My company has been in the business of training on Flash platform since last 11 years. I always believed that we did very well in what we do as I never compromised on the quality of training. And I had personal touch with all the students and had first hand idea of how we were doing in terms of delivery of what we promised.
As the business grew it became more and more difficult to maintain this personal touch and hence I started creating systems which will keep track of how we are doing. Also it brings total objectivity to measure the company’s performance.
Since there is no public data of training companies in similar space, I really do not know if we are better then the usual lot. But wanted to share this with entrepreneurs on rodinhood and take their views on how would they interpret.
Our students are mainly >95% working professionals. And If these numbers are good , what Can i do to become one of the consideration among college students / freshers as there is where the volume is.
While I am happy with the quality we have to offer , I have no idea why do I loose out on the freshers market.
The following dashboards are generated with data of 2011. 
Following is the break up of source of leads which shows 50% come from recommendations.
Looking forward to your inputs.
-H
Aji (Digital Marketing)
It was an amazing presentation at SSMumbai. Best wishes!
Thanks,
Aji Issac
Abey John
Himanshu, two reasons I can think of:
a) More likely: scan the jobs portals, nobody wants flash as a primary skill (I think. Last I scanned the jobs portals was at least 2-3 years ago). Freshers are looking to land their first job not bone up on tech. India is not design and UI centric which is where flash is used most heavily. By that same token when software devs get into production environments the need for flash kicks in which is probably why you are seeing the high uptake from working pros.
You can do a survey to verify this. Just ask freshers to rank the various technologies and their level of importance. You’ll find your answer.
If this is true then no amount of selling will change that. What you could probably do is hold a mini flash course that will get them in touch with the basics or a free orientation seminar or even a free DVD explaining the basics and how to use it with other technologies (or whatever). In exchange get their email address. For the next 2 years just send them an email every quarter (necessary to keep your email list health up). By then they would have entered proper production environments. Then go in full on and do the pitch for your course. Same market but close the sale at a different timeline. 🙂
b) Less likely now but will increase in prominence in the coming years: The move away from flash is gaining momentum. HTML 5 delivers most of the capabilities natively. Besides flash sucks on mobiles. Factoid: By 2014 there will be more people accessing the net via mobiles and tablets than via regular PCs.
Himanshu Mody
Thank you Abey for your views.
The primary skill that I am trying to engage freshers is ‘Digital Content Creation’ and Rich Internet Application development , not just flash. However a survey to understand how freshers view the technology landscape is a brilliant idea.
About Flash vs HTML5 – I think they will co-exist and our courses deliver training on both Flash and HTML5.
Just because HTML 5 will start delivering what flash can does not mean it is end of flash. And its good to have alternative technologies ,will make people use flash platform for the right reasons.
We are super excited by opportunities created by Mobiles and tablets and that is exactly what makes our course on Digital Content design more relevant. I strongly believe that designers in future will no longer be working just as Graphic designer, web designers etc. But as Digital content designers who can communicate an idea in print , web and mobile. All the tools from adobe are also heading in this direction.
Abey John
Himanshu, RIAs as a discrete practice has evaporated. It has been swallowed up into general web design and development in bits and pieces. It is no longer about a “rich” app vs a non-rich app. Rich capabilities exist everywhere and the very definition of Rich as a distinct entity is no longer valid. The experience has to be rich across the board irrespective of whether it is delivered through Flash or HTML5.
I am a bit religious about HTML 5. Would you rather a buy a phone with a camera add-on or a builtin camera? Same difference. But that’s not why I don’t see Flash surviving. Flash is a resource hog. I haven’t seen that changing one bit over the years. Am not sure how much of a resource hog similar functions are on HTML 5 but I would guess not so much. But any saving on energy consumption is a positive user experience – longer charge times on tablets and phones. Which is where Flash takes a beating.
Adobe has a vested interest in propping up a dead horse but deep inside their planning chambers they have seen the writing on the wall. That’s why they are providing Flash to iPad ports. It is only a matter of time. In the meanwhile they dont want to kill their developer community with shock. Watch the announcements over the next few years – eventually they’ll kill flash. Silverlight is already on death row.
I would love to see a comparison article that shows why Flash will survive.
Hmmm. Change the packaging. Don’t call it Digital Content creation. Call it Become the Next Angry Birds Developer. You have to start talking real tangible benefits that will set their pulse racing and their hearts pumping. That’s the way to excite kids. Or anyone. Almost every purchase is an emotional decision – you need to connect with the audience emotionally to make the sale.