Wizardlab Proposal
====================
I taught IT skills for Job Corps, developing a "Advanced IT" training program.
What I learned is that hands-on practice under skilled guidance builds confidence. 
Unfortunately, most of the people who understand computers are very busy making lots
of money, or they would rather spend time using computers than teaching people
about them. 

The Wizardlab is a dream that I would like to turn into reality. Too many
young people have a passion for learning about advanced computer
technology and low acccess to significant compute services. With A.I. developing
rapidly, it's important that we create innovative programs that inspire young
people to learn how to create value with computers.

Leveraging generative A.I. effectively requires deep understanding of system
processes and Operating Systems that you only learn through hands-on training.
With a few lessons in Python programming, someone can learn to interact with
a chat API. After a few lessons on computer hardware, people can learn to
configure servers and manage storage devices. Give somebody a few lessons on
how to use linux, and they can setup their own webserver.

While public cloud platforms are amazing, there is learning and insight that
accompanies working on physical servers. I am asking for $3 Million dollars
for starting a small non-profit computer lab, maker space, and education center 
specializing in teaching IT and programming skills to all who have a passion for 
computing. In adddition to the funding needed to build the project, ongoing support
will be necessary to operate and maintain equipment, and to retain talented
IT professionals to teach workshops and troubleshoot systems,

Budget Estimate:
- $1 Million for purchasing land and building the facility to house everything.
- $1 Million for outfitting a small datacenter. HPC systems with high-capacity GPUs,
  a sizeable Openstack cluster, and the largest Ceph storage cluster we can build.
- $1 Million for building out four 20 seat computer labs for hosting workshops and
  general use.

Sponsored by You:
- $20,000-40,000 a month for operating expenses, staff salary, and funding low-income
  students. The number will ramp up as the program establishes itself and computer
  wizards are recruited to teach/mentor.

An advanced computer research and education center for the common working
person and their children, The Wizardlab is about democratizing acccess to
advanced computing concepts. Not a bootcamp, not a career academy, but a
community computing center that offers affordable or free access to computing
resources and workshops that get people creating with computers.