General Assembly Reviews
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Colin Malcolm Verified via LinkedIn
Changed my life forever
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General Assembly takes great care in its students and courses to give the best experience as possible. Through out my 12 week immersive course they taught and reinforced their lessons to make sure you knew the material. Through General Assembly I learned leadership and coding skills that have allowed me to land my first software Engineering role at Verizon. I can’t say a bad thing about my experience with General Assembly in NYC as I still today have friendships with my classmates and teachers. If you are looking to be challenged, and making a change, then General Assembly is the perfect place to start your journey into software engineering. -
DANIEL Verified via LinkedIn
DATA ANALYTICS
The course is very thorough and thoughtful on how to teach students what data analytics is and how to use differernt tools to solve each type of real life problems.
I found it very hands on and being able to get feedback from instructors also made it that much better for improvement!
Def recommend! -
Brian Blankenship Verified via LinkedIn
Ok
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Instructors
Many of the instructors are recent grads themselves. In one way, this is smart because it ensures that information is new and relevant, and you aren't being taught deprecated or soon-to-be deprecated material (out-of-date, no longer supported). The bad side to it is you aren't going to get help with things outside of their experience, compared to an institution that hires instructors that are seasoned in their fields.
Feedback on deliverables (homework that you're expected to turn in) is going to be random. At first, feedback comes consistently, but as the course gets to around the halfway mark the instructors just stopped providing feedback. Even a month past grad, I am still waiting for feedback on my last three projects (out of 4). At this point, I am 100% sure I'm not going to get any.
Curriculum
The curriculum is good enough to serve as a solid foundation for your journey into the world of programming and depending on how well you picked it up, even land a job soon after completing the course. They do their best to at least ensure that the curriculum is modern and up-to-date or at least still valid. They teach you enough that you can confidently build a web application from scratch on your own by the end of the course. However, there are some caveats.
Sometimes the course material is too new, and the instructors themselves haven't gone through it themselves prior to the course. So help in these materials is going to depend on instructor experience. In most cases, they won't automatically know the correct answer to a problem but will help you troubleshoot. For my cohort, the last project had three options that have never been done before, they were new to the course. None of the instructors had any experience or knowledge about the subject, and as such, was a mutual learning experience for both student and instructor.
Overall
Most of the cohort was great for me. Other than the lack of feedback (which I suppose the instructors just felt I didn't really need). However, because of a situation another student has had, I can't in good conscience give the instructors high ratings. In the last couple of weeks of the course, he had gotten COVID and was unable to complete the final project (per policy, in order to graduate you have to complete and meet the minimum requirements of each project). The instructors and up would not give an exception and thus would not let him graduate.
COVID or no COVID, they should have either just excused him from the final project or worked out some kind of arrangement that would let him turn in the final project post-grad. It was wrong to say the least. -
Glen Schneider Verified via LinkedIn
Excellent Product Management course
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As I said in the title this course is simply fantastic.
It is well structured with a project that you work on along side learning the theory. This really embeds what your learning and gives you a solid foundation to understand Product Management.
Course content that was provided is also really useful to take away. I did this course via distance learning and although it is an intense week, all the tools provided worked well and I never felt I was missing out.
I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to work in Product management. -
Robert Friedman Verified via LinkedIn
Product Management
My experience was overall outstanding. I got a great education, lots of follow up material, and the ability to practice my skills as a product manager. I'm excited to see where my career takes me from here. I do wish there were more resources to help with resume shaping and product management interviews. -
Mark Calvelo Verified via LinkedIn
Amazing Community and Instructors
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Pros- Lots of Technologies to Learn
- Staff was very friendly
- Free Coffee, Tea, Food (Sometimes)
- 300Mbps+ internet
- Can be used as Co-working space after leaving the Program
- Local Instructor and Instructional Associates were dedicated to the classroom
Cons- Loud events sometimes on Weekdays
- Sometimes Cohort Leaders sent to help out at another room
- Some instructions on GitHub Enterprise (repositories for classwork) need to be updated
- 40 hour prep work was inadequate for less experienced students
Advice to Management- Leaders of each Cohort/Team should spend all of their time for 12 weeks of a Cohort, not being forced to jump to others randomly in-between
- Pre-work should contain an additional 30 hours of prep work (70 hours total) in Ruby/Python that focuses on Object-Oriented Programming: Abstraction and Encapsulation, Classes, Inheritance, Polymorphism
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Cara Verified via LinkedIn
Great course, great teachers!
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I've completed the 1 week digital marketing course and I'm so glad I've done it. This is the second course I've done with GA and they are always very well organised and have fantastic teachers. It's never dull learning with GA, thank you! They provided different learning mediums to ensure everyone is catered for, which being dyslexic I really appreciate. They could have done more in the pre-communication to make sure I was fully prepared and organised for the class. So just make sure you ask how to best prepare in order to get the most out of the course a few weeks before hand. -
Juliane Rossi Verified via LinkedIn
Product Manager
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General Assembly created a very easy-to-follow workflow for the classes. It was a very 'hands-on' approach, where we could put into practice all we learned. A very good comprehensive course, yet easy to follow. The instructors were phenomenal! Since they are real professionals working with the topics on a daily basis, they could give us a real insight into the professional day-by-day scenarios and examples. They were always available for that extra support as well. I'm really pleased with this course! -
Sierra Verified via LinkedIn
Great program but lacks a lot online
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I finished the UXDI course online and I think its a great program, but it lacks a lot of the in person experience that doesn't make it very worth it. If you thrive in a classroom setting, consider skipping online to either wait for campuses to reopen or take a course with a cheaper school.
Each campus does things differently, so there's a disconnect of what some people got for opportunities ot experiences than others. Upon being accepted, I was informed the online experience would be no different than in person, but it does lack a lot of that networking and informational experience you would get.
Outcomes helps you with your job materials and searching, but it can be a bit disconnected from your instructors (like learning something in class you covered from outcomes a month ago). Not to mention, different locations will handle things differently. Others got to do a sprint working with developers and engineers to complete a project, but our class only got a three day outcomes sprint, which wasn't nearly as good as that would've been.
Other than the negatives, if you like remote learning and can devote 3+ months to GA, I'd recommend them, just know its a lot of work and dedication. You'll meet great people and brilliant instructors.
My advice would be to start crafting your portfolio and network as early as you possibly can. Portfolios are worked on later in the course and it can be a lot to try and write case studies and design a website layout at the same time. Get the layout done first and make sure you get pictures of everything as you work. Hiring managers and recruiters like to see a lot of pictures! -
Jordan Albano Verified via LinkedIn
User Experience Design Immersive
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I had an excellent time in my 12-week immersive bootcamp through General Assembly. I felt like the pacing was adequate, the lectures were rich with information, and the structure was strong. In this field it is hard to grasp the ambiguity of it all, but as you push through it becomes easier and easier and you begin to realize that it all comes together. My instructional team was always there when needed and gave helpful advice. I felt accepted and even praised for my human experience. This is a field of endless opportunities and I feel like my time at GA was well spent! -
Adane H. Nigus Verified via LinkedIn
Software Engineering
I took soft ware Engineering Immersive program in GA. generally it is very interesting courses with very help full instructors -
sean Verified via GitHub
SEI
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Honestly, this course isn't worth it. The instructors fly through the material and only offer minimal support. The TA's are great, but sometimes lazy. The outcomes program, and student success portion of the program is an absolute joke. It really just felt like they got your money, and that's all that matters to them. It definitely depends on your instructor, but unfortunately I was stuck with an awful unit 1 instructor, so by unit 2 I was already so lost and couldn't follow along.
Some of the staff are very condescending and demoralizing when you reach out to them about issues that you're having. They talk down to you a lot, and when you speak up for yourself they have a lot of issues with it and kind of bully you. I withdrew from the course because I was intimidated by the staff (not the instructors) and they said they don't give refunds. -
Mahi Verified via LinkedIn
Review about the school
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Wow, it is really the best academy with full of humble staff members and best instructors who teaches in way you can understand ,who encourages you through out the program.Now I am confident thanks to GA I can do anything in SE field.
-you do project almost everyday
- you present it
-you do team projects everyday
-you got help from instructors through out the week
All in all i just want to say thanks to GA and God Bless to all instructors, i will definitely recommend to my community. -
Ahmed Ali Verified via LinkedIn
A good investment
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I have always been interested in learning more about data analysis, but finding a suitable program was a challenge. I was recommended to attend a series of webinars held by GA to learn the difference between data science and analytics. After the sessions, I was able to pin down the program choice.
I then was able to easily connect with an advisor from GA who made himself accessible to share as much information on the program, process, and fees (smooth). He took the time to learn about my goals and motivation to enroll in the program, he then shared advice on the most suitable course format to match my learning style. Great enrollment journey!
The instructor and support staff were very accomodating and gave us time, and made us feel welcomed. More importantly, they were patient with the class knowing that many have been out of school for a while. The content was spot on what was mentioned in the description, industry-related skills that you can pick up or polish as you go (what you see is what you get). Challenging, frustrating at times, but the instructor and staff helped us push through. Always providing feedback on what went well and what to improve on. The course carried 3 projects which continuously push you to learn and practice what you learn in class.
It was more learning a skill VS GA helping/supporting you with career opportunities. Surely it would have been amazing to have 1-1 chats with a coach/career counselor on how to tackle the potential employers in a certain location etc. Maybe this would be feedback for GA. I am looking forward to learning more about GA Alumni community and the kind of continuous learning opportunities.
The course wasn't the cheapest, I wasn't company-sponsored so it was a decent investment. GA helped by offering an installment plan, but I wish they would consider individual students and offer them some sort of price reduction during uncertain times. Other than that I would strongly recommend GA and the DA course. -
Zion Chang Verified via LinkedIn
User Experience Design Immersive
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The course was very effective in practicing the skills of a UX designer. As one would expect, the course really depends on the instructors and the groupmates you are taking the course with, but I saw that General Assembly tries their best to keep that become a hindrance to the students by checking in with each student and group to support them with any issues, whether it be work-related or issues between group members. Overall, it's worth taking, if you can afford it and can handle fast-paced learning and some workload. -
Vivian Verified via LinkedIn
Data Analytics
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I enjoyed the online course at General Assembly. The instructor was fantastic! It was a wonderful learning experience, where I have learned a lot of data analytics skills. I feel this is a valuable course and allows me to grasp how data analytics can be. I certainly have much more to learn in this field and look forward to doing so.
We received a Certificate of Course Completion right one week after the course was complete, which is super efficient!
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Mathew wong Verified via LinkedIn
Certificate of completion? Awol
The course was great overall, instructor was very good and helpful. Learned a lot. However it's been months now and no one in our bootcamp has received a certificate of completion even when we have asked several times. Beware, once the course is completed don't expect any evidence of actually completing it :( -
Kathleen Verified via GitHub
Love this bootcamp
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I attended this bootcamp as part of the Adobe Digital Academy program, and this bootcamp proved valuable. I came in with hopes on brushing up my react knowledge, since I was a very beginner. The instructor, Kareem, was superb, and I came out feeling a lot more confident. I am now doing an internship at Adobe using React, and the projects and the lessons I learned were all very applicable. I just wish we could have gone over more React concepts such as Redux or Hooks. I also would have preferred learning Python/Django as the back end over Ruby on rails. -
Michael Riccio Verified via LinkedIn
Not worth the money, but they'll take yours anyway
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IN SHORT: Don't take online javascript at General Assembly. You won't gain the skills needed to be competitive in the coding industry. As a middle school teacher I know what good learning looks like, and this online class is simply not doing enough.
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I was let go from my teaching job during the recession and was desperately looking to provide for my family. I've always dabbled in programming so I decided to go that direction. After researching for a course I could afford I signed up for general assembly javascript online (b/c coronavirus).
The first class was spent installing everything and getting github working. I was using windows and the teacher had never taught a student on windows before, so he couldn't help me get everything started and pointed me in the direction of articles that should help me. They didn't. I had to figure out how to emulate the unix termainal on my system all by meself, and then distribute the information to the other underserved windows users. Though this was just the first class, I didn't want to rush to conclusions. I mean, we were only installing stuff, it must get better.
Next class we took an hour to learn js arithmatic commands. An hour. I had already taught myself a decent amount of javascript and I knew it didn't take that long to learn a simple skill like this. When I talked to my advisor they said that this course was for absolute beginners and was going to move extremely slow. Unfortuneately they didn't mention this before the class started. Because of this and the underwhelming teaching of the second lesson I decided to withdrawl. Little did I know that because I had participated in the first class (the one that was just installing everything) I had forfieted the right to a full refund and General Assembly was going to walk away with a cool $400 of my money. My family's money. In the middle of a recession. For teaching me literally nothing.
This is a company like any other and they will take your money if they can sell you the product. If you are able to learn on your own, do it. If you can afford to do a in-person intensive $16k class, do it. Though don't do this middling bs online course. You will regret it. -
Lauren Verified via LinkedIn
Switching to a Career in Data
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I did the GA Data Science Immersive course in September 2019.
It was a complete career change, having spent 7 years in payroll and accounts payable, I was able to switch to a career in data. I am now a Data Engineer so I got the best outcome I could have wished for.
The facilities at GA Sydney are great, so many new people to meet with regular social events. There is a sparkling shared kitchen and work space areas. The staff are great.
I think the curriculum needs to include more SQL as there is such a high demand for it in the market at the moment.
The job assistance program is also awesome and tailored individually.
If you do an immersive course I would recommend committing 100% to it, study hard, go to lots of meet ups and do lots of pre-work and you are on to a winner! -
Miykaelah Sinclair Verified via LinkedIn
GA's UXDI Bootcamp was definitely worth it!
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For the 3 years leading up to taking General Assembly's UX Design Immersive, I had been struggling to find the right career path for me, and I was searching for something that would help me upskill and make myself marketable as a job applicant. Prior to this program I had paid $1000s to career coaches, trying to get help with my resume and applying to jobs as project managers, but the results were lack-luster.
Then in October 2019, I looked at GA's UX program again, I compared it with other competitive programs in NYC for UX, and ultimately, I went with GA because of how long they've been doing this program, the price, the length of the program, and the career support. I'm 1 month out of the program, and as I am hustling in my career search at the moment, made extra difficult thanks to COVID, I have to say that GA prepared me so well for this hustle and for being a competitive candidate in the field. My resume, LinkedIn, and Portfolio site are all high quality and hit all the points that I've heard Recruiters and Hiring Managers talk about looking for in several career search panels I've visited since.
Our instructors were so knowledgeable, very approachable, and they created one of the best learning environments I've ever been in. If only college had been this fun. Also, GA creates a very high standard for creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, which I really appreciated.
I'd highly recommend this course to anyone considering making a career switch into UX. -
Brianna Jones Verified via LinkedIn
Great Value, Loved it!
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I really enjoyed the experience of completing the UXD Immersive at General Assembly in downtown LA. I truly believe that the education I received there and the experience that I gained is worth every penny spent to make it happen. A month and some change later, I'm still job hunting (amidst a global pandemic) and I'm very well supported by the Outcomes team in staying focused and continuing to apply for jobs-- it's just not a great time to be out of work and seeking. I am glad that I took this course and will use the tools and methods I learned there throughout my career. -
Karadi Verified via LinkedIn
Great Content Poor Execution
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February 6, 2020
I quit the program in the last two weeks due to finding a job and poor execution by Management. Our instructor changed three times and we had not one class on algorithms or Big-O notation, reasons I took the course. They did not respond to my letter until after three emails.
LETTER BELOW
PlusesFirst we’ll start with the positives from the physical to the logical and qualitative.
LocationThe GA campus in DC is clean, serviceable and well stocked with excellent Frontlines support. I would give it as near as 100% as possible. Classrooms always have working projectors, enough seats and whiteboards. Coffee, Peanut Butter and Jelly and tea bags are always plentiful.
OutcomesThe outcomes team gives the students most of the skills I learned in this industry at dozens of customers and clients over 20 plus years. As much as the students complained about the long sessions to me, those that follow its rigors will secure a position quickly.
CurriculaThe curricula as defined in the GA SEI Syllabus compares well with Flatiron, CodingDojo, Trilogy and others.
InstructionAll lead instructors seemed knowledgeable of the material covered. All instructors were approachable and inviting of the material.
DeliveryThe Google calendar was updated weekly with relatively accurate material to be presented and learned. Labs and software functioned as expected. Installfest saved the students trouble that they will quickly learn in the field. Compatibility and libraries are key from development to deployment.MinusesNow, some constructive guidance
LocationThose stairs are extremely steep and elevator access restricted. Heat in these historical buildings often has trouble on those frosty days. This one is no different, a space heater or two might help if compliant ones are available.
OutcomesOnly one thing I might recommend here are interview dry runs. We had one or two examples of interviews, and I imagine hiring panel next week will be equally excellent. But as mentioned below, practice, practice practice! All candidates I have ever met benefit from practicing the interview questions and the discomfort. I mentor all of my charges in this area. We even do professional development sessions on it.
CurriculaThe curricula was not taught completely. For example, one of the reasons, that I, an experienced Engineer chose GA were the Algorithms and Data Structures courses as shown in the screenshots below. These courses were not available until after the course opened and even worse were never addressed. This pattern of missing core material as we moved forward forms part of the basis for my letter and departure.
InstructionOur lead instructor changed three times. None of them covered all of the material separately or together. For new students this gap will carry over into their new careers. Although I mentioned this before and in tickets, it has not been addressed adequately. It cannot be rectified at this late stage.
DeliveryFurthermore there was often a lack of respect for the difficulties that the students faced. Comments such as the students are “lazy,” “do not want to work,” or “do not like to read have been heard.” While I encourage constructive criticism it must be backed by instructional excellence.
Instructional ExcellenceAlthough very personable as a whole the instructional style was far too loose to give new students the comfort they need in this difficult, challenging and dynamic field. Like sport and music, training for novices is about learning patterns and executing them repeatedly and in combination. As the student grows, these patterns or katas inspire the artists to create their own symphonies.
Not enough structure was provided for training the students muscle or neurological pathways to allow for confident improvisation. This is my number one guidance. When teaching new material it is vital that it is taught, demonstrated, practiced and reviewed. Although much of the material had this character, it has not been consistent enough to train the students.
On my final day I was directly criticized for the instructional failures of this cohort. I was told that I was pushing and telling the students what to do when in reality all that I did was:- Describe the concept.
- Demonstrate the concept.
- Allow the students to choose issues to tackle.
- Reviewed them as a whole.
The instructor who arrived later to try to guide us was disrespectful to me and to the classroom in his behavior.
Summary
I chose GA over the alternatives for several reasons. First, the curriculum met most of the baselines of each of the other bootcamps in the area, although it was slightly pricier, the vibe and location seemed worth it. I was 100% accurate on the location and vibe, you are a warm and welcoming team that open your hearts to all students.
Please structure the courses more. I mentioned this in my ongoing tickets and this letter. One of the lead instructors offers great answer and respond format. He sometimes made the students uncomfortable, yet it was the type of discomfort of growth rather than pain. Consistent training of your junior and lead instructors will ensure that the student learn the patterns better and all material is covered.
Overall I have learned much from this program. I attended to have a structure and milestones to meet in an immersive format. This need was met. I am glad that I took this program, but I wonder if the Trilogy program might be more structured. Regardless, I thank you for this opportunity and look forward to seeing any of you in the field.
Sincerely,Gouthum Karadi -
Jason Moon Verified via LinkedIn
The Honest Truth
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I took General Assembly with the intent to make a career pivot into the tech industry by thinking I was going to learn the tools to become a software engineer. I ended up getting a role in Web Development. However, it was me, and mostly me, that set my path for this role. General Assembly just provided a base.
I had learned a whole lot throughout this boot camp, that is for sure. But, we have to understand that people are paying up to 22K (through the catalyst program) to take this course for their life objectives. Not only is this is a massive financial commitment, it is a time commitment, and most importantly it is an emotional commitment. As the aspects of money and time are self explanatory, the emotional commitment might be the biggest one as the job search afterwards is by far the toughest task.
Let's really take a step back here and think. Please understand this before you take ANY coding bootcamp.
12 weeks does not make a software engineer. I repeat. 12 weeks does not make a software engineer or a web developer or even a junior level developer. The reality is, General Assembly is a for profit school and they'll do everything in their power to get students to pay money and take their courses.
I want to reiterate that I learned a lot. But, I quickly realized that this program is more worth it for people who have coding experience already and want to expand their skills and not for someone who wants to make a career transition into programming. I say this despite the program being advertised as this one way ticket to becoming a software engineer who will make six figures right off the bat.
The fact is: the curriculum brushes over fundamental computer science concepts that normally go a long way in the coding interviews and only touch base on several technologies rather than going in depth with them. This makes sense because you really only have 12 weeks to "become as software engineer" yet, I thought that some things could have been excluded from the curriculum so us students could be further educated on important topics.
As for the instructors. Oh geez. They were great people but, dang do I felt like I really got ripped off on this aspect of the bootcamp. My cohort had two assistant teachers who took the course previously but have never had any professional development experience. But what was even more frustrating was that our global instructor, who was on a screen teaching multiple courses as at time, did not have any professional experience either! I would also ask him about certain advanced topics but he failed to guide me in them and ultimately was discouraging! It was such a joke that these instructors were so unqualified for their positions when students are putting in their souls into creating this professional transition. I almost felt cheated. Remember, as a student it's easy for someone to look good compared to you but in the end, it'll all unfold.
Lastly, General Assembly is praised for their outcomes/job assistance. But to be straight up, our career coaches did not help much. I even heard of other students from the other programs complaining about their career coach not being responsive until a student got a job! Blasphemous. For all of you out there drooling at the fact that these bootcamps have "outcomes or job assistance", it really isn't too much help. A quick google search or a phone call from a friend will be a better choice for advice.
Ultimately, General Assembly provided me a launch pad to boost my skills in development. However, I cannot recommend this to anyone with the price that they are asking of their students.
I want everyone to understand this.
You get yourself a job. Not a coding bootcamp.
Good luck! -
Kimberly Wilkes Verified via LinkedIn
Career change via Software Engineering Immersive
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Prior to participating in this bootcamp I had just made a complex decision to career change from elementary teaching to software engineering. I had somehow made a large friend circle of software engineers who offered their support and advice as well as two career changing friends who had just completed the General Assembly Software Engineering Immersive. I had tried to teach myself coding multiple times over my teaching career and decided a bootcamp would be the best kick to really help me move forward.
GA Boston has some of the best folks ready to support and guide people. It was intense, and it pushed me in ways I hadn't been pushed in a while. We learned JavaScript, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, front-end to back-end development, and the Outcomes team (career coaching/job assistance) are incredibly supportive and knowledgable. I appreciated being able to schedule one on one time with the coaches and I felt like all the staff were really accessible and ready to help.
I was in a class of 18 people and felt very close with everyone. Even outside of the cohort I've connected with so many people throughout the alumni network. Overall I am glad for the experience and the network.
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Adam Cote Verified via LinkedIn
Best Decision I've Ever Made
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Enrolling in the SEI program at GA was the best decision I've ever made. The staff at GA are wonderful, and the instructors are super knowledgeable, and more importantly happy to help you with anything. I think anyone with a poor review of GA wasnt there for the right reasons, it's not high school or university, you dont have to be there, you chose to go. Those that make the most of the resources there are the ones that will be successful. There's a lot of course content and it moves very fast so dig in and get ready to learn.
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Gerardo Siebels Verified via LinkedIn
A Great Workshop to Start a New Career
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I have been thinking about changing my career to software engineering for a long time. This year I have decided to join General Assembly and I honestly I don’t regret it, the teaching system and the projects helped me to learn and further understand multiple technologies to be able to make beautiful sites. The campus is spacious, just ideal for you to learn and there are always people available if you have questions.
The job-support at the end of the course is unique, helping you to brand yourself and shine from other applicants. Definitely, the best way to start as a developer.
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Cristen Johnson Verified via LinkedIn
Missing Something
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My experience with General Assembly started off very rocky. I'm not your traditional student just looking for another class they can take for the experience. I wanted to learn a new skill for a career change. I think that goal was met; however, I am still looking for employment in the field. I've joined a few Meetup groups and went to one conference, so I'm going to keep trying.
I also got a moment to speak with other designers and learning the process isn't enough. You need to learn code. I know that as a UX Designer/Researcher, you shouldn't have to learn code, but I've noticed that employers don't really understand what we do so if you don't fit the minimum application requirements you are out of luck. I really was hoping that there would be help getting your portfolio together, but there was nothing. To be quite frank, if you are looking for more case studies to put on your portfolio (btw, if you take the online cohort they will not help you with this) you will have to go with a longer class (i.e. DesignLab, Springboard, etc.). They give you more ways to present your work. We only had the option to work on a responsive site or a mobile application (10 weeks vs 9 months).
If you are committed to working on this class at least 20 hours a week...you'll pass. My TA took a while to get back to us with grades, but he makes himself available for you if you ask. The instructor will also. In my opinion, the instructors made the experience for me great. They will answer any questions you may have about being in the field. The class is very interactive and you are allowed to critique your peers.
Advice for GA would be to make the job assistance available for all students and add coding to your course. For those that come from a completely different industry, this would help tremendously.
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Brian W Loveless Verified via LinkedIn
An amazing experience chock full of info and insight.
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General Assemb.ly Software Engineering Immersive Online Boot Camp was an incredibly amazing experience. It opened my eyes and mind to many parts of web site design, development, and maintenance. I learned many languages, frameworks, libraries, stacks, and computer science fundamentals. Through the course, we built web sites, made functions, had solo and group projects. The amount of information blasted into my brain was equivalent to drinking from a firehose. After completion, I have a few sites for my portfolio under my belt and a firm grasp of the basics and more for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python3 as well as a new way of using the computer itself through the command line and sites like GitHub, Netlify, Mongo Db and Heroku. They have the outcomes program also, which helps mold your online presence and offers resume help and so much more. This program extends after the class is over and is available until you land your new career role.
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Matthew Johnson Verified via LinkedIn
Great User Experience!
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Although I was previously new to UX design and the tech field in general, GA staff were very thoughtful and welcoming from the beginning. My admissions producer responded to my initial inquiry immediately and answered all my tough questions. She stayed in touch with me as I completed the pre-work, and I never felt disoriented despite all the new information and procedures I was learning.
The pre-work was an excellent guide to what the course would entail, and I came in with strong conceptial knowledge. Nonetheless, I was challenged above and beyond my expectations (in a good way), and I feel confident that I understand both the 'hard' and 'soft' skills needed to be a successful designer.
My instructors were extremely personable and made themselves available whether I had a smaller question or larger concern. They even allowed me the space to vent on two occasions. During project work, they gave us the freedom to explore our individual interests (as they related to the project) -- along with the freedom to fail (and learn from it). I can only imagine how difficult it is to navigate 19 beginners through 4 rounds of client work, but they did it.
The Outcomes staff were direct, nuanced, and efficient with thieir comments on my resume, portfolio, cover letter, and other career-related materials. I learned almost as much from their tutelage as I did from my content instructors (and I'm still learning). As someone who has spent a long time unemployed/applying cold, my confidence has increased enormously as a result of Outcomes support. I now have a comprehensive strategy and organizational system for my search.
Overall, if you choose to take an immersive course at GA, know that you will learn a ton and be handled with care. At the same time, be sure to clear your schedule for the 10-12 weeks of the program (and beyond if you're immediately seeking a job thereafter). Do not take the commitment lightly. What you put in is largely what you get out. If you put in everything, you will get everything you expected -- and more.
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Mercedez Jenkins Verified via LinkedIn
Enjoyable and Informative Class despite being rather unorganized
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I found the GA UX Research & Design PT Course very enjoyable. I learned a lot and I feel that the curriculum gave me a solid understanding of the UX Research & Design process from end to end. Marcella was a great teacher and made all of the concepts understandable and applicable to where we all were in our professional careers. She was always available for extra help and advice which I really appreciated. It was a lot of work and in my opinion required more of a time commitment than the course syllabus suggested. Because it is a PT class it moved very quickly which caused me to get behind a few times throughout the course. I also found the curriculum to be a bit disjointed and unorganized. This is primarily because the online pre and home work did not seem to match up with the 2 day a week in class schedule. There were a few times I had to go back and review because sections were out of order. Overall, it is a good course that would definitely be 5 stars with some fine tuning.
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Garry Verified via LinkedIn
Data Science Immersive (Toronto) Review
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Through my experience at General Assembly (note, when I started, it was still Bitmaker, but in effect, the content was General Assembly approved), I was able to land my first data science role. While the industry is hiring Sr. Data Scientist engineers, and Sr. Data Scientists, breaking in is difficult for more entry-level Data Analyst/Scientists. However, I do like how there are Data Scientists who come from a variety of backgrounds, from social sciences, cognitive sciences, to mathematics. On this journey, I’ve had a lot of support from my General Assembly instructor (Max is one of smartest, and also most effective teachers), career coaches and classmates. Note, your mileage may vary based on your instructor, or peers (to drive discussion and helping each other). I was lucky to have one of the best. Our instructor worked at two local start-ups before joining General Assembly, so he had real experience. Additionally, he often presented at conferences like Pycon and abroad. This is the by far the reason why I am rating General Assembly so high, it’s because you gain access to an instructor who can teach the material better than online materials. Anyone can find a Jupyter notebook on Random Forests, or youtube video on Neural Networks, but to get insights from an Engineer who has written production code, and has advice about ‘flex’ topics like why Docker, cloud computing, and a better way of approaching a problem is invaluable. Choose your boot camp based on your instructor. That’s the differentiating piece. Go to an info session, and ask him/her questions. Coming from the software industry previously, the inclusiveness and culture were great, but not a differentiator for me. I’d imagine Brainstation being similar. But those guys were way too sales-y while recruiting, which is why Brainstation turned me off. The syllabus was a bit less relevant too. To close I’d like to highlight two areas of improvement.- It’s a jam-packed 12 weeks, but if there was a way to embed more data engineering, software engineering by removing some of the less relevant algorithms, I think that would be better time spent.
- Career support is great, but let’s raise the bar for those who have already worked in the industry. The general advice is table stakes (geared towards interns and university students), so it would be more valuable to have real data scientists, and data engineers provide advice on how they recruit, and perform whiteboard interviews. The network of alumni is growing, but the corporate partnerships engagement is weak as far as student employment is concerned. The career coach is working hard on early conversations with Telus Digital and MaRS, but at this point, there’s no real pipeline to feed students into those programs. Bet on yourself to find jobs rather than rely on employers knocking on your door on demo day. Set your expectations appropriately.
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Bella Wang Verified via GitHub
Python and Machine Learning Bootcamp Series
This was a weekend, two-day bootcamp with a practical introduction to machine learning in Python. The class was very helpful in giving hands-on experience for someone with some data background who is looking to get up to speed on a new set of data techniques.
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Sejla Ali Verified via LinkedIn
Front-End Web Development (Part Time)
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I took the part time Front-End Web Development course from February 2018 to April 2018 as my plan was to move into the Software Engineering Immersive, which I am currently taking.
I really enjoyed the front-end development class as I got to learn a lot of HTML, CSS and an intro to Javascript and JQuery. We were able to put together a lot of smaller projects and site mockups. Also, even though I have never had experience in any coding, javascript and jquery were a little difficult for me to grasp but in my SEI class, I picked up on everything MUCH quicker because of my previous exposure.
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Lee Robson Verified via LinkedIn
Data Analytics 2019 review
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I've just completed the 10-week part-time course in Data Analytics and found the experience to be highly valuable.
As virtually a total beginner in Excel, SQL and Tableau prior to the course, I found the material and the pace of learning to be quite challenging and demanding. However, provided you are able to allocate the required time outside the classroom teaching and commit yourself to learning the content, the pace of study leads to the acquisition of a wide range of skills in a relatively short period of time.
The course material provided isn't perfect, which sometimes requires a degree of independent problem-solving and perserverence, but that in itself can be quite useful when it comes to utilising the skills being learnt week-to-week.
I found our teacher and teaching assistant to be extremely helpful and dedicated to helping the class and individuals follow the material and reach their potential.
Overall, I would highly recommend General Assembly and the Data Analytics course, provided you have adequate time in your week to dedicate the hours required. I was in-between jobs when I did the course and would have found it difficult to get as much out of the experience as I did had I also been working full-time.
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Lourdes Wong Verified via LinkedIn
Great week at SFO in GA!
I flew from Peru to SFO and it was worth it. I liked that the course is an intense week because I could not stay in San Francisco for a long time, the networking is super good, the facilitator with very enriching experience and the material as well, I would have liked more work between peers and a little More time to get to know the GA community.
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Chakrit Prasatwattana Verified via LinkedIn
Web Development Immersive Program
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Doing the Web Development Immersive (WDI) program at Santa Monica was probably one of the best career decisions I've made. First of all, what struck me about GA was their international presence, being located around the world. Also, the fact that GA offers courses in a variety of fields, whether it's Web Development, UI/UX, Digital Marketing, also attracted me to them as I was able to take workshops in those subject areas as well. It was also a great learning experience getting to meet people and learn from the other students doing the other immersive programs such as in Data Science and UX.
My background prior to doing the web development immersive program was that I already had a degree in computer science and an entry level job as a web developer. But I still decided to do GA to learn new technology stacks and have a more solid foundation (particularly in Node.js, React and Mongo since I was only familiar with Ruby on Rails at the time). Even with this prior background, I was still able to learn a lot and push myself out of my comfort zone. The beauty of the program is you get out of it what you put into it no matter what your background is.
My instructors and peers were probably some of my favorite aspects of my experience there. The instructors and TAs were very helpful during class and after hours and taught very well with their use of analogies. The people in my cohort also provided a very encouraging and fun learning atmosphere and we all still keep in contact to this day, where some of us actually work together at our jobs.
Our outcomes producer also did a really good job helping us get our resumes and cover letters ready and provided good advice on how to market ourselves with the Do's and Don'ts. However, at the end of the day, we're responsible for our success in the job application process depending on how hard we push ourselves in putting ourselves out there and preparing for job interviews.
Overall, what I really liked about GA is the network that you get yourself into. I was able to travel to different General Assembly locations around the world, attending different events and seeing how the GA community and vibe is similar everywhere. Being a GA alumni also puts you as a part of the large network that significantly opens more doors and career opportunities worldwide.
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Jesse Aguirre Verified via LinkedIn
Web Development Immersive Program
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First, off I love GA. GA changed my life completely. I took part in the full-time web development immersive program and by far it is one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Never would I have thought I would be where I'm currently at in life.
My instructors at the DTLA campus are amazing and very dedicated to teaching and preparing their students for a job in tech. Of course, at the end of the day, it is all up to the students to put in the work and apply those skills. The curriculum is very well designed to take you to the level needed to be hirable after completing the course.
As for the job search, it all comes down to you. It's a little hard at the beginning but once you have your foot in the door your in. Most tech interviews are the same so the repetition of interviewing helps in your favor. software engineers are in such high demand there are open positions everywhere in tech. The skills you learn at GA get you one of those positions but like I said its all up to you. -
Batool Verified via LinkedIn
Highly Recommend
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Once I had made the decision to change careers and become a UX Designer, I turned to General Assembly on the recommendation of a friend from London, who had worked with GA trained UX designers in the past. It was one of the best decisions I could have made. Changing careers can be a very stressful thing, and if it weren’t for GA I might have chickened out. Not only did the UXDi course equip me with the tools, language and skills required in the field of User Experience Design, but the “Outcomes” portion of the program completely prepared me for re-entering the workforce in my newfound circumstances. They provided an incredible support system and helped me navigate my career change in the best way possible. I was employed within 30 days of graduating, and made back my investment within months.
If you have an aptitude for human centered design and the willingness to be proactive and put in the work required, then GA can provide the tools to help you succeed.
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Lisa V. Verified via LinkedIn
Digital Product Management
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Incredible instructor, engaged classmates, relevant material covered in course, and focus on building transferable skills
Instructor (currently, VP of Product for a health tech firm in SF) was great at facilitating a collaboration among students, and gave constructive feedback to each product team at the end of every day. He created a safe learning environment, and I plan to keep in touch with him for future Product Management job openings.
Job Prospects After Completion: Depends on YOU! It's up to you to keep your network fresh and informed regarding your career plans. GA will share some career resources with you, but they are not as helpful with finding a job as they could be.
