General Assembly Reviews
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N Flaherty
Data Science Immersive
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Thirteen-week full-time instructor-led course covering the coding (Python-based) and statistics and probability foundations for exploratory data analysis, visualization, feature engineering/selection, and model building. The course covers models ranging from linear and logistic regression, to time-series forecasting, natural language processing, neural networks, and Bayesian systems. In addition to interactive lectures and two substantial homework assignments each week, students complete six projects using real-world data. You will not be bored. -
Rowan
Data Analytics Part Time Remote
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I was very impressed by both the content and the pacing of this course. I was thankfully able to take the course due to a local scholarship, and I found it to be very practical while balancing a work schedule. The content was more in-depth than I expected, and provided a solid foundation that makes it easier to continue learning once the course is completed. While the pacing is fast during classes, having only 2 classes a week allows for individual practice later on; I don't think I would have gotten as much out of the course if it had not included the amount of content that it did. Instructors are friendly, flexible, and there are numerous options for office hours. The office hours are where I was really able to solidify my learning. For this course I would recommend that you have a second monitor, it was difficult to complete the later stages of the course without one, but it was not impossible. Since the course is available across the USA it's important to consider time zones as well (the class was help 9-11PM, Monday and Wednesday for me.) Again this was challenging but I believe it was worth it. For anyone looking for a structured way to upskill while working full time, this class is a very good option.
The background provided in this course will give you the ability to learn more on your own, which I have done. If the program was longer, I would have liked to learn window functions as part of the SQL unit. While I now have some projects in my portfolio, I still do not feel like I know enough to apply for jobs--five years ago it would have been different, but the job market is difficult right now due to COVID. I have heard the immersive courses at GA also have support for resume building, interview practice etc, but I'm not able to afford that at this time. -
Richard Noguchi
UX Design
Certification course for UX Design for General Assembly. -
Hannah
Great for beginning coders
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I chose General Assembly because they started teaching coding from scratch - that is, without the intimidating lingo or skipping basic steps. The team at GA is not only great at teaching how to code, but also very cognizant of student's work-life balance and mental health. Each student was taken care of and not left behind if they were struggling. The program is fast-paced and challenging, but I felt supported along every step of the way. The best part of General Assembly, for me, was the Outcomes program. I wouldn't have been able to find such a great job so quickly without the help of General Assembly Outcomes. GA really cares about taking care of their students and helping find a new career path post-bootcamp. -
Molly Haughey
Great Overall Experience
General Assembly's Software Engineering Intensive program is geared toward getting students jobs, from its carefully-designed curriculum to its rigorous and thorough Outcomes support. I do wish we had learned more OOP languages, or more languages that employers are looking for in the Boston area, like Python and Java. -
Oendrila Das
UX Design Bootcamp
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This Bootcamp covers a lot of material within the three months which pushes individuals to rise to the challenges (PS, if you are looking for something light paced, this is not the Bootcamp for you, it requires time, dedication and most of your attention) What I loved about the GA UX Bootcamp was that it's very project-based so you keep learning and directly applying that knowledge to create potential solutions. There are a total of five projects covered and three of them are fully team-based, permitting you to learn to work with others and feed off each other's skills. The projects span from website heuristic evaluation, information architecture redesign, Android & iOS app design, and responsive websites and the tools you learn to design on are mainly industry used (Figma, Sketch and Invision although we mostly worked on Figma and had a class for the other two). The instructors and TAs are really amazing, as they help you every step of the way, especially if you ask a lot of questions (which they love lol) and the job assistance has been quite helpful so far, although I face external challenges being an international student. After the course, you definitely feel like a Junior UX Designer and have the tools to apply and consistently improve on your skills. -
Andy Chan
High Quality Instructor and Solid Methodology
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My experience with GA has been nothing but awesome. My instructor has a solid background in Math and Statistics, he is able to explain abstract concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. Importantly, the curriculum is challenging but manageable, even for people who have almost zero experience with Python programming. They have multiple projects to immediately apply what you have learned, which was really helpful in "locking" it inside your memory.
While looking for a job, graduating from GA definitely gave me an edge over other schools which also provide similar bootcamps. It pushes us to do challenging capstone projects which are relevant to our local context, which impressed the interviewers. -
Larry Roberts
General Assembly review
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Salutations everyone! I hope whoever’s reading this doing well. I’m a college student at The University of Louisville, located in Kentucky. I decided to take a class which offered a scholarship for my freshman year of college and this is one that offered one. I truly enjoyed this class, the instructors, my classmates, the Curriculum, all of it was quite an experience. In under 3-4 months, I learned how not only websites work, but how to create my own. Taking this class was indeed a challenge knowing I’ve never did anything like this, it took time and dedication but I’ve learned how to make websites, and even my own. I must thank off of my classmates, instructors and all the help that I’ve received sense. I can now say in under 5 months I’m able to create websites from scratch using JavaScript,CSS, and HTML. -
Bernardo Vianna
Great PM course
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Overall, I'm very satisfied with the experience I had with GA. Curriculum is covers well most important topics and students are encouraged to go deeper whenever they feel the need to. Instructors and assistants are great also, providing you support and challenging in a way to foster critical thinking. The 1-week intensive course is indeed intensive and requires 100% of full dedication for 6 days in a row - so be aware that if you want to make the most out of it, save the entire week exclusively for that. The only downside is in terms of price: the cost benefit (price vs high quality) is unbalanced and I think that taking LinkedIn learning courses and reading books can allow you reaching the same level (in more time and spending way less). So for you to think if doing this course is a short term benefit or it.
Thanks! -
Mustafa Hepekiz
Software Engineering Immersive
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I completed Software Engineering Immersive program in 3 months and after graduation I find a job by myself. Yes outcomes team helped to me about editing my resume and also personal portfolio page. But weird thing started after this. They added me to a outcomes channel after graduation to let me informed about new job opportunities. And also they told me that their outcomes support is lifetime support before start the program. But when I find a job by myself the kicked me out from that channel. I asked about the reason they said me that 'Because you got a job' I tried to explain that I can search for a better position by those job opportunities and also I find my job by myself they didn't find it. But they couldn't explain this to me. My spouse was thinking about to a program at GA, after this experience she decided to look for another bootcamp.
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Christian Walters
Software Engineering Immersive - Absolutely Worth Your Time and Money
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When I first attempted a run at coding and software engineering, I bounced off of it HARD. It was vague, overly complicated, I couldn’t see the real-world applications of what I was learning (despite knowing in the abstract that there were a ton), and was largely left to my own devices to try and figure it all out.
The SEI program at General Assembly was a world apart. Though more narrowly focused than a general coding course or comp-sci degree, we were shown all of the different parts we would be working with, how they fit together, and used what we learned to make smaller-scale versions of real-world applications.
I had the unenviable position of being right in the middle of my course when COVID hit and we had to transition on the spot from an in-person course to an online-only. Though less than ideal for my particular learning style, the classes were still handled admirably and taught as well as they could be for such a drastic shift for everyone involved. Since online-only versions of the courses already existed, the transition smoothed out in short order, and I am certain that the current online-only options are just as effective as any of the in-person courses.
The course is expensive, so finding a sponsor of some sort is ideal, but the loan program they partner with has incredible terms, the two standout features being a cap on the money you’ll owe (so no worries about paying it off for decades because of interest compounding on interest), and that you don’t start paying anything until you are employed AND earning more than a minimum annual threshold (about $40k when I signed up).
The only negative I really have to say is that while I understand that there’s some swapping out of instructors during the course for different specialists to instruct on their specialty, it can be a little jarring. Also, for full-stack development, authorization/authentication was something that I felt didn’t get quite the attention it needed, so that may be something to set aside for some independent study. -
sheetal
ms
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This is absolutely a wastage of time. This review is from my personal experience. They say that its for absolute beginners but at the same time , in the first week of the class, the instructor teaches you for 15 minutes and expects you to write a code in 30 seconds literally on slack. And if you are not actively writing or f=giving any answers , dont think that they are ok with that. They expect you to know everything , thinking that their way of teaching is world class however they teach so bad that you wont understand a thing. If you decide to pay upfront and didnt do one projcet on time , they will not tell you the consequences of not delivering on time the second time around infact they will keep you going and once you are half way through, they will have a meeting with you and will kick you out and will return you less than half of the amount that you paid. This school is absolutely a SCAM and I DO NOT recommend anyone wasting their time and money on this . They will not make things clear with you at all. They just find ways to kick you out. My review is 100% coming from my personal experience . -
Helen Cox
Software Engineering Immersive
A super cool program with real-life experiences and top-notch technology skills taught. It is a good fit for me. -
Marshal
Great Experience
The staff and quality of instruction was really great. I was really happy with the whole experience. I did kind of wish the course was maybe 2 weeks longer, but that's how it goes. Recommended. -
Genevieve
Well worth it!
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I had a great experience at General Assembly. My cohort was full of full time product managers who had just transitioned from the product owner role, international executives, and entrepreneurs. The content was thorough and engaging that helped me push myself and absorb information. I put in a lot of work to get everything done on time because we only had so much time in the day to cover a lot of content. However, it was truly an incredible experience and I am grateful to have learned from such wonderful instructors and people. -
Joshua Wong Eu Bing
Introduction to Python
Attended the 20 lesson bootcamp. Was fantastic. -
Denise Ketter
Data Analytics - PT - Online
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SQL, Excel and Tableau skills This is my second course with GA and it did not dissappoint. The instructors are knowledgeable and accessible. Both the instructor and TA were able to make time for you after hours for help. The materials covered, SQL, Excel, and Tableau, were all pertinent to the real world. The online class experience was engaging and the ability to be broken into rooms to work together was great. BOTTOMLINE: The class was worth the money, the instructors were approachable and the company is professional and responsive to your needs. Will definitely consider taking another course with them! -
Matthew Coalson
Waste of Time
The course seemed great when I was taking it, but it doesn't get you a job. 4 months of networking and job applications, and not a single interview. -
Molly
I do not recommend GA
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I completed a UX course in 2019, and I wouldn't recommend GA UX immersive to anyone unless you just have free time and extra cash to spend. I'm writing this review for someone like I used to be, so they do not repeat my mistake.I'm not coming from a design background but I do have a college degree, customer experience, sales, and marketing experience for over 5 years.
What I liked: some teachers were interesting and smart, I enjoyed their personalities. WeWork space and free coffee perks. And this is about it. I would love to say I liked my fellow students, but because we were competition most of them were cold, selfish, and aggressive.
While I'm grateful to my teachers for what they were able to expose me to, I have to be honest by leaving this review. If I had read an honest review I would have never taken the boot camp.- The structure of the learning material is horrible. It is mostly presented in small slides with jokes that are articles you can find yourself online and lots of games, "exercises". Please spare yourself money and time and play with people by attending meetups. They barely teach you any tools you will need to become a UX designer but throw it on you and you have to "figure it out yourself". Practically no help.
- Too many students. I complained about it from the start when I was promised 15-18 people at max and ended up with 25. Imagine how impersonal it was. And while I appreciate the teaching strategy to listen to everyone who has questions, 25 students asking questions (and some of them are "that personality" of asking every dumb question they can think of) took most of the time out of the day.
- Coffee breaks every 1-2 hours that will take sometimes up to 30 mins means your day is basically a 4-5 hour-day. Let me say it this way, I spent money and quit my job to learn, not to enjoy coffee breaks. While I would love it as a kid at elementary school, as an adult that was unacceptable on how much "free time" we were given.
- Out of a 10-week course, the last 3 weeks are team projects, that I consider unfair, again, to pay money so I can have zero teachings but work on my own. That could have been after boot camp is over. Not enough knowledge to swim by only having 7 weeks to learn the profession.
- Career coach. While I enjoyed the personality of my career coach and think she is great, 15 mins each time just wasn't enough. Yes, 15 mins are all you get. The first 5 mins remind her about who you are and what you are trying to achieve and the 10 mins left are just a joke. We only had 2 coaches, not enough.
- No opportunities or assistance provided. Took me 7 months to get my job, and I never had even 1 interview opportunity from GA. All the mixers, career fairs, etc. have barely any employers that are hiring. It's a joke really, so many alumni and no job opportunities whatsoever. Same as their online job hunting channel - there are barely any jobs posted, only spam and sometimes they just copy links from LinkedIn that are visible for anyone.
- They will tell you to "Network" - their favorite word because they know you can't get a job with your skills because you barely have any. Honestly, I was embarrassed after a couple of meetups with real professionals tired of "vulture" boot campers trying to have a coffee date with them to get a job. This is pathetic. No one will "give" you a job unless it's your friend or family.
- Too expensive. For so many students in the same room, you can hire a personal tutor that will give you much more knowledge. Think about it! They don't teach you anything about the latest technologies that you can't find online.
- When I graduated and I continued learning on my own for 7 months and I finally got my first paid project. I realized that I was not taught anything that is very important nowadays like responsive design, ADA compliance, how to work with developers, and technical tools that are vital to successfully performing a job.
- Portfolio. Yes, they promise you will have 3 projects in your portfolio that will help you to find a job. Guess what - 25 students will have almost the same portfolio and will be at the same time on the market along with at least half the students from the previous class hunting with the same techniques. You will look like another newbie for recruiters and now there are too many of them. Also, they don't help you with portfolio, they only show you other people's portfolios and you will only have 1 project when you graduate, so everything else will happen after.
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Brandon Mansur
Product Management Introduction
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I took the 10 week, part-time Product Management course in Washington, DC. I enjoyed the course content and engagement from the instructor on the themes and content provided with the course. I think this course gives students from a variety of professional backgrounds, technical and non-technical, the content necessary to figure out a way forward with a career in product management with topics on how to define a product idea, market research, setting objectives, understanding feature development and prioritization, etc.
I truly recommend this General Assembly course offering, but I also encourage anyone taking the course to put in the effort to network with classmates, attend office hours with the instructor, and continue to read about the product management domain outside of the course in order to bolster the experience. -
Anon
Software Engineering to nowhere
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GA is pretty much a lie. They will show you statistics saying 95% of graduates get jobs 6 months after graduating, that might be true, but these jobs are not in tech. Only 2 of the 20 people in my course have coding jobs as far as I can tell and I stay in touch with 5 of my classmates.
Instruction was done more through zoom chat than in person (and this was pre-covid). Save your $14K and watch youtube videos, you'll be richer and better off.
The straw that broke the camel's back was the overall unavailability of my instructor during the last 3 weeks of the course. We were expected to make final projects for a teacher who WAS NOT THERE!! -
Ravina Jangra
Data Analytics Course Review at General Assembly (Boston) #LifeAtGA
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The part-time Data Analytics program at General Assembly gives students a deeper dive into data analytics using tools such as Excel, SQL, and Tableau.
I enrolled in the Data Analytics part-time course at General Assembly's Boston location. The instructor and TA were incredibly approachable, and the enrollment process was seamless. One qualm I had was the instructor could have had better public speaking skills; the instructor spoke very softly and did not seem confident at times in the subject matter. The TA did a better job, in my opinion, of presenting the information. The GA platform was also very easy to use, and I was able to access my coursework/projects with no issues. I also enjoyed having a Slack group to communicate with the instructor/TA and peers. This came in very handy when we were working on group projects. -
Claire
User Experience Design Immersive
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General Assembly was a great way to get your foot in the door in the UX world. I felt as though my class was extremely close and supportive. The environment itself was awesome, fast-paced, and innovative. However, be prepared to be job searching for a long time afterward. It is rare that my classmates have landed a job--even 4 months after the program. This is partly due to COVID-19, as well as some employers not understanding the value of GA education. I felt as though there could have been more emphasis on UI, networking, and creating case studies. The career coaching is awesome as well but you really have to be a self-starter and cannot rely on anyone to do the hard work for you. Most of my classmates have landed either internships or short term contract work--but every start is a good start! Overall, it was a really good experience and a really great way to meet other people wanting to get into UX. -
Aileen
Product Management bootcamp
I took the Product Management class in spring of 2019 at General Assembly's San Francisco campus. The course was comprehensive and the instructor was knowledgeable. I enjoyed being able to learn what I applied in class to a project that I completed and presented at the end of the course. Additionally, the GA SF campus facilities were incredible and the staff was very friendly. -
Sophonie Blanc
Digital Marketing
Great school, great environment to learn, great instructors and the process to apply was as easy as 123. The G.A staff are very supportive and informative. They make sure that you understand every step of the enrollment process and continue that support after completion. -
Taciane
Great Course + Nicest Instructors
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I really enjoyed each stage of the Product Management Course (Part-time) I completed in Sydney. I'm very happy with the outcome and all the content presented since how to define a product idea, validation, find customers and competitors until we already push it to the marketplace, besides that the class about how to get a job and how to improve the resume + understand job titles + salary etc was very valuable.
I truly recommend GA and likely will come back for a new course. -
Michael
Intense Immersive – Totally Worth It
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I have almost 10 years of full-time design experience, but I wanted to make sure I was going to be successful in my move to user experience design. For me, there was some information I already knew but there was a lot of new content, which is what I expected. The new content flowed like water from a fire hose and the days were long, but what can you expect from an "immersive boot camp" after all? The new software was really easy for me to pick up, but if you aren't quick to pick up new design software or haven't used any design software before, you may have more of a learning curve.
I looked at several boot camp options, including General Assembly, Bloc.io, CareerFoundary, and a boot camp the turns out to just partner with big-name schools (but doesn't actually have any connection to the schools or the alumni networks). I investigated them myself and interviewed people in my LinkedIn network who had done one of them. I decided on General Assembly because of the success that their graduates had versus the other boot camp graduates. I recommend doing your research and deciding based on that, but if you want to work with other people in hands-on teams (outside of COVID-19) I can't recommend General Assembly enough.
There are definitely cost differences, but I wasn't willing to spend a big chunk of money, even if it was less than GA, if the content and results weren't going to be worth it. $5,000 might seem like a safer bet, but if it turns out to be a waste of time, it is also a waste of $5,000.
No matter what you choose, it is on you to make the most of it. Don't just phone it in. You need to commit the time and effort—you get what you give to the course. It will be hard work but it will also be worth it. -
Cristen Johnson
Online Nightmare
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I took this course from June to August of last year. I received my certificate of what I assumed to be a somewhat challenging but realistic journey to employment. Professor Kiri and Victor were great! They've been available for critiques and references. I have no issues with them at all; however, I do not take the online course with the expectations of getting hired after. I came from a completely different industry (which they encourage), but I was not expecting it to be like this. In the Immersive program, the professors have time to go over what to expect on your application journey. Online...we covered what to expect after class was over for about 30 minutes. They do not tell you what to look add to your portfolio, nor do they help you find jobs. I was also told that I would be notified of different groups in my area for UX. I was not. I know I sound like a bitter person, in which I would agree, but please be aware of this when you agree to do the online program. I have responsibilities as an adult, so I cannot just quit my job to move to a completely different city. If I had family there, then maybe, but this experience after completing the course has been brutal and very discouraging, to say the least. Very dissatisfied bt this whole experience. If I could get a refund...I would! DO NOT GO FOR THE SHORTER COURSES! Take your time, do the 6+ months. -
Ethan Strominger
Software Engineer
Everything was great about this course. Instructors were knowledgable. Curricula and structure were brilliant. The experience led to deep bonds between myself and others. I have been in the industry for 20 years and decided to brush up my skills. I learned a ton. -
JenniferM
UX Designer
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I absolutely made the best decision to join General Assembly's UXDI immersive, in person, 10 week course. I entertained a handful of coding bootcamps over the year, and everything seamlessly fell into place when I decided on the UX path. The admin were extremely helpful & transparent during the onboarding process. My instructor was beyond incredible. He had energy, enthusiasm and honesty throughout the course. This is a tough course in terms of hours and dedication needed. The staff was clear about this, and offered lots of support to get everyone through the course. I couldn't wait to come to class everyday and was excited to mingle with the other cohorts and build relationships with the data scientists and developers ( I highly recommend this). I will miss being at GA every day, but I am well prepared for the future. Outcomes was amazing as well. Our instructor prepared us to present ourselves in an authentic way and prepped us well for interviews. GA also provided plenty of social events and industry specific meetups. -
S
Software Engineering Immersive
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Fantastic program. Make sure you do your research before coming into he program, though - we had some classmates who thought the curriculum would get more into data science and cyber security, which is definitely not the purpose of this program. That being said, if you're looking to get experience (using templates) in front end web development and designing api's, this is an excellent course. It's important to remember that, at the end of the program, you're not supposed to be a programming hero - you are going from 0 to 1, and you're at a place where you are teachable and attractive for an entry-level, junior developer position.
That all said, the community at GA is super tight. The instructors are driven, the staff is warm and reliable, and the job-seeking support is unreal. I really enjoyed my time, felt like I learned not just a set of skills but also how to openly approach new problems and languages, and got my money's-worth in terms of being prepared to enter the workforce after the class. I really can't speak highly enough about the staff and instructors. Be prepared to drink some community kool-aid, but if you can embrace the validation-forward atmosphere, it'll be a phenomenal experience. -
Bibek
SEI
The GA syllabus is through and keenly focused on the needs to the modern software engineer industry. The instructors are knowledgable and have a wealth of expertise. But the program also works hard to build a supportive community between and among its students and staff that helped me unlock my potential to a far greater degree. -
Vicky R.
I really loved it!
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I am so glad that I decided to go to GA as a newcomer to coding. Not only did I learn a lot about web development, but I also built a really good foundation to learn more about coding. It's definitely not easy, and you're going to live and breathe code for 3 months, but it's well worth it.
My favorite aspect of GA is definitely the community. There's a strong network of GA grads/staff/students in Boston, and they're all genuinely supportive of you as a person. Even now, when I've graduated GA, I still get to go into the space and do work and drink free coffee (always a plus :)
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Heidi Austin
UXDI
The GA UXDI program was a project based, full time experiene. I was immersied in the world of UX with great instructors that organized projects for students with Boston based clients. Thorughout the program I was connected witha career coach who has supported me throughout the job search post-graduation.
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A.T.
GA Data Science Immersive
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I attended the GA Data Science Immersive in London in 2019. I will of course only relate my experience at this particular GA course in London, and I have no experience as to how it is conducted elsewhere. First of all, I would like to state that I thoroughly enjoyed the course, and the instructor (Christoph) was fantastic. It suited my purposes well, and was what expected when I enrolled in it. That said, I can see why the course might not be for everyone given the not insignificant cost involved (fees and likely need to quit your job to attend the full-time program), which leads to my second point.
Second, the course in my view best suits two types of people: 1) those who are familiar with statistics through multivariate linear regression, or 2) those who are familiar with intermediate Python coding, for example "zip", "enumerate", basic OOP etc. The reason for this is because the intensive nature of the course means that it would be extremely challenging for a person with neither good statistics nor Python familiarity to take full advantage of what the course offers. You would not be "getting your money's worth" in that case, in my opinion.
The course is very intensive, with lectures and in-class exercises 9.00-12.30, then continuing through the afternoon 1.30-5.00pm. On top of this are four homework "projects" and one final "capstone project" over the 12-week period of the course. The participants are encouraged to help each other, and indeed this was my experience.
In terms of the content of the course, be aware that it is more geared towards the (Python) coding aspect of data science, than the statistics concepts/theory aspects. In that sense it is a very coding applied data science course. For those coming in with computer programming knowledge (as explained above), you would have the time/space to self-study to grasp the statistics aspects of the subjects covered.
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Rakesh B
Great course. you can walk away with some good learning straightaway
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Attended this course as a company sponsor. must say this was great, intense,practical and comprhensive.
liked the course structure, homeworks/exercises, team activities, course material and references and also the clack channel to communicate with fellow students/instructors or even alumni.
only thing i felt it was more a start-up/small scale oriented in a few instances. will be good hif there were more examples are from large size organisations scenarios.
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Mary Sadanowicz
UX Design Immersive was worth it
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I made the switch to product design after contemplating the career move for a couple years. I was nervous about making a change, and put it off until I exhausted all other options. I completed the full-time UX design immersive course because I wanted to get more formal training and experience in the field, in a short time frame.
Pros: GA stood out to me because of the timeframe (only 10 weeks!) and career coaching (which is amazing). I had also been to a few of their events and shorter bootcamps and enjoyed those. Having an in-person experience was important to me because UX design is so collaborative, you're working with tons of people and different teams, so an added bonus was the diversity of our class and learning how to work with a lot of different people. I think the class was super practical and hands-on, we started doing real UX work day 2. The main instructor was amazing, I don't think I would have had as much success if she wasn't the instructor.
Cons: I would have liked more focus on the engineering collaboration with design, since handing off and working with engineers is such a huge component of a UX or Product Designer's day-to-day. I think we did a pretty good job covering the basics and most important methods and tools, but in the short time frame we didn't get to develop a super large toolbox.
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Francis A DaCosta
My First GA Course
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First off, registration is relatively easy. Via email and eventually on a call with a counselor, unless there is a word they otherwise prefer, who was friendly, encouraging, and knowledgable. Further email communications were responsive and efficient enough.
Starting the course: I was a little nervous, since I hadn't done any real continuing education in quite a while, but from the first class I felt like had settled right in and would have a lot of fun learning again. Our instructor was (is!) smart, fun, energetic, and open to any and all interruptions and questions in the spirit of a reasonably free-flowing learning environment.
Overall, the material was organized and delivered at what I think was a proper pace: ideas building on previous lessons, never jumping too far ahead, and each new point related to the previous work. Round about the midway point I started to get overwhelmed, which is natural from time to time, and my instructor read that immediately and assured me that I was doing fine. In fact, we were reminded from the beginning that our learning would not necessarily be a linear thing and that was to be expected.
By the end, I'd met my stated goals for the 10 week bootcamp-style course and am happy with the results. I even made 5 new friends (it was a small class this time around!) and we got a lot done.
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Flora Ho
User design
staff was great especially teaching assistant. However, duration was too short.
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Peter Petrzala
General Assembly UXD Part-time Program
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I have been in graphic/visual design for 8+ years of my career. I know the ins and outs of it and I know I'm pretty good at it. However, I knew I wanted to pivot my career. I was tired of being a pixel pusher, and I wanted a bit of a change. UX really is the future, and so after a lot of conversations and preparation, I decided to register for the parttime UX Design course. It took place every Tuesday and Thursday evening, from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, for 3 months.
Luckily, I live in Midtown so the commute wasn't the worst, but traffic absolutely sucks when you're in a rush to go right after work. I work until 6 PM, so I definitely had to move it. Luckily, I was late maybe once the entire time. It was an easy commute otherwise.
The course itself was laid out very well. I will sincerely say, I enjoyed my experience with the General Assembly. I learned SO MANY new things over the three months, but it also allowed me to pinpoint areas in my career where I've already used UX principles without realizing it. You basically start from the very beginning of the process, all the way to the very end: problem statements, user interviews and personas, competitive analysis, user flows and sitemaps, wireframes, and prototypes. I would say 2/3 of the time, you're learning more about the UX research principles, and 1 month is dedicated more to the actual design process, such as wireframing and prototypes. One of the biggest benefits for me was learning how to take the data from interviews and user testing and actually apply it to my product. You learn that with UX design, the design strategies you start to implement, are data-driven and done for a reason, and not just because someone tells you to do it a certain way.
Our instructor was very well prepared and did a great job making sure we understood what she was teaching each evening. But she was more than just an instructor. She was our friend and our mentor. I lacked confidence and second-guessed my abilities, but she helped push and challenge me the entire time. In the end, she also pushed me to be more confident in my skills. She was definitely a driving factor to my excitement to take the course.
Be warned, the three months isn't easy. What I mean by that is it's a commitment. Some days you absolutely won't want to go to class, but you're paying to learn a wide range of skills that will benefit you in the long run. There were days that I had to drag myself to go. But I'm glad I did. I learned something new in every class. I also made some connections that I wouldn't have made otherwise.
The biggest and only real negative is that as a part-time student, you do not get help with job placement or networking. Sure, General Assembly looks great on your LinkedIn, but that's sort of the extent of what you get besides a completion certificate. If you're absolutely brand new to UX or design, and you're looking to make it your career after completion, I would actually recommend maybe considering the full-time immersive program. They give you far more portfolio pieces in the end (3 to 5 versus just 1 in the part-time), and they do their best to help with job placement. I was really lucky that as a graphic designer, I was able to tweak some of my work to speak to the UX of a given project. Others may not have been as lucky.
Costwise, it wasn't cheap either. The part-time program costs just under $4,000. They do offer some payment plans, which helped a lot. I don't think anyone can just drop that kind of money in one swoop. So it's not cheap, but I genuinely think you do get the value out of it.
Do I recommend the part-time program? Absolutely. If you have a job that you're not ready to give up yet, definitely consider the part-time course. I would not have learned as much as I did, or taken it as seriously if I had taken the online course. I, unfortunately, do not know anyone who has taken the online course, but I do know some who have taken the full-time course, and they got out of it exactly what they were wanting. I got out of the part-time course, exactly what I wanted too.