ANY QUESTIONS? Send me an email - nick@offgridbootcamp.com

Unsolicited Feedback From Current OGBC Students

I am currently enrolled in your 'Offgrid Bootcamp' course.  It's brilliant!  Thank you.  Your materials are detailed, well evaluated and thorough.  As a novice to Offgrid living (not there yet!) I value your approach.

Levi

I’m enjoying your off grid boot camp program. I’ve already learned a lot. The links to external sites I find to be very helpful. And I plan to collect all the outlines and put them in a binder. I think the structure of the modules makes a lot of sense and divides topics into bite size chunks.

I just wanted to mention that your videos are all meat and no fluff. They are a treasure trove of information and I am learning a lot.

Once again, kudos to you on the boot camp. It is a real meat and potatoes program . . . not a diet cola program.

John

I'm amazed and impressed by the thoroughness, and attention to detail, that you give us in this 'BOOT CAMP' experience.

Gene

I have really been enjoying the videos and coaching call.

John

Thanks again for such a great course.

Ryan

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Do I watch the videos online or download them?

  Either or both.  Each video is located on that particular lesson's page in the online portal for the course.  So many people will enjoy watching online so they can stay organized and access the other links and downloads.  But you are more than welcome to download the videos for your own personal use, and a download link is provided below each training video for that purpose.

• What do I need in order to take the course?

  Since this is an online course and is video based, the only things you need are a computer with a reasonably recent version of an internet browser (such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, or Chrome) and a decent internet connection.  As far as your connection speed, if you are able to watch Youtube videos, then you should do just fine with Off Grid Boot Camp.

• I have limited internet bandwidth or a slow connection, is that a problem?

  As far as speed, it depends on how slow your internet connection is.  If your connection is slow enough to make watching videos difficult, you may find it easier to go to a good connection at a library or other wifi hot spot and download the entire module (described below). As far as limited bandwidth, once again, it depends on how limited.  If you were to download each video in an entire module, you could expect to use anywhere from 1 to 3 GB.  Back when we had an internet connection with limited bandwidth, I took a couple of video based online courses and found a very workable strategy for not even making a dent in my bandwidth.  I went to the library when a new module was released and downloaded each video in a matter of a few minutes.  In this course, you are given easy access to the download link for each training video so you can do the same if needed.  In fact, I recommend that you download them anyway for future reference.  But most folks won't need to go to that extreme.

• Will this course make me an electrician or a professional installer?

  No, and you can be thankful for that.  First of all, while some areas (especially rural) have provisions for allowing home owners to do their own electrical work, doing it for anyone else requires a license.  Licenses are issued by the state, and only after years of training and experience as well as passing an exam.  Secondly, electricians and professional installers have to go through very technical training, and covering all of that would defeat my goal in making this course easy to understand and accessible by the average person.  Third, if you are not comfortable with or allowed to do the actual wiring of the system, virtually any good electrician in your area can handle that.  What is much more rare is finding someone with the experience and know-how in matters that are unique to off grid power systems.  THAT is what you are going to learn in this course.  While there are tutorials on how to program and set up pieces of equipment, it would not be feasible for me to show you exactly how to connect each wire to each component, as each one is a little different and things change each time a product is updated.  And honestly, you would not want to wade through the voluminous amount of material or pay the price it would take to do that.  I have found the installation instructions that come with off grid components to be very adequate and educational for anyone who is comfortable with the principles of how to wire a home.  And if you are not, as mentioned before, any electrician worth his salt can easily do that for you.

• Will I be overwhelmed with Off Grid Boot Camp?

  One thing I can assure you is that you will not be underwhelmed!  This is an extensive training course and my goal has been to cover everything that you need to know when designing, purchasing, using, and maintaining an off grid power system.  As far as being overwhelmed, I am careful to avoid technical jargon whenever possible, and when I must use it, I simply explain it in such a way that a beginner can understand.  As with anything else, the more knowledge and experience that you bring to the table, the easier it will be to understand and assimilate it all.  But I want you to understand that I specifically designed this course to be understandable by a complete newbie.  So try it out for 30 days, and if you find that it's too much for you, I'll be happy to give you a no-hassle refund.

• I already live off the grid, will this course be helpful to me?

  Absolutely!  You would be amazed how many folks I have run into who have lived off the grid for years and still don't understand some of the techniques and concepts covered in this course.  While experience can be a great teacher, there are certain things you just aren't likely to learn without really educating yourself.  And those things could greatly improve your experience.  For instance, your batteries may last significantly longer than they have been, you may be able to run the generator less frequently, and you may find yourself being able to actually live a more comfortable lifestyle (especially during winter months with a solar system).  It really helps to know "Why" you are doing something, because then you can make intelligent adjustments when needed.  I try and explain "Why" whenever possible, without getting into too much of the super technical stuff.