NOW HIRING: Enrollment Advisor

PyImageSearch has grown tremendously over the past five years. What was once a small blog on OpenCV is now the go-to place to learn Computer Vision and Deep Learning.

When I first started PyImageSearch, the only product I offered was Practical Python and OpenCV, a short book that taught the fundamentals of image processing and computer vision through the OpenCV library.

Our book and course offerings have expanded significantly since then, not only in quantity, but quality as well:

• Deep Learning for Computer Vision with Python: Our deep dive into the world of computer vision and deep learning. This book is what many consider to be the “gold standard” to applying deep learning to computer vision.
• PyImageSearch Gurus: This course covers 13 modules broken out into 168 lessons. It’s similar to a college survey course in computer vision but much more hands-on and practical.
• Raspberry Pi for Computer Vision: Focuses on applying computer vision and deep learning algorithms to embedded devices, such as the Raspberry Pi, Movidius NCS, Google Coral, and NVIDIA Jetson Nano.

Given the fact that PyImageSearch is so popular, we regularly receive 200+ emails per day, approximately 20-25% of which are from readers interested in our books/courses, but unsure which book/course is best for them individually.

At first, we tried to create FAQs and saved reply emails to help readers get the advice they needed while ensuring we could quickly address reader inquiries.

However, we found that a personal touch always works best.

It makes sense when you think about it:

A prospective student doesn’t want a saved reply, and they don’t want to be linked to a generic FAQ entry — what they want is a personal guiding hand to help them learn Computer Vision and Deep Learning.

If I was just starting out in computer vision/deep learning and was ready to invest in furthering my education, I would want that personal guiding hand to ensure I received a positive return on my investment of time and finances.

For the past two years, the PyImageSearch team and I have split our time, acting as Enrollment Advisors in various capacities, guiding students and pointing them toward the book and/or course that was best suited for them individually.

That worked for a while, but as the number of student inquiries increased, as did each of our responsibilities on the team, we realized that splitting time as Enrollment Advisors wasn’t going to be sustainable:

• Potential student inquiry emails were falling through the cracks.
• We weren’t giving prospective students the personal touch they deserved.
• We were falling behind on other projects.
• And in general, we were all getting a bit stressed out trying to balance our various responsibilities on the team.

The solution:

Hire an Enrollment Advisor whose sole responsibility is to guide prospective students toward the book or course that is right for them, ensuring our students succeed in learning CV/DL.

Colleges and universities have Enrollment Advisors to help students pick the right courses to successfully complete their degrees. And large online education companies such as Udacity also provide Enrollment Advisors to help their students.

It’s time for PyImageSearch to do the same.

We’re dedicated to helping our students learn Computer Vision, Deep Learning, and OpenCV — will you come work for us as an Enrollment Advisor and help our students succeed?

Job Details

• Part time: 2-4 hours of focused work per day, every day Monday-Friday
  • During big sales (such as Black Friday), 6-8 hours per day
  • Assume 10-15 “big sale days” per year — you will know the sale dates ahead of time to plan accordingly
• 100% remote
• Compensation based on experience with option for bonus and/or commission (open to both hourly and fixed monthly compensation, depending on your preference)

Roles and Responsibilities

When we learn a new, challenging skill (such as computer vision and deep learning), what we all really need is a helpful, guiding hand — a hand that tells us what to learn, where we can find such resources, and how we can go about achieving our goals.

One of my favorite parts of running PyImageSearch is being this guiding hand for others.

Back in 2018, Dr. Paul Lee emailed the PyImageSearch team and me, asking about the difference between our books and courses, including which one was best for him:

*”What is the difference between your ImageNet package and your Guru course?

Does the Guru course include your ImageNet bundle? Thanks.

-Paul”*

We then helped Paul over email:

• We discussed the differences between the PyImageSearch Gurus course and the ImageNet Bundle of our Deep Learning for Computer Vision with Python book.
• We helped Paul see the value in studying not only deep learning but traditional computer vision as well.
• And when Paul opted for both the ImageNet Bundle and Gurus course, we helped him get up and running.

Paul then went through both the book and the course, and a little over a year after his purchase, he performed novel computer vision and deep learning research and published a paper in the prestigious American Heart Association journal (a full interview/case study with Dr. Paul Lee can be found here).

Truly, it’s incredible what can happen when we have a guiding hand — while there is still hard work to be done, the pieces seem to fall together faster.

Being an Enrollment Advisor is all about being both sympathetic and empathetic to a student:

• You need to understand what their goals are
• You need to appreciate where they have come from and what they have tried so far
• And you need to be able to guide them in their next steps to achieve their goals

A guiding hand goes a long way, and as Dr. Paul Lee’s experience shows, the payoffs of truly caring for your students can be tremendous.

As an Enrollment Advisor, your roles and responsibilities will include:

• Contacting and advising prospective students on which PyImageSearch books/courses are best for them
• Following up with prospective students and answering any questions or objections they may have about our books/courses
• Closing sales and enrolling students in our books/courses
• Handing off paying students to a technical support team member after sale has been closed

Skills and Requirements

Skills and Experience

• You have a background in sales, marketing, copywriting and/or email support
• You understand what a sales funnel is
• You have a strong understanding of the sales process: prospect ⇒ qualification ⇒ assessment ⇒ pitch ⇒ handling questions/objections ⇒ closing sale ⇒ follow-up
• You have the ability to close sales and follow up with prospective students
• You know how to use basic marketing and sales tools, including CRMs, email clients, and chat clients

Abilities

• You have strong written and verbal communication skills in the English language
• You have the ability to write clear, coherent responses to prospective students looking to purchase our books/courses
• You enjoy helping others
• You can maintain a positive attitude when responding to and working with prospective students
• You have some previous experience in Computer Vision, Deep Learning, and OpenCV
• You are familiar with the PyImageSearch brand and me
• You are familiar with my books and courses (ideally having read/gone through them yourself)
• You know what topics I have (and have not) covered on the PyImageSearch blog

Values

• You have empathy toward prospective students and an eagerness to help them find the right book/course for supporting their education and achieving their goals
• You hold yourself to high standards
• You take initiative and hold yourself responsible and accountable

Am I Right for This Job?

You are the right person for this job if:

1. You enjoy computer vision and like helping others
2. You want to work in a small company that is dedicated to helping others learn CV/DL

Taking this job is more than answering prospective student questions — it’s a chance to work with me and learn from me.

When Does This Job Start?

As soon as possible — I am targeting early/mid-July as a start date, but I will be flexible if you have life circumstances that prevent you from starting then (you have to be the right fit for the job, of course).

How Do I Apply?

To apply for the Enrollment Advisor position, use this link:

https://www.cognitoforms.com/PyImageSearch1/pyimagesearchenrollmentadvisorapplicationform

Along with the basic application process, you’ll also see that I am asking you to answer 8 “sample emails” to:

1. Measure your sales and marketing experience
2. Gauge your empathy/sympathy levels when working with prospective students
3. Test your ability to close sales

Each time I’ve opened up a job position on the PyImageSearch blog, I’ve received over 400 applications. With this new position, I’m estimating over 1,000 applicants — get your application in early so I’ll have more time to review it and carefully consider you for the position!

I’ll be accepting applications until Friday, June 26 at 11:59PM EST, so make sure you get your applications in by then!

What Happens After I Apply?

After you apply, I’ll be personally reviewing your application.

If I think you will be a good fit for the position, I’ll follow up with you over email, ask any additional questions, and if necessary, setup a formal interview, etc. normally within 3-4 business days.

I promise to be considerate and not “leave you on the hook” — if you are not right for the position, I’ll be sure to let you know within three weeks after the application period ends.