Treehouse NewsWhy We Decided to Take a Paycut

Ryan Carson
writes on September 25, 2014

There was something we were doing at Treehouse that made us more money, but just didn’t feel quite right. We’ve finally decided to just pull the trigger and take the hit on revenue, because taking care of our Students is always the right thing to do.

If you weren’t already aware, Treehouse students have had the option to pause their account for up to 3 months at a time. At the end of that period your account would be automatically unpaused, and you’d begin paying for your account again.

For those of you that used pausing, the time limit was inconvenient, and introduced unnecessary pressure to unpause before you were ready. Some of you even felt we were being dishonest and charging you without your consent.

We’re excited to announce that pausing your account no longer comes with a time limit! You can now pause your account for as long as you like, and your account will remain paused until you’re ready to come back and learn with us again.

For those of you that were already paused under the old system, your account has been converted to an indefinite pause. If you need to check the status of your account you can do so on your membership settings page.

We appreciate every single one of our 87,000 Students and we’re going to continue to always try to do the right thing to serve you.

To Infinity and Beyond!

31 Responses to “Why We Decided to Take a Paycut”

  1. This is such a good move that it’s sold me on Treehouse, though I was kinda sold already. I’m learning code to set up my own cloud based company and this is the way I hope I will be able to treat my clients. I’m busy right now between work and learning to improve my code through direct lessons from a very respectable fellow. Once they are over and I have absorbed it all, I will be back for sure. Right now been paying for two months without having time to pretty much do anything on treehouse, so I’m very glad that this is an option

  2. Link bait tittle there Ryan.

    ______________
    rượu nho ninh thuận

  3. Thank you so much for making this decision! I have been off and on with you guys, and it helps to not have to pay on the months that I don’t have time to sit down and go through the tracks. I hope to be in a situation very soon where I can commit time weekly – hopefully almost daily – to work through several tracks. I am in a major transition right now, and I want to come out on the other side working in this field. Blessings to everyone at treehouse!

    Juli Litchford

  4. Ryan;

    You guys are driving this idea the best way possible. That’s why I consider that you guys are unstoppable. I’m not afraid to make the prediction that this school is going to be one of the most important online schools to learn code in the country. TreeHouse is showing me a new dimention for my career (engineering and academia) and also awakening the entrepreneurship in me. Many thanks for that!

    We appreciate what you are doing and keep up the good work…
    Sincerely;
    Gabe

    • Ryan Carson on September 30, 2014 at 11:03 am said:

      Wow, thank so much Gabe! You made my day 🙂

      • Victor Warner on September 15, 2016 at 11:04 pm said:

        I just saw some of your videos, one you did in Bath and for 99u. I believe your website is one of the best for relevant IT content and coding, it is also a product that can impact people directly with a nice business practice. Thank You for starting this business and to give hundreds of thousands of people the special gift that is both your passion and the awesomeness that it’s called treehouse.

        -Victor Warner

  5. Link bait tittle there Ryan.

  6. Ryan Carson on September 29, 2014 at 10:11 am said:

    Thanks everyone! 🙂

  7. David Clarke on September 29, 2014 at 9:43 am said:

    Much appreciated!

  8. Barry Bloye on September 29, 2014 at 5:44 am said:

    A great change. I have considered both Treehouse and Code School, but have found the idea of a monthly subscription off-putting. Being a time-poor parent as well as a freelancer, there are often weeks and months where there just isn’t time to sit down and go through a course, so I didn’t feel I would get enough use out of them.

    Being able to pause indefinitely during busier spells makes me far more likely to consider signing up.

  9. This is great news, especially for those of us in other countries who have some trouble affording your services (you guys are awesome, though!). This means I can schedule my learning for those times of the year that I can make the most out of it. Thanks so much for this, it’s really a great move.

  10. Bill Crawford on September 28, 2014 at 11:37 pm said:

    Congrats on a wise, customer-friendly decision. As a newbie, I am becoming very impressed with your group. Looking forward to years of great training.

  11. I think it’s great that you guys are moving away from that kind of dark pattern. You don’t need it, now you can reap the benefits of customer trust and continue to be an awesome company!

  12. I really congratulate the Treehouse team. I’ve been around for a couple of months (including a free month), and the experience so far has been totally rewarding. Your focus on an effective methodology through focused courses and challenges, along with the enthusiasm of all teachers, has prompted me to continue using your services.

    This new policy is a way to thank our commitment to learn and study, which is greatly appreciated!

    Thank you Treehouse for demonstrating that $25/month are far more productive and better invested, than the thousands many pay at an “established” university.

  13. I feel in the long run this will make Treehouse more money. Values like these is what keeps people coming back. The business world needs more examples like Treehouse!

  14. Thank you!! Much appreciated.

  15. I experienced the shortcomings of the previous method, I was subscribed for two months without knowing. However, after sending an email, Treehouse reimbursed me within the same day!

    You guys are the ultimate UX designers as every decision you make (Not only “design” ones) is based on user needs.

    Cheers for the latest announcement!

  16. Kyle Nieber on September 27, 2014 at 11:38 am said:

    I just started with you all a couple of weeks ago and I have learned an incredible amount in just a short time. I’ve taken web development and web design courses in college and my degree is in graphic communications. These courses have taught me more than I ever learned in four years at my university (however, my professors in my degree area aren’t to blame since web wasn’t my degree, just the professors from my web design classes).

    It’s wonderful to see a dedicated staff who will even take a pay cut to benefit their students. Thank you all!

  17. I hope you guys and gals make it back twice over. You are helping me create my new world, when I thought I was an old dog who couldn’t learn to roll over. Ummm, Thanks!

  18. this is why i believe in treehouse and why i think this is the right path for me to learn what i need to learn to make my coding and designing dreams come true ! cheers treehouse!!!

    UB

  19. Ryan, this is great. Treehouse is what I recommend to any colleague looking to learn more in an ever evolving field. Wonderful service.

  20. good business decision. it only builds the brand as a helpful and positive company. cheers.

  21. Thank you guys. I just had to pause. Seems silly not to be able to pay 25$, but sometimes months get tuff, you guys have taught me a lot and I love your site. Thanks for treating us like humans and not like dollar signs. =)

  22. Treehouse is a highly respectable organization, and it’s their honesty and commitment to truly serving their customers/students that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd. Thanks for kicking so much ass, Treehouse!

  23. This is great news that just makes Treehouse even more awesome. You guys are amazing. Thanks for everything.

  24. The best school ever created. Thank you again.

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