We’re Keeping the Ranch Online… For Now

Like many, I was optimistic about how we would rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021: change was in the air and vaccines were coming. I was relieved when I found out I was eligible for my shot. I was looking forward to getting back to all of the things that I had missed out on over the past year. Here at the Ranch, we were looking forward to the return of in-person learning and the camaraderie it brings.

As it turns out, global pandemics are unpredictable. Who knew? And while vaccines and other precautions have helped to bring back some elements of life as we knew it, the pandemic has continued to make it difficult to bring back all of the elements of ‘normal’ life. 

Unfortunately, in-person training is no exception. We started the summer thinking that we would be able to resume in-person learning sometime in late 2021. But the rise of the Delta variant has caused us to re-evaluate our plans. Because caseloads and uncertainty have remained high, it seems that most folks are not comfortable traveling a long distance to spend a long period of time in an enclosed space with others outside of their normal circle.

So, we are going to keep all of our bootcamps online through the end of 2021. We plan to return to the physical classroom in 2022.

When we do return to the classroom, we want to create a safe and comfortable environment. Because we place a high value on the safety of our students and instructors, we are going to require students who attend our classes to show proof of vaccination. Those with a legitimate exemption from vaccination will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival at the training class. Depending on the severity of the situation, we may also require masks to be worn while indoors.

If you are looking forward to joining us in person, check out our course schedule for upcoming dates. And check out our blog for more information on how we will approach the return to the classroom.

Stay safe and we wish you happy coding.

Eric Wilson

Author Big Nerd Ranch

Eric joined Big Nerd Ranch in the spring of 2019 to lead the training initiatives and brings a wealth of experience in both training and consultancy work.