Alumni Spotlights

Editor’s note: General Assembly stopped accepting new consumer enrollments on April 28, 2026. This article describes programs and experiences from before that change. Read General Assembly’s official notice. Marion “Mell” Lessington III was working at a local bank in Atlanta, but in his 30s, he began second-guessing his career pat...

Robert Salas was a US Army vet with an MBA when the pandemic had him pivoting into tech. Thanks to Sabio’s Deferred Tuition plan, Rob was able to enroll in the online bootcamp to get a foundation in software engineering. After Sabio, Rob was accepted into the highly competitive...

Brian Zanayed was a mortgage lender when he realized the influence of emerging technology in the industry. He chose Coding Temple’s Self-Paced Bootcamp to level up his skills on his own time, and now he’s a Software Engineer at a robotics company! Brian shares his advice for juggling a full-time job with the self-paced bootcamp, how Coding Temple helped hi...

What is it actually like to be a Software Engineer at MongoDB? Codesmith alum and remote Software Engineer, Cris Newsome, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at types of projects and teams they work on at MongoDB. As a career changer in their 40s who copes with chronic illness, learn how Codesmith’s full-tuitio...

Andrew McGrath enrolled in Springboard’s Tech Sales Career Track to make a career change – Did the bootcamp curriculum and support live up to his expectations? Find out how Andrew made the self-paced bootcamp structure work for his schedule,...

Many people are turning to bootcamps as an alternative to college after high school, but is it worth it? We talked to Zach Wilcher about his experience taking an online cybersecurity bootcamp at Eleven Fifty Academy right after high school instead of going to college. Zach shares how his summer cohort gave him...

Many coding bootcamps shifted to live online learning, but not everyone likes to learn remotely. Fortunately, there are still in-person bootcamps like LearningFuze available! LearningFuze’s in-person classroom cuts down on the distractions and gives students more instructional support, which is what stood out to Joseph Nguyen when he was choosing a coding bootcamp. Joseph got the camaraderie he...

After 8 years in the Marine Corps, Sterling “Meri” Meriweather began college during Covid, but quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit for his career goals. Using his veterans benefits, Meri enrolled at Sabio in order to launc...

Nick Kulway spent four years in a professional kitchen while being mentored by a chef, and he applied that same work ethic while learning in the Part-Time Bootcamp at DigitalCrafts. After graduating in February 2022, Nick got a j...

Harrison completed a service mission in New England aiding African refugees and asylum seekers in search of a better life – that’s how he realized he wanted to focus on creating tech that increases the quality of life of those who need it most. By enrolling in the self-paced Software Engineering bootcamp at...

Zach Porras studied Russian in college, spent 10 years in the service industry, and worked for Whole Foods in Chicago as a Department Manager before enrolling at Coding Temple. After graduating in September 2021, Zach got a job as a Software Engineer at...

For nearly a decade, Jeanette Au has been working in banking as an analyst, but when her job started to feel stagnant, she looked to tech to find a more fulfilling career path. Excited by the creativity and problem-solving found in the UX Design career, Jeanette enrolled in the part-time, online...

Learn what these five bootcampers wish they had known before they went to a bootcamp – how expectations met reality, how they actually got their first jobs, what surprised them about the teaching style, and whether the experience at Coding Temple, General Assembly,...

Gwen was a mechanical engineer working in aerospace before pivoting into software development. She chose to make the career change with...

Flatiron School is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and graduating over 10,000 technologists! To mark the milestone, we spoke with Carla Stickler, a Broadway star...

Three years after graduating from The Coding Boot Camp at UT Austin (offered in collaboration with edX) we caught up with Software Engineer Melissa Cadena on how her boot camp experience continues to drive her career. Even without a college degree, Melissa shares how UT Austin Boot Camps elevated her career from Customer Rel...

Jill Oakes worked in TV for 16 years before transitioning to a tech career. She chose the Full Stack Software Engineering track at TrueCoders to boost her C# skills because of the job-relevant curri...

Patrick was a mechanical engineer before he pivoted into software development. When Patrick chose to upskill by learning data analytics, he enrolled at Berkeley Data Analytics Boot Camp, offered in collaboration with edX, for their live online classes and career services. Their curriculum and career coaches lived up to his expectations, equipping Patrick with the relevant data skills he needed t...

What does an IT Security Specialist actually do on the job? How many certifications should an IT Security Specialist get in order to stay relevant? And how can you become an IT Security Specialist with no experience? Vianey Luna, an alum of Springboard’s Cyber Security bootcamp, gives us an inside look at...

Unfulfilled in her dentistry career, Beth Collins traveled the world working gig jobs as she figured out her career options. When her sister told her about CodeOp, a coding bootcamp for women, trans and non-binary individuals that offers an Income Share Agreement, she knew it was the right program. Supported by the ISA, Beth attended the bootcamp without paying...