engaging Online Curriculum on Modern Database Technology
Tags: cockroachdb, tutorial, database, education
Published: 2020-06-01 15:22:23

![Cockroach University](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/30d7nensmzht8asx3zeb.jpg)

This article was originally shared on the [Cockroach Labs blog](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/blog/cockroach-university/).

Around 6 months ago, we launched [Cockroach University](https://university.cockroachlabs.com/catalog) to provide a way for people to learn CockroachDB in a structured environment with opportunities for hands-on experience. Since then, we have learned that it’s actually much more than that.

Many of our customers distribute Cockroach University internally, and their developer teams use it as a resource to learn how to build their latest application or proof-of-concept. We’ve seen architects take the course as a way to familiarize themselves with CockroachDB without having to engage with sales. We’ve seen managers use it as an onboarding tool to spin up new team members for ongoing projects. 

Within its short time in existence, nearly 2,000 people have enrolled in Cockroach University. Dozens in various roles have posted their Certificate of Completion on LinkedIn, showcasing to colleagues (and perhaps future employers) their new skill set.

![Example: Certificate of Completion](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/a5ktv67cl2k2xwvpxfwj.png)

We recently introduced a swag package as an incentive for completing the course, so you'll get some Cockroach Labs gear in the mail as a graduation present. And now, [when you sign up](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/cockroach-university), we’ll donate $3 to Women Who Code on your behalf. 

We've been thrilled with the positive feedback we’ve received for the Getting Started course. We also appreciate the enthusiasm and curiosity for what’s coming next. 

Why should I sign up?
---------------------

Cockroach University isn’t just for people looking to learn about CockroachDB. Our inaugural course “Getting Started” covers the basics of distributed system, cloud-native application, and general purpose SQL database.

You can expect to learn how to:

* Scale your database horizontally by adding nodes
Monitor cluster activity & status
* Leverage distributed transactions with ACID guarantees
* Survive node & data center failure with minimal disruption
* Work with familiar & feature-rich PostgreSQL API with an extensive driver ecosystem

Our experts have carefully curated each course to include not just engaging lessons peppered with short quizzes to ensure you're learning along the way, but hands-on exercises to apply what you're learning. 

Here’s what some recent grads have to say about us:

> “One of the best intro / overview courses I've seen for a long time. Great stuff.”
> 
> “I think this is the kind of content that could really set CockroachDB apart from other DBs. I really enjoyed myself throughout the course, even though we already use it in production and test environments. I learned a bit more about geo-partitioning, and will be looking more into that in the future.
> 
> “Easily one of the most enjoyable self-paced online training courses I've done. Loved the combination of labs and integrating that into the final grading is really clever too. Well done. I certainly look forward to more of these.”

What’s coming next? 
-------------------
As soon as we released the first course, we started working on the second called “CockroachDB for Python Developers”. 

As the name implies, this is a pretty specific course that will get more granular into the technical details that developers are interested in. We plan to release the new course this summer, but in the meantime, we are releasing [short lessons via YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_QaflmEF2e8Prn7r7CIyBKsHPgsgNO_1) that you can access today, like this one: 

{% youtube qriOTjGwz_E %}

How can I get started?
----------------------

If you are brand new to Cockroach University and are interested in enrolling, sign up [here](https://university.cockroachlabs.com/). Once you register, we will donate $3 to Women Who Code. Upon passing the final exam, we’ll send you a Cockroach Labs goodie bag. 

Have questions along the way? Feel free to get in touch with us via our community [Slack](https://cockroachdb.slack.com/join/shared_invite/enQtODE2MjY0MDA3OTIxLTQxNWNlOTAzYTlkOTdlZTljMzM4ZTZjMjU5ODcyZjUzYzIyMzIzMjZkY2ZmOWU0OTBkYmNlMjc4YTg5NzE3YTQ?_ga=2.66886830.1450679416.1589818168-1520567203.1589818168#/) channel, #cockroach-university. We’re here to support you and make sure you get the most out of Cockroach University!