class size is indeed a major factor. i have seen large (100-300) perl classes and they tend to be lectures with little interaction. same for most academic lectures. the smaller recitations are usually taught by grad students and not the top professors. damian's classes are limited to 20 students and there is plenty of room for personal interaction both in the class and during breaks. and i will wager you will learn more from damian in one (or all four) of these class days than almost any academic class at any school. this is real world perl that you will learn and be using the next week, not some blue sky conceptual CS stuff that will never be used by you in your career.

and if you don't like the tuition, no one says you have to attend. plenty of people find it worth their time and money (and some spend extra money to fly in and stay in hotels). these courses are for professionals working with perl every day and not for dabblers writing a few scripts. these professionals know a good course from a great teacher and the value they receive from it. and some students/underemployed only register for one class and pay $249.50 which is affordable to almost anyone.

also i have announced these classes on perlmonks before and not had any complaints. in fact banner ads were used on this site as well (i don't have banners done so if anyone want to do them for me i will offer a discount or pay for them)

and even if you can't afford the class you might know perl hackers who can or whose companies can. you can earn a 5% commission for enrolling others.

BTW, merlyn being on the board of advisors of Stem has nothing to do with these classes. he is just a friend who i can call on for advice. his opinions here are his own (as always) and didn't ask nor expect any comments from him.

uri