About
About
General Assembly offers short and long courses in web and mobile development, product management, data science and more, online and in-person, across 15 campuses in 4 continents. Focusing on the most relevant and in-demand skills across data, design, business, and technology, General Assembly is confronting a skills gap and providing access to opportunities in tech. General Assembly offers a breadth of different course offerings and classes range from full-time immersive courses for learners that want to switch to a new career, to part-time courses for learners that are looking to improve their career trajectory by acquiring a new skill set, and mentor-led online circuits for a more flexible way to acquire foundational skills.
To apply for an immersive bootcamp, applicants need to submit an online application, then connect with a General Assembly admissions representative who will evaluate whether the course is a fit for an applicant's experience and goals. Applicants then complete an admissions assessment to ensure they are prepared for the rigor of the curriculum. Once a student is accepted and has paid a down payment, their spot will be secured.
General Assembly career coaches work with students to create their career path, improve technical interview skills, and build a personal brand. Graduates can attend GA-hosted hiring events and meet hiring managers. The careers team partners with companies for course development and graduate placement and helps companies stay competitive in today's digital landscape. Additionally, General Assembly has made a commitment to affordable and accessible education combined with an education-to-employment approach that helps to create a diverse talent pipeline.
In addition to long-form course offerings, General Assembly courses are also available as short form bootcamps (1-2 day workshops) as well as evening and weekend classes.
Recent General Assembly Reviews: Rating 4.28
Recent General Assembly News
- How to Prepare for General Assembly Immersives
- Using a Workforce Development Grant to Pay for Coding Bootcamp
- September 2020 Coding Bootcamp News
Courses
Courses
Data Analysis On-Demand
ApplyStart Date None scheduled Cost $950 Class size N/A Location Online Get started with essential tools and strategies to make data-driven decisions. Enhance your job performance and work more effectively. Data Analysis On Demand is a flexible learning path that gives you a robust introduction to industry fundamentals. Skill up when you want, where you want on our dynamic online platform. Expert mentors keep you motivated with guidance and feedback in convenient 1:1 sessions. Build a strong foundation in Excel and SQL while honing techniques like cleaning data, framing questions, and data visualization. Apply new skills to work or passion projects as you go!Financing
Deposit N/A Tuition Plans N/A Scholarship N/A Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Placement Test No Interview No
Data Analytics (Part-Time)
ApplyStart Date None scheduled Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 3 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Data Science Immersive
ApplyMySQL, Data Science, Git, Data Visualization, Hadoop, Spark, Data Analytics , Algorithms, Business Intelligence, SQL, Python, Machine Learning
In PersonFull Time40 Hours/week12 WeeksStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $15,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Your best course for career transformation. This full-time data science bootcamp features expert instruction, one-on-one career coaching, and connections to top employers to get you hired. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit 250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize. Income Share Agreements are available through Vemo.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Basic SQL query knowledge/scripting and familiarity with Python required. Strong familiarity with math and descriptive statistics required. 2-5 years of experience as an analyst is ideal. Prep Work 40 Hours Placement Test Yes Interview Yes
Data Science (Part Time)
ApplyData Science, Git, Data Visualization, Data Analytics , Algorithms, Business Intelligence, Python
In PersonPart Time6 Hours/week10 WeeksStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Create robust predictive models with statistics and Python programming. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex machine learning problems on the job. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Familiarity with math and statistics and Python syntax/programming fundamentals is required. Prep Work 15 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Digital Marketing On-Demand
ApplyStart Date None scheduled Cost $950 Class size N/A Location Online Get started launching multi-channel brand, acquisition, and retention campaigns. Enhance your job performance or indulge your creative curiosity. Digital Marketing On Demand is a fun, flexible learning path that gives you a robust introduction to digital marketing fundamentals. Skill up when you want, where you want on our dynamic online platform. Expert mentors keep you motivated with guidance and feedback in convenient 1:1 sessions. Hone techniques in segmentation, customer insight, CRM, analytics, automation, and more. Apply new skills to work or passion projects as you go!Financing
Deposit None Tuition Plans N/A Scholarship N/A Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Placement Test No Interview No
Digital Marketing (Part-time)
ApplyDigital Marketing, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Content Marketing
In PersonPart Time4 Hours/week10 WeeksStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 3 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Front-End Web Development (Part-Time)
ApplyHTML, Git, JavaScript, Design, User Experience Design, CSS, Front End, GitHub
In PersonPart Time6 Hours/week10 WeeksStart Date None scheduled Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Learn to leverage HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through hands-on projects and real-world scenarios. Develop interactive, responsive websites to impress new clients and employers with your coding skills and get ahead on the job. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 3 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
HTML, CSS & Web Design - On Demand
ApplyStart Date None scheduled Cost $1,250 Class size N/A Location Online This course enables students to create a well-designed site with the user in mind, and master the technical vocabulary to communicate ideas to designers and engineers. Students will learn how to quickly translate their ideas into functional, stylized websites for personal or business purposes using HTML, CSS, responsive web design and design fundamentals. This course is offered on a flexible schedule to suit your time commitment. You'll receive useful feedback from a mentor who has extensive professional and academic knowledge of the field. By the end of the program students will have built a full functioning website to use as part of a portfolio.Financing
Deposit N/A Financing N/ATuition Plans N/A Scholarship N/A Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Placement Test No Interview No
JavaScript Development (Part-time)
ApplyStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Gain fluency in JavaScript — the world's most popular programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build rich, interactive websites and applications. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 6 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Product Management (Part-time)
ApplyDesign, Sales, Product Management, User Experience Design, Agile
In PersonPart Time4 Hours/week10 WeeksStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Balance business viability, technical feasibility, and customer desire to lead products and features toward long-term success. Learn from a seasoned expert. This course is also offered in an online, virtual classroom setting. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 3 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Python Programming (Part-Time)
ApplyStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 4 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
React Development Online (Part-Time)
ApplyStart Date None scheduled Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Online Expand your JavaScript programming skills, and boost your profile at work — and on the job market. Learn to build sophisticated, scalable web applications. This course is offered only online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Prior experience with JavaScript. Prep Work 4 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Software Engineering Immersive
ApplyHTML, JavaScript, Django, Rails, CSS, React.js, Front End, Ruby, SQL, Python, GitHub
In PersonFull Time40 Hours/week12 WeeksStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $15,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Your best course for career transformation. Our award-winning coding bootcamp, dedicated career coaches, 19K+ hiring partners, and global expert network get grads hired at A-list companies. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit 250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize. Income Share Agreements are available through Vemo.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 40 Hours Placement Test Yes Interview Yes
Software Engineering Immersive - Flex
ApplyHTML, JavaScript, Django, Rails, CSS, Express.js, React.js, Node.js, Ruby, SQL, GitHub
OnlinePart Time18 Hours/week24 WeeksStart Date None scheduled Cost $14,950 Class size 22 Location Online Have it all. Keep your daytime commitments while transforming your career with evening and weekend training. Our award-winning program, expert instructors, dedicated career coaches, and 19K+ hiring partners get grads hired at A-list companies. This course is offered only in an online, virtual classroom setting using Zoom, Slack, and other tools.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 40 Hours Placement Test Yes Interview Yes
User Experience Design Immersive
ApplyStart Date None scheduled Cost $14,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Your best course for career transformation in design. This full-time UX bootcamp features expert instruction, one-on-one career coaching, and connections to top employers to get you hired. This course is offered in person and online, in a virtual classroom setting.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize. Income Share Agreements are available through Vemo.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 12 Hours Placement Test Yes Interview Yes
User Experience Design On-Demand
ApplyStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $950 Class size N/A Location Online Get started designing successful digital products that customers and audiences love. Enhance your job performance or indulge your creative curiosity. User Experience (UX) Design On Demand is a fun, flexible learning path that gives you a robust introduction to UX fundamentals. Skill up when you want, where you want on our dynamic online platform. Expert mentors keep you motivated with guidance and feedback in convenient 1:1 sessions. Hone techniques like prototyping, persona building, affinity mapping, wire-framing, and user research. Apply new skills to work or passion projects as you go!Financing
Deposit N/A Financing N/ATuition Plans N/A Scholarship N/A Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Placement Test No Interview No
User Experience Design (Part-Time)
ApplyStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $3,950 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Translate user wants and needs into intuitive digital experiences that power revenue, loyalty, and product success. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex design problems on the job. This course is offered on campus and online, in a virtual classroom setting using Slack, Zoom, and other tools.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 3 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Visual Design (Part-time)
ApplyStart Date Rolling Start Date Cost $2,800 Class size 22 Location Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, London, Washington, Online, Atlanta, Singapore, Melbourne, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Austin, Sydney, San Francisco Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web. This course is offered on campus and online in a virtual classroom setting using Slack, Zoom, and other tools.Financing
Deposit $250 Financing Financing options are available through Climb Credit and Meritize.Tuition Plans Payment Plans are offered by General Assembly. Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner Prep Work 3 Hours Placement Test No Interview Yes
Reviews
General Assembly Reviews
- A positive experience overall- 6/6/2018Rachel Robles • Analyst • Graduate • Course: Data Analytics (Part-time) • Campus: New York City • Verified via LinkedIn
GA put together an intensive Data Analytics course that went through Excel, SQL, and Tableau in depth, as well as constructing effective presentations based on insights from data. The projects are hands on and give you a good understanding of each data tool. I personally have a background in Excel, so that portion of the class was a little slow for me, but the rest of the course really made it worth my time. There is no requirement to have any knowledge of Excel walking into the course, which could be a good thing for some. I think Excel is easy to pick up from tutorials on the internet, so I wish we had spent a little less time learning the fundamentals in Excel and more time on Tableau. Besides that, the teaching was great and they give you whatever help you need. There are a lot of times where the technology is faulty and it disrupts class because the display disconnects, etc. but the teaching in general is very effective. I got a lot out of the course!
- UX Design Full-time Immersive- 6/6/2018Steven Winkelstein • UX Product Designer • Graduate • Course: User Experience Design Immersive • Campus: Denver • Verified via LinkedIn
Denver General Assembly is a smaller, newish GA campus. I believe they're also one of the highest performing in the country. The learning experience was phenomenal, but the culture and networking was above and beyond what I expected. I made lifelong friends and careerlong contacts during this course. Our instructors were outstanding – genuinely great people who had decades of industry experience and also great teaching skills. We still stay in touch.
Our curriculum was cutting edge, incorporating the latest technology and centuries old, tried and true design theories. Industry professionals were woven into our days for panels and talks. We also spent time building our portfolios, working with real clients, and preparing for the job hunt. I know we learned the latest and greatest because I wowed potential employers at all of my interviews with my portfolio.
I felt like I was really well prepared for my job search. While most of my cohort found jobs within a month, I took a little longer but fell within my estimate of around 3 months. Career coaching was a priority at GA, and our coach was there to provide support above and beyond, introducing us to channels, people, events, reviewing countless resumé updates, and keeping us in line!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COURSE!
- Alumna- 6/1/2018Chloe • UX/UI Designer • Graduate • Course: User Experience Design Immersive • Campus: Denver • Verified via LinkedIn
I was skeptical when I enrolled in General Assembly's UX Design Bootcamp. It's an expensive, for-profit, unaccredited educational institution. Those characteristics go against everything I'd been told to look for in an educational pursuit.
As a graduate, I cannot say enough good things about the program, and I am jealous of the cohort currently learning with our phenomenal instructors. The instructors are, without a doubt, the backbone of the course. Our Denver instructors were passionate, supportive, and wealths of knowledge. They not only taught us a tremendous amount but also connected us with the local community and introduced us to awesome organizations. I feel fully prepared entering the world as a *junior* UX designer. I'm eternally grateful to them and the GA staff.
All that being said, this is NOT a job placement program; you absolutely have to hustle to get your first job, and no one can or will do that work for you. Our career counselor gave us all of the tools to position us to be the best possible applicants out there (seriously, I feel like I'm a LinkedIn, Meetup, and applicant tracking system guru), but even so, the job search takes time (it can be many months) and starting salaries can be low. I think this is all completely reasonable, and I'd only ask that GA be very upfront about this truth.
For me, the course was worth it. I'm happier and more excited about my work and my job than I ever have been, and I'd take the course again in a heartbeat.
- GA UXDI London - Feedback- 5/17/2018Hugo N • UX Consultant • Graduate • Course: User Experience Design Immersive • Campus: London • Verified via LinkedIn
Great course. Got a paid internship / junior role within 2 months of finishing the course with a brilliant agency. The UXDI content is diverse and interesting, teaching staff are very engaged and just good all round people.
I now work in an environment I love with the best people I've ever worked with. Very expensive course but definitely worth it to leave behind a career that leaves you feeling meh.
The careers ('outcomes') team are absolutely brilliant. Just do what they say and be nice / keen and you can get a good gig afterwards.
One of the best things I've ever done. Thank you GA!
The caveats:
- really, really think twice (thrice?) about doing this if you have very young kids (unless you have full time childcare and/or a partner who doesn't want to see you for 3 solid months). You will work 6 full days a week, and some very late nights, and on day 7 you'll be braindead. This gets good results but can put a big strain on family life. That factor was my only big regret.
- cross your fingers for a good cohort. The people you train with have a big impact on how much you get out of the course
- the market for Juniors is pretty competitive so get ready to roll your sleeves up and be very proactive to get your first role.
- you will learn a lot in a short space of time, and yet not know very much when you come out compared to your colleagues if you work in a good agency. Don't expect to come out a pro. This is just the first step!
- GA UXD Feedback- 5/17/2018Dylan Tan • Digital Lead Product Design UI/UX • Student • Course: User Experience Design Immersive • Campus: Singapore • Verified via LinkedIn
GA in UXD provides me in-depth learning and best practices in UXD industry particular in design thinking and design process. My practitioner, Alvin Loh is helpful and answer all our questions as details as possible. As of now, I can be very sure I'm better prepared when I'm conducting UX process or workshop.
- The best choice for learning web dev- 5/6/2018Brandon Sears • Graduate • Course: Web Development Immersive • Campus: Washington • Verified via LinkedIn
I want to start by saying I am only 18. Most of the people I see attend this are in their 20s but don't feel like being younger than everyone will stop you if you are considering coming to GA after high school.
The course is fast paced and you have to put in the time and effort if you want to succeed. You may not have a whole lot of time during the weeks for the duration of the course so it's really a committment. I think the fast paced is perfect for learning, especially for web development. You need to be able to learn on your own as a developer and the course really encourages you to do that.
- MIRIAM B ESPINOSA • Web Developer • Graduate • Course: Web Development Immersive • Campus: Sydney • Verified via LinkedIn
I highly recommend GA for Web Development Immersive course for the people that want to do a career change into web development in a short period of time.
I have to say that the best way to do this course is by totally committing to it, giving up most of your weekends to get most out of it.
Joel teacher wast the best teacher I ever had. He had extensive knowledge in this field and was very lucky to have him as an instructor, same with the teacher assistants, they were extra helpful .
Also Lucy was super helpful with helping what to do after GA, and I really thank her for all her effort she put to help us all in having the job we wanted.
Joining GA was one of the best decisions in my life. I could not say anything bad about the whole experience, plus the new campus is great!!!
- Amazing Course- 5/3/2018Vasudha Singh • Web Designer • Graduate • Course: User Experience Design On-Demand • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedIn
I started my career in design being an engineer. I always lack details on UX terms and process. I compared many courses available online and found some great feedback online. The syllabus was exactly what I wanted to learn. I decided to go ahead with this. It was one of the best decision I made to opt for this course. I have learned the whole UX process. This gonna help me in my career for sure.
- Good Program - Better Community- 5/2/2018
That course is like a guide to the new field. If you want to became really Data Scientist, you have to get more knowlodge beyond that course. Anyway they have very good instructors and community. Thanks.
- Awesome Part-Time UX Course!!- 5/2/2018Shelby • Industrial Designer • Graduate • Course: User Experience Design (Part-Time) • Campus: Atlanta • Verified via LinkedIn
General Assembly is a great school for expanding your skillset. I was sponsored by my work to take the part-time UX course. I apply things I learned in my UX course at work and in life daily. Taking this course has truly influenced the way I think about design and approach problems. The classes are always interesting. I was never bored in class and I always felt that the material was relevant.
There were two main negatives to taking the part-time course. The first is that you don't receive direct job assistance from General Assembly like the full time course does. The second is that it can feel like there isn't enough class time to do activities or dive deeply into topics.
That being said, I loved the course and am thankful I had the opportunity to take it!
- Great BUT...- 5/2/2018Jacqueline Estrada • Junior Project Manager • Graduate • Course: Web Development Immersive • Campus: Los Angeles • Verified via LinkedIn
The quality of the curriculum, instructors, job support, and facilities we're great. The instructors were great as well. Only issue I would have is that the ciriculum was TOO fast paced for me personally. Would have loved to seen a slower paced ciriculum offered.
This was a blog post I wrote in 2015 about my experience at GA that I still this is relevant.
This was a really good experience for me. My situation is not going to be like everyone else’s, so let me give you the low down on why, for me, it was a good fit.
If you don’t feel like reading this epistle, skip to the bottom and read the section on “What to expect if you are thinking…”
I’ve been learning HTML and CSS off and on over the past six years. I bought books and read them. Did online tutorials. Had friends and co-workers walk me through the basics of HTML and CSS. I cannot tell you how many times I have created the “Hello World!” page. I have learned a bit over the years, but not enough to be considered dangerous by any stretch of the imagination.
I’m currently working at FamilySearch as a UX/UI designer. Been there for a little over two and a half years, and during that time our webDev team put together a skills building program. A set of requirements that demonstrates understanding, application, and proficiency of core HTML, CSS and JS principles. Developed for our webDevs, our UX El Jefe challenged the designers to get certified in a different discipline in order to have a more well-rounded understanding of how our designs are implemented in the code.
I cannot emphasize this enough: to learn how to code has been one of the best career decisions I have ever made.
“The more we know how the web works, the better we can design for it. A painter knows paint. A sculptor knows clay or marble. Musicians understand acoustics, feedback, mics, guitars, pianos, etc. There’s a technical aspect to every medium. The better a designer understands the technical aspects of their craft, the better their designs.”
–Tom DeForest, UX Heros: John Dilworth
Enter General Assembly
I did my homework and developed my own objectives as aligned with FamilySearch’s goals towards certification. Then I contacted General Assembly (GA) and told them I was interested in their program. Based on my prior learnings…if you could even call them that, I felt like I had enough background in HTML/CSS to make the course do-able and help me get certified. I received the course outline for GA’s FEWD program and ran it past my webDev managers. They thought it was a solid curriculum and gave it their blessing.
My FEWD class was taught by two developers; the course instructor is a professional in the web development community, and the TA is a recent graduate from the General Assembly Web Development Immersive program. My class was 10-weeks long and held on Saturdays from 10–5 at their Santa Monica LA campus. Class size was about 30–35 students.
I was really happy with the course. The highlights for me were: learning and understanding the HTML/CSS/JS syntax and document structure; responsive design and utilizing media queries; some Bootstrap and how to use the responsive framework; how to talk to my devs and use their terminology when communicating my designs. This one sounds a little funny, but it’s true: learning how to ask Google. Google will tell you anything you want it to, as long as you know how to ask correctly. If I have questions about code, syntax, structure, etc. I now know how to ask. Creating WordPress themes. This was a bonus. We built a custom theme in class based on a previous homework assignment. I was even able to turn my final project into a WordPress theme based on that class.
To graduate from the FEWD program there were essentially two requirements: attend 80% of the classes, and build a site that demonstrated what we learned. GA wanted us to build a multiple page site with linking pages, and use of HTML/CSS/JS.
Coding is a language. If you’re not going to use it, you’re going to lose it. Stay on top of it. Also, learn to jump in and figure it out.
What to expect if you are thinking about taking this class:
If you want to get the most out of this course, code. Then code some more. The best way to learn is repetition. I probably spent an additional 10–15 hours per week outside of class time coding. I did my homework. Deleted it. And did it again. The course is expensive. Get everything you can out of it.
The course is designed to increase your skill set, not to get you a job as a developer. If you are looking to change careers, this is not that kind of course. You will want the Web Development Immersive course or something similar.
You are not going to learn how to design for the web. You are going to learn how to code.
The lessons are structured as high-level primers with code-a-longs. The instructors expect you to take the initiative and learn to delve deeper on your own. Instructors are always available for questions and help.
I wish the instructors talked more about best practices and correct principles and guidelines.
The course seemed to cater to the people who were struggling with coding concepts. It slowed the overall pace of the class.
Make use of lab time and the instructors’ office hours. Their time is invaluable. Use it.
There are always events going on at the Santa Monica campus. For the most part, it was fine, but sometimes it got really annoying and distracting. GA needs a building better suited for the number of classes, lectures, and seminars at that location.
I wish we spent more time on vanilla JavaScript, but I think they could have spent the whole ten weeks just on this.
Free snacks and candy.
Great networking opportunities with classmates and instructors.
Access to GA Front Row, lectures and seminars.
Suggestions for General Assembly:
Expand the FEWD curriculum. If I was running GA, that’s what I would do. You can thank me later.FEWD 101
Utilize the current part-time FEWD curriculum. Overview and application of HTML and CSS with an intro in JS.FEWD 201
Full vanilla JavaScript class. Understanding the DOM and DOM manipulation. JS libraries and how they work and integrate with your site. A little bit of jQuery with an intro in Angular JS.FEWD 301
Getting comfortable with the command line. Using git and github and understanding version control. Scaffolding and frameworks. Drill down on all or few of these (Node JS, Angular JS, Express JS, Node Package Manager (npm), Bower, Grunt, Gulp, Yeoman, Web Starter Kit.) And finally, testing. You could work with companies that have hired GA WDI alums and adjust the program as needed.Hope this helps.
Outcomes
General Assembly Outcomes
* These outcomes are not audited by Course Report. In some cases, data is audited by a third party.
Graduation Rate
Employed
Median Salary
Of the students who enroll at General Assembly, 86% graduated. 72% of graduates were job-seeking and 100% of job-seeking graduates found in-field employment after 180 days and report a median income of . Below is the 180 Day Employment Breakdown for 2653 graduates included in this report:
