General Assembly Reviews
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Mark Verified via LinkedIn
Web Development Immersive
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I went to General Assembly when I realized that I was ready for a big career shift and I was going to need some help. I was beginning the process of switching careers from an actor on Broadway to a role in the tech industry as a web developer. I am incredibly grateful to the entire team at GA for their help and support on my journey. First and foremost, GA's teaching staff are not just great educators, but also professionals currently working in the industry. Their knowledge stems from a deeper understanding of how you will actually use these technologies in an day to day working environment. As a result, I never felt like I was being taught something that wouldn't be relevant. They were all passionate about the material and had clearly taken time to prepare before the class. I am forever grateful for the teachers I had during my time at GA.
The second thing about my experience at GA that I cannot praise enough is their outcomes team. One of the biggest problems I had with my undergraduate experience was that I felt like I was educated on what to do once I had the job I was seeking but there was no help or real hands-on training or support for how to get the job. GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOES THIS SO WELL! Their team worked with us very early on in the course and for months after I had graduated. Having people actively sharing your resume, supporting you, submitting your work, and working on your behalf who know you personally is so valuable. And they aren't just helping you find the job but educating you on how to improve your resume, interview techniques, cover letters and more. This is what puts General Assembly ahead of so many other schools that offer web development courses. -
Jonathan S. Verified via LinkedIn
Change of career
I enrolled in the WDI of GA because I wanted to learn how to create websites. In the 3 months I was with them, the instructor taught us everything we needed to know and more. GA does a spectacular job of providing support to its students and creating a fun and lively ambience for students to learn. I highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to learn web development.
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Alice Tang Verified via LinkedIn
GA graduate
The course is very well structured and challenging. GA have the best instructors and the best supporting staff, they make the learning experience so much fun. I learned so much in such a short period of time, and I enjoyed every moment of the course.
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Corina Seeto Verified via LinkedIn
Reignited my passion
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I've worked in the digital industry for 15 years but was feeling a bit flat. I finally had the headspace (after having 2 kids) to start thinking about my career again and wanted to fill in the gaps and get up to speed.
That was my intention... but what happened exceeded expectations.
I had used the 'tools of the trade' before, and had even freelanced as a UX designer. But this course gave me a better understanding of the WHY, and HOW to turn all the bits of information into actionable insights and using that to inform the design process.
It was challenging and empowering to break old habits and to focus so much energy on making sure you are solving the 'right' problem before allowing yourself to move into solution mode. Seeing classmates go through their own 'aha' moments was really interesting, as was the breadth of final presentations and hearing all the challenges and pivot moments. We had an extremely supportive group of teachers, teaching aids and classmates.
Two months on, and I am loving my job. Applying the 'process' of UX to my current work has been immensely satisfying and achieving much better results. Instead of using the 'tools' in an ad hoc manner, I have the confidence to communicate the entire process as part of risk management and get more engagement from stakeholders. Instead of being reactive when somebody tells me they need a solution that does XYZ, I can use the UX language to find out more about the 'suspected problem' so we can move through the various stages to make sure we are solving the right problem before we even start thinking about the solution.
I could go on and on. Suffice to say I loved the course and completely recommend it.
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Nigel Parker Verified via LinkedIn
Product Manager
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A well run course, pitched primarily at the entry level for Digital Product Managers. The presenter did a great job of presenting the key principles in a fresh and lively manner and illustrated many key points with some real world examples. The class members were energetic, fun and made solid contributions to learning for everyone. Final, group project added an extra dimension to learning and it was practical and fun. A great way for me to get a refresh on some key Product Management principles and upskill on more digitally focussed areas.
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Anna R. Verified via GitHubWDI in NYC
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I took WDI from March to June of 2015. I previously had a job in community relations, but felt uninspired by my day-to-day (I just hated it). I tried out some free resources on Codecademy and applied to several bootcamps. After checking a few out, I liked the campus and curriculum at General Assembly the best.
About two years later - no regrets. I love programming, and GA gave me what I needed to do this as a career! My teachers were fantastic, passionate, and gifted with coding and educational chops. It was VERY stressful at times, but I loved working together with my classmates to get to "the next level," so to speak.
My only note is that I had a job lined up before graduation, so I don't have experience with the career coaching so much.
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Gan Seeth Shuan Verified via LinkedIn
UXDI SINGAPORE
Course review -
Alice Verified via LinkedIn
Will give you a good set of skills to start your data analyst career
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I took the Data Analytics part-time course in London. The program consists of learning the process of data analysis and practical skills to perform data analysis.
Nowadays for online business, marketing & data analysis tend to become a one-person job as campaigns can be optimised in real time based on their performances. This program gives you a set of skills that aren't taught at the university if you studied broad subjects like marketing or business.
The theoretical part was very useful for me to understand what is the best approach before to do a specific analysis. How to prepare the business questions and choose a data set.
Then we did many exercises using Excel, SQL, Tableau to learn how to leverage those tools to make the analysis and provide great data insights.
What makes me satisfied is that I could use at work the next day what I had learned at night.
I also met interesting, passionate and motivated people. In my group there was people from many industries (Finance, online business, offline business ...).
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Jack Challis Verified via LinkedIn
Product Management in San Francisco
Great Product Management course for a med device product manager. Learned enough to understand how I could improve my job today and where I could keep improving.
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Harry Peppitt Verified via GitHubPart-time Data Science at GA
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The Data Science course at GA was excellent!
As anyone who has any prior knowlege of the field would expect, the curriculium is quite broad, and as a result the part-time course does not go in depth in any areas, but rather takes you through the basics in as many areas as it can in 10 weeks. I imagine the full-time course would provide a more conclusive education, but i can't really comment on that.
Even though I would not recommend the part-time course to people looking for a conclusive education, it was invaluable to me and will be to people looking to explore the options available in the Data Science profession. The part-time course does not pretend to give you all the tools you need to succeed in the industry. Instead, GA has clearly realised that would be cramming too much into too little time, and have structured the course to give you a good introduction to each area of Data Science and provide you with enough information to get you started on your own educational journey.
This course will provide you with the basic knowlege of tools, concepts and processes needed to get started with your own exploration and an excellent environment to ask questions and network with like-minded professionals.
I would recommend this course to anyone who is interested in getting started in Data Science, but doesn't know where to start and what's involved.
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adil Khan
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When I had my initial interview to get information about this bootcamp, I was reassured several times (since my English is not perfect) that the instructor spoke very clear and easy-to-understand English, as she was not a native speaker. However, on the first day of the course, I found myself unable to understand a single word from the instructor (who was in fact a native English speaker) for the first two weeks.
I want to emphasize that the instructor was very understanding and supportive towards me, and she was genuinely great and helpful throughout the course. However, I don’t understand why I was misled about her level of English. If I had known, I would have considered a different bootcamp. Since I am paying a significant amount of money, I expect to fully understand what is being taught.
Regarding the post-graduate support and career services, I just finished a call that was scheduled with them. I was the only one present on the call because they did not show up. This speaks for itself.
There are definitely positive aspects of this course — I learned many things and new concepts. However, I will need to review and deepen my understanding of them on my own.
Overall, my experience has been more negative than positive, as during every lesson I had to stay extremely focused just to understand my instructor’s strong accent, while at the same time trying to learn new topics. -
Jayme Zhang
Positive and rewarding experience
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Coming from the education industry, I’d say the teaching and support staff from General Assembly went above and beyond to ensure that no one feels alone on this journey. I’m very grateful for the extra mile that the instructors went to ensure that complex concepts are simplified as much as possible and for the feedback provided after the completion of each project. I also greatly appreciate the constant check-in by the support staff and career coaches, even after the bootcamp has ended. They have definitely contributed tremendously in the career switching journey, and I would strongly recommend General Assembly to anyone I know. -
Sophie
Inspiring, challenging, rewarding
The GA UX bootcamp is one of the best things I have chosen to do; the instructors are experts in the field and give you insights and examples of work that really allow you to get a foot in the door. I enjoyed every single moment and didn't want it to end. The only thing I would have liked is a bit more time looking at UI in the curriculum; that bit didn't feel as in depth. -
Irvan Indra Wahab
Intensive, Insightful and Impactful
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I recently completed the Data Science Immersive program at General Assembly, and it was an eye-opening experience. The program is intensive and fast-paced, designed to push you out of your comfort zone. From day one, the curriculum was intensive, fast-paced lessons coupled with hands-on projects that allowed me to apply concepts in real-world scenarios. The instructors were knowledgeable and they are the industry experts where students could learn and get insights on how to apply the concept into real-world challenges.
Overall, this program was challenging yet rewarding, providing me with the tools and confidence needed to transition my career. I highly recommend it to anyone that would want to make a significant career shift into the tech industry. -
Will Isenberg
Challenging but Educational
I learned full stack web development, including frontend HTML and CSS and backend databases like Mongo and Django. This was a challenging 8 hour day course, but I learned a lot. The only thing I would change is I wish they sponsored networking events with job recruiters. -
Carrie Miltenberger
Changed my Life
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I attended the Denver campus for the 12-week UX course in 2017. I loved everything about the program; instructors, projects, classmates. I previously had only participated in traditional school, so a boot camp felt hands-on and useful immediately. I will say that the job coaching was super helpful in every respect except the actual job piece. They coach you on your resume, using previous experience as applicable to this new career, networking, etc. All of the great things that will be lifelong help. However, the actual job was elusive for about 4 months. And it wasn't the career coach who helped me in the end, but the instructors putting me in touch with their former colleagues in the industry and the mentor from the real product I worked on for a project.
I also think the program is top-notch and the instructors were a great blend of the research side and the UI side. I have seen a lot of stuff on LinkedIn about boot camps all being the same formula or whatever, but I truly don't think I could have made a successful career change without GA; the education, resources, and connections.
And while it was very expensive I got a personal loan that I paid off in a year with my new higher salary. -
Nathaniel
Helping You Get Started
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The experience has been great. It gave me enough workflow to familiarise myself with enough projects to prepare myself for employment. The lessons are relevant and great. However, it can sometimes be very stressful if you are new to design sprints. Project timelines are fast and you have to be emotionally and mentally resilient. If you are someone who is ready to face the storm and explore the vast unchartered ocean ahead, this might just be for you. -
Clarence Mun
Everything I needed and more
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When I embarked on my data science journey, I had a clear vision of my goals and was fully aware of the challenges that lay ahead. True to my expectations, the path was as demanding as I had anticipated, and even more so at times.
Our instructor manager, Jonathan Oen-Lee, MBA, ACLP was inspiring and did a great job helping us to understand what made an effective data science presentation.
Our instructors, Waseem Sheriff Sharifah Nurulhuda Alhabsyi M. Farhan Rais Justin Chan Simon Lau were instrumental in helping us navigate the intricacies of this course.
Our career counsellor, Peck Hoon Low was very committed to helping us increase our chances of landing a job.
Our student success personnel made us all feel at home at GA.
I am immensely grateful for the camaraderie that I shared with my classmates. It was truly a refreshing experience to be in the company of like-minded individuals who had a positive learning attitude and were very encouraging. -
ZG
Transformative Experience
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General Assembly's Data Science Bootcamp exceeded all my expectations. The curriculum was comprehensive and well-structured, covering everything from foundational concepts to advanced machine learning techniques. The instructors were knowledgeable and supportive, always willing to go the extra mile to ensure every student understood the material.What impressed me most was the hands-on approach of the bootcamp. Throughout the course, we worked on real-world projects that allowed us to apply our learning in practical scenarios. This not only strengthened our technical skills but also prepared us for the challenges we would face in the field.The learning environment at General Assembly was vibrant and collaborative. I had the opportunity to learn from classmates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, which enriched my learning journey. The career support services were also exceptional, providing guidance on job search strategies, networking, and interview preparation.Overall, General Assembly's Data Science Bootcamp was a transformative experience for me. I entered the program with a passion for data science and left with the skills and confidence to pursue a successful career in the field. I highly recommend General Assembly to anyone looking to take their data skills to the next level. -
Cameron D
Great experience, you get what you give
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My time at GA was great and the job support after helped me land my first job. Its important to note though that it really is a get what you give experience. Don't expect to come in and coast by, its hard and requires a lot of work but if you put the time into the process, you will get a lot out of it. I am not longer a software developer, having transitioned into Product management, but am still using a lot of the coding knowledge i learned at GA. The instructors are very supportive, they really do care about the students. -
Carine Nguza N’Landu
UXDi London – Efficient!
A rigorous course that instilled everything I needed to transition from a Graphic Designer / Art Director to a UX Designer. The last project with a real client, meant going back into the world of work with an authentic representation of the skills learnt and applied to a real-life business. -
Carin Carlson
Great experience for UX Bootcamp
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I was part of the first UX Design BootCamp in Denver. While I was nervous about being the first cohort in the area, it was a great experience and I successfully changed careers (7 years ago!!). My instructor Beth was incredible and truly don't think the program or my outcome would be the same without her. I won't lie, the job-hunting experience was quite daunting and a tad soul-crushing when getting rejected, but that's normal and I think the GA team did a good job setting expectations and providing support throughout. -
James Topping
You get out what you put in
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This boot camp is definitely a hard experience, there is a lot of material to cover, and you are pedal to the metal all the way through the program.
This being said I was never expecting the experience to be easy. I did not come from a technical background, having spent most of my career in retail and as a gardener.
Our instructor was brilliant and took the time to really break down the concepts that we covered each week. I like that you also get the video materials to help you review and reference as you progress through the course. It would have been nice to have a little more wrap-around support outside of the main class time, but I was lucky that my classmates were really supportive when I hit a wall.
I was initially scared that getting a job at the end of the program would be tough, especially with everything I was reading in the news. However, I was able to get a job about 2 months after I graduated. My secret here was to not look at traditional tech companies but instead look at some of my previous employers in retail. I am happy to say I now have a role at Target working on their web development team. -
Kenji Ong Shao Qiang
Engaging Productive Practical
If you are looking for a full-blown Computer Science course, this obviously ain't it. If you are looking for a course that takes you through all the nitty gritty and fundamentals of coding, this ain't it either. However, if you are looking for a practical and engaging course to ready yourself for real world applications, this is a great start. -
Kate McElhaney
Massive Bate and Switch Going on with Career Coaching-be ware!
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I am in week 9 of 13 at General Assembly for Software Engineering and WAS having a very positive experience, particularly with the Career Coaching program. Weekly we had a 2 hour "Outcomes" class that focused on career readiness and then we were required to have at least two one ones with our Career Coach. Then all of a sudden in week 8, our amazing Career Coach is all of a sudden no longer at General Assembly and we get this email about "Enhanced Outcomes" that states the entirely Outcomes program is on pause for the next 2 weeks and then when it resumes we will now only have monthly classes. So that means at best, instead of the 13 classes we were promised and paid for we will now get 9. Worst is that this two week time frame is so critical for my cohort to be applying for jobs and building portfolios if we hope get a job soon after graduation. I have sent emails and Slack DMs on this and either do not get a response or the staff that replies lets me know they are working on this but do not have information at this time. My trust with GA is GONE! -
Wu Songrong
Gave me confidence in lifelong learning
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I started this learning journey because I encountered many problems during my self-study process. During my self-study, I faced many setbacks, which made me very insecure. The learning process at GA not only provided me with new knowledge, but more importantly, the instructors were very willing to encourage students to learn. They would patiently answer questions, whether technical or conceptual, and sincerely shared their experience and knowledge with everyone. I am especially grateful to all the instructors of SG-SEIFX13, who strengthened my belief in lifelong learning. -
Colin
AVOID. Instructors and TAs knew nothing, terrible support.
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Started the Software Engineering Full Time Bootcamp. Encountered some issues in week 1 getting my necessary packages installed. Wasted several hours with the instructor and TAs who couldn't solve the issues. Eventually I was able to fix them but at this point was so far behind in the class work and had zero confidence in the quality of instruction. The instructor was not helpful, and the TAs were former students of the same program who finished within the last year and I assume couldn't get better jobs. In week 2 I contacted "Student Success" about dropping out. They informed me I could drop out and would owe them a prorated amount of the tuition, and my loan from Stride Funding would be canceled. I agreed. It has now been 5 months and I am getting bills from Stride because GA has still not canceled my loan from them. It's impossible to reach anyone about any issues, they do not answer the phone or emails unless you are a prospective student contacting their sales agents (in which case they won't leave you alone). I'm sure at some point it was a good school, but they seem to put all their $ and effort into sales and little to none into the quality of their courses or experience of students.
The employment %s of graduates that they publish on their website and that their sales agents use to rope you in are from several years ago, once you are in the program they will tell you how these employment rates have dropped SIGNIFICANTLY since 2021.
I am currently getting a 1.5-year Associates degree from my local community college. It costs a small fraction of what GA charges, focuses on more practical skills, the quality of instruction is astronomically better, and I'll get a real degree. -
Rohit Sharma
Phenomenal Journey into Product Management
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I recently had the privilege of undertaking the Product Management course offered by General Assembly, and I am compelled to share my exceptional experience, largely thanks to the outstanding instructor, Tricia Huerta, who guided our journey.
From the very first session, it was evident that Tricia possessed amazing depth of knowledge in the field of product management. Her ability to distill complex concepts into digestible, real-world examples made the learning process not only comprehensible but genuinely enjoyable. She went to great lengths to address individual questions, provide additional resources, and even offered personalised feedback on our assignments.
The course structure itself was well-crafted, covering a comprehensive range of topics crucial for anyone aspiring to excel in product management. Each module seamlessly built upon the previous one, creating a cohesive learning experience that mirrored the dynamic challenges faced by product managers in the real world. -
Marcus Fasan
So glad I did it
Decided to join the Data Analytics bootcamp with GA in 2022 and within a few months after completing it, I found myself in an analyst role which I could not be happier with. This course will prep you for not only the role itself, but on how to land that role as well. Could not recommend enough! -
Mitchell O'Brien
Sound introduction to Software Engineering
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A course to cover the basics of software engineering. The foundations of programming concepts were taught well with lots of the course focusing on reinforcing key concepts (such as data types, syntax, conditions, functions). Lots of solo work to expand on concepts with some feedback throughout the course. Increasing specific feedback would be a keyway of improving this course and justifying its price compared to other online courses.
The course made attempt to cover a wide curriculum that at times became detriment to depth of knowledge. For example, half a day was allocated to exploring ‘Ruby On Rails’. While this way an outlined aspect of the curriculum, I did not leave with any confidence to state I had this (and some other areas of the curriculum) as a skill.
Overall, a good starting point if you are willing to put in the work on top of this course and after to become “job ready”. -
Jairo Perez
Great Bootcamp
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This Bootcamp has been a great experience. GA has a very the topics and layout very well distributed and teach the main topics.
The instructors are experienced and are always asking if you have any doubts.
There are plenty of labs which simulate a work environment and help practice real problems.
Finally, the support after graduation is second to none. There is team there to assist and lots of resources to get help in Job search -
Jonathan Liang
General Assembly Software Engineering (Flex Program) Bootcamp Review
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Choosing GANowadays there are many ways to learn coding and break into tech. There are numerous bootcamps out there, you can always go to college, and there are a plethora of online resources to learn from. However, for me personally, college is very expensive and learning on your own is hard because you need to stay accountable and motivated. So I decided to go the bootcamp route. I wanted a bootcamp with an online, class-like environment that would keep me accountable, a flexible class schedule while I was still working a full time job, a curriculum that covers a wide range of topics and gave me the tools that would help me in my first software engineering job. After doing research, I decided to join a Part-Time Flex Software Engineering bootcamp with General Assembly. Additionally, General Assembly has a wide alumni network with many graduates, many of whom work at some of the top tech companies in the world. Instructors One of the factors that will make or break your experience is how good your instructors are. I was very lucky to have had some of the best instructors I've ever had - Paul Chapman, Gore Auluck, Deja Yang, and Bee Johnson. Going through classes that are several hours long can be very demanding especially if you are working a full time job as well. However every class, my instructors brought their amazing enthusiasm and liveliness which really motivated me and everyone in the class. Additionally, their intelligence and knowledge of the software engineering industry is literally out of this world. They were able to really break down complex concepts in a clear and understandable way. Additionally, one of the things I always appreciated about my instructors was that they coded from scratch in the lectures and explained alongside it rather than just copying code from somewhere. With the wealth of experience they have from working as software engineers, they always provided amazing feedback, advice, motivation, and explained how the concepts we use in the classroom can be applied on the job. Lastly, their kindness and willingness to always help us is something that I will always value. Flexibility and Time Commitment For the Part-time (Flex) software engineering program you will need to commit around 15 - 20 hours of classes each week and this is not including the career services sessions you will also have. Additionally, you need to spend time outside of class to review concepts, homework assignments, etc. I highly recommend the flex program for anyone who wants to still work while attending the bootcamp, however, be aware that you really need to put in the effort and the time commitment if you want to be successful. Curriculum Overall I felt that GA gave me the foundational tools I needed to be successful, whether that was being able to use documentation, how to create a full stack application from scratch, or how to work on a team project using GitHub. While the curriculum is up to the instructor, there are of course topics that all cohorts will learn. You will learn JavaScript, HTML, CSS and front end development. You will learn React. You will learn about backend development and how databases work and much more. Things that could be ImprovedOne area in my cohort that I think we could have spent more time on was data structures and algorithms and preparing for technical interviewing, since these are very important topics as you begin interviewing with companies. We touched upon these topics, however not as in-depth as I hoped for. Projects GA definitely gave me the tools I needed to build several projects, which will be a part of your own portfolio for potential employers to see. The projects also give you a chance to go beyond what you learned in class. For me, I was very interested in cloud computing, cloud storage, and Microsoft Azure that I decided to teach myself these topics and implement them with my 2 of my later projects. One of the things that will help set yourself apart in the job search will be your projects and the effort you put in them. After the end of each unit you will have a project in which you will have anywhere from one to several weeks to work on them. Project weeks can definitely be stressful but you always have the support of your instructors and peers when something goes wrong. Career Coaching I have an amazing Career Coach, Jason Schoch, who has many years of experience in helping students land jobs and negotiate salaries, as well as tons of insights about recruiting and the hiring process as he was a former recruiter. Whenever I had a question or needed some advice when applying for a job, I was always able to schedule a one-on-one with him and he was always able to give great and informative responses. Additionally, I was able to join a GA Linkedin activity group run by another career coach Mick Mize who puts on amazing presentations on how to network with potential employers and how to increase your chances in landing a job. The great thing about career coaching at GA is that it continues after you graduate and even after you land your first job in tech, as the career coaches are always there to support you. Job Searching Like anything, there's no guarantee that the job search will be easy after graduation. I knew people in my cohort that were able to transfer into a more technical role right after graduation while others took a couple months to land a new software engineering role including me, while most others are still searching. However, GA definitely gave me the tools I needed to launch a successful job search. As mentioned before, you are able to take advantage of the huge alumni network GA has to offer. After you graduate, you are able to join a slack channel where someone posts job openings with companies who have a partnership with GA. If you are willing to stay committed, use all the resources GA has to offer, and do what it takes, you will succeed. Overall ConclusionOverall I enjoyed my time at GA and I absolutely have no regrets at all, and I would give GA a 9.5/10. With the help of GA, I was so grateful to land my first software engineering role 2 months after graduating. The switch into tech is definitely not easy and it's going to take a lot of time, commitment, effort, and motivation, but GA provides great support in your journey so it's definitely a top choice for a bootcamp without a doubt. -
Casey S.
Waste of time and money
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I signed up for this course thinking it would be an amazing, comprehensive, challenging first look at software engineering. How wrong I was.
I had very very little prior experience with coding of any type, and this course was basically a joke and an enormous waste of time and money. We were told to study hard and that it would be extremely challenging...the first 3 units were super easy to follow along with and the projects were laughable. I probably spent maybe 5-10 hours TOTAL in the first 9 weeks outside of class brushing up on material that I didn't understand (which was few and far between .... and I'm NOT a genius). In the second half of the course, we did the majority of lectures on our own (async lectures), which again, I probably could've found cheaper and better resources on Udemy or YouTube.
The instructors were okay, but the lead instructor was very hard to follow along with and super scatter-brained. He basically read the lectures word-for-word from the materials we were already provided. The instructor assistants were either not there or muted the whole time. They said they offered support but it was really only if you reached out to them, and then you were scolded for asking questions not in the group Slack channel and in the wrong way.
Then there was the promise of this "amazing network" of GA alums and hiring companies they are supposedly partnered with. I know we are not guaranteed a job, but from the very first week, our outcomes coach was basically like, "we are not going to provide you with anything; you need to do this on your own. Only once you have jumped through all of our hoops and taken all of our [sometimes bad] advice, will we give you any support at all, and it's only a little bit."
So overall, I would advise you to save your money and invest in self-learning, or a better / cheaper bootcamp. GA is definitely not what it used to be. -
Daria Bogdan
A huge disappointment
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I recently completed the GA and I must say, it was a huge disappointment. I had high hopes for this bootcamp, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a complete waste of time and money.
First and foremost, the cost of this bootcamp is exorbitant. The marketing hype led me to believe that I would be getting top-notch education and valuable skills. However, I quickly realized that I could have found something much more affordable and equally effective elsewhere. The steep price tag simply does not justify the lackluster experience I had.
Furthermore, the quality of instruction left much to be desired. While there were a few instructors who seemed knowledgeable and engaged, the same cannot be said for all of them. It was clear that not all instructors had the necessary experience to effectively teach the material. In fact, there were instances where some instructors struggled to answer even basic questions from students. This was not only frustrating but also detrimental to the learning process.
Throughout the bootcamp, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was not getting my money's worth. The promises made during enrollment were far from being fulfilled. I expected a comprehensive and enriching learning journey, but what I got was a series of disappointments and unmet expectations.
In hindsight, I regret not researching more thoroughly and exploring more affordable options. I strongly advise anyone considering this bootcamp to think twice and explore other options. Don't be fooled by the flashy marketing and overrated reputation. There are better, more cost-effective choices out there that will provide you with the same, if not superior, knowledge and learning experience.
Overall, I cannot recommend the GA based on my personal experience. Save your time and money and seek out alternatives that will provide you with a better return on your investment.
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Tan Eng Liat, Jermin
Practical and enriching
The campus is a beautiful place to study and I think the course made the right choice in it's approach of letting us do multiple projects, instead of focusing purely on the theoretical. Getting to work with a real client for the final project gave us the edge over students from bootcamps elsewhere. -
Amira
Left a lot to be desired via remote learning
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I figured I'd share my experiences since finishing my software engineering course. There are things that are intentionally held back until after you join your cohort. One of those things is more information about the milestone projects. I was trying to better prepare myself for what was required of me by asking these questions. When I asked about the markers of success and how you were graded to proceed successfully throughout the course, I was given a generic pass or fail but it's actually pass or fail the projects and you only get one project redo per course. Gratefully, I never needed it but that caused the first side-eye. The other issue was finding out towards the end of the course that you will not be employable after finishing. They give you a small foundation for you to build off of after you finish the course in order to become employable. So those who take out hefty loans with the intent of hoping to be able to pay them back in time, probably won't happen.
As for our instructor, over half of the cohort complained about him and called him rude, impatient, and mean. Teaching is not his calling. Asking if are there any questions just to be annoyed at the questions makes no sense but that was his thing. He seemed more excited with the ones who actually had a coding foundation than actual beginners but since this course really isn't for true beginners it's to be expected. A few of the people in my cohort were terrified to ask him questions. He's made a few people cry during project week. As for me, I was questioned about whether I wanted to do the course simply because I said I wasn't understanding JS. Not sure what that had to do with not wanting to do software engineering. His teaching style is not all-encompassing. It's very rigid and very much gives Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller.
I didn't have access to certain resources due to how slow admissions were moving. I had access to the pre-course work the day it was due but I was trying to get started for almost two months and was originally supposed to be in an earlier cohort but I got stiffed on that cohort and almost got stiffed on the one I actually joined. I should've just waited until the third cohort. There were resources on how to be successful in the course and I wish I had the time to actually read and do what was instructed to set me up better, however, I saw those resources halfway into my course. I would speak to student success about my grievances consistently but I don't feel as though anything happened in the background.
I'm sure it's going to take me a while to even get hired within the industry due to having to go back to my previous career path while coding and searching for work in the tech industry and also practicing self-care by not focusing on working or coding. One positive thing I can say is our TA was very helpful and knowledgeable. If it wasn't for him a lot of us felt like we would've never completed the course due to the stiff teaching style of our instructor. He was actually reteaching the lesson. He definitely was NOT paid enough to carry half of the cohort on his back like that. The GA alumni that I've come across that actually enjoyed their experiences have all done in person so maybe that's the move. I regret doing remote even though I was locally able to do it in person but remote was more in line with my needs. -
Joshua Jumelet
Worthwhile and Successful Experience
The time spent within my General Assembly Immersive provided me with a solid foundation to build and base my skill sets upon. I've utilized my relationships and newfound knowledge to set off on a path to changing my career. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to build a foundation of relevant skills in the software engineering world. -
Lakeisha
Life changing
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After quitting my job as a Math Teacher. I attended General Assembly to learn new skills that I could use as a Data Analysts. The best part about the program is that there is a co teacher in the classroom that helped students who had problems navigating the material or understanding the material. After I completed my course I was able to obtain a job offer and start a new career as a Data Analyst. I’m so grateful that I gave General Assembly a try because I love my new job. I didn’t know how I was going to leave teaching but I knew that I had to get out of the education field so that I could obtain a better work life experience. Last but not least, General Assembly has several payments options. I was able to find an affordable payment plan that worked for me so no excuses. -
Natalie Perez
Loved my GA experience!
I had a great experience in General Assembly’s Software Engineering Immersive program. The instructors are knowledgeable and incredibly supportive. The material does move fast, but that true of any bootcamp. I learned so much and am well on my way to my first role as a software engineer. -
Miranda Giarretto
BEWARE IF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU
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My experience with General Assembly has been nothing but disappointing and frustrating to say the least. I enrolled in their Data Analytics Intensive program after a lot of research on boot camps, due to their impressive job report and their "commitment" to diversity and inclusion. Everything went relatively smoothly and as expected until my first week of class. After getting put in a cohort where I was the only female identifying classmate (in a class size of 6), which I only found out on the first day, I politely alerted the student success "team" (rather one woman) that this was something that made me uncomfortable due to having a diagnosed mental health condition stemming from some issues/incidents that came about from working in a male dominated position prior to GA and that it was triggering to me to be in this class. At the same time, I inquired about moving classes to the sister cohort that was running congruently, just in a different time zone (which I knew had females in it), and was told that once the cohorts start there is no ability to move to the other one. (even though I brought up a real concern) Mind you, this policy was never told to me before hand or in any email or document I signed/received before hand AND I asked about this on the first day. Even my instructor was under the impression that this was allowed. I did 16 years of formal education and was always allowed to move classes within the first week. (so if you have any problems with your cohort that you are paying thousands for good luck) After I was told this, I inquired about resources for women in tech and thought that maybe that would help to have a sense of community, if I wasn't going to get it from my cohort. (at the time quitting wasn't an option to me as I quit my job to take this course full time and couldn't wait another month and a half for the next cohort to start, which is another month and a half with out a full time income) The student success team then waited about 24 hours to even respond to me just to tell me to wait a few more days for them to get me resources and wrote some generic supportive type messages. At this point I was getting incredibly frustrated that no one was doing anything about my mental health disability (considering they're so "inclusive", it was affecting my learning, and I paid them 16 grand) and their lack of response to it. By the third day, I asked to speak to someone over the phone that day to clear up these issues. I was ready to drop and just figure it out, due to the anxiety mounting and no one doing anything. During this phone conversation with Brittany Lewis, I was able to explain more about my issues, and was told there was accommodations for my disability, there would be a hold put on my funding (the loan had not funded yet) until this was resolved, that she was going to escalate this as an urgent issue to her manager if I was okay with it, asked if I could prove my disabilities, and that she would have something for me by Friday (this was a Wednesday). I felt better after this conversation and felt like with people aware of my problem, acknowledging it, and providing accommodations, I could succeed. I then received a message late Friday letting me know that there was no resolution yet but asking me if I wanted to drop still so I didn't have any more anxiety going to class, and if so she would let my instructors know. After receiving this message I lost any remaining hope with GA considering I was promised a resolution on Friday, I was at my wits end feeling like they kept missing the point, and agreed to drop (I did this thinking my loan funding was on hold and there would be some sort of satisfactory resolution coming) The entire week I felt like I had to fight them to do anything to help me (which is exhausting with my mental health issues and it seemed like it should be an easy resolve) , while trying to learn at a fast pace in the class, and having massive amounts of anxiety and stress due to the triggering gender dynamics of the class. When they did give me a resolution, there was a small credit offered (that needed to be used within 60 days) if I wanted to join another cohort and a 90% refund for this cohort. It took them a week to even come up with this and there was no discussion of accommodations they offer for my disability if I were to join again and be in this situation. After dropping I also discovered that my full loan amount funded to GA. As of a month after withdrawing, I still have NOT BEEN REFUNDED and get the run around when I email them about it. It's been absolutely nothing but lies and stress, yet the recruiter has reached out to try to get me to join the next cohort. (am I suppose to take out another loan when they never paused or refunded my other one?) The entire process has felt fake and lazy. GA is a joke of an educational institution that gives you none of the benefits of a formal semester that, at least, my college offered (accommodations if people needed, timely responses to problems, the ability to change classes if you need to, proper refund procedures, proper staffing, etc) yet charges you as much if not more than a college semester. I am super upset as barring my experience with the admin team and the gender ratio causing me problems, I was excelling at the material and felt like there was so much potential. Ultimately, I could not justify the money paid for the treatment I was receiving. I had such high hopes for GA, I was excited about learning while having the help of an instructor, a network of alumni and cohort peers, and a career coach. But, unfortunately this company has done nothing but make my already diagnosed mental health problems worse.