General Assembly

I attended this bootcamp as part of the Adobe Digital Academy program, and this bootcamp proved valuable. I came in with hopes on brushing up my react knowledge, since I was a very beginner. The instructor, Kareem, was superb, and I came out feeling a lot more confident. I am now doing an internship at Adobe using React, and the projects and the lessons I learned were all very applicable. I just wish we could have gone over more React concepts such as Redux or Hooks. I also would have preferred learning Python/Django as the back end over Ruby on rails. 

IN SHORT: Don't take online javascript at General Assembly. You won't gain the skills needed to be competitive in the coding industry. As a middle school teacher I know what good learning looks like, and this online class is simply not doing enough.
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I was let go from my teaching job during the recession and was desperately looking to provide for my family. I've always dabbled in programming so I decided to go that direction. After researching for a course I could afford I signed up for general assembly javascript online (b/c coronavirus).

The first class was spent installing everything and getting github working. I was using windows and the teacher had never taught a student on windows before, so he couldn't help me get everything started and pointed me in the direction of articles that should help me. They didn't. I had to figure out how to emulate the unix termainal on my system all by meself, and then distribute the information to the other underserved windows users. Though this was just the first class, I didn't want to rush to conclusions. I mean, we were only installing stuff, it must get better.

Next class we took an hour to learn js arithmatic commands. An hour. I had already taught myself a decent amount of javascript and I knew it didn't take that long to learn a simple skill like this. When I talked to my advisor they said that this course was for absolute beginners and was going to move extremely slow. Unfortuneately they didn't mention this before the class started. Because of this and the underwhelming teaching of the second lesson I decided to withdrawl. Little did I know that because I had participated in the first class (the one that was just installing everything) I had forfieted the right to a full refund and General Assembly was going to walk away with a cool $400 of my money. My family's money. In the middle of a recession. For teaching me literally nothing.

This is a company like any other and they will take your money if they can sell you the product. If you are able to learn on your own, do it. If you can afford to do a in-person intensive $16k class, do it. Though don't do this middling bs online course. You will regret it.

I did the GA Data Science Immersive course in September 2019.
It was a complete career change, having spent 7 years in payroll and accounts payable, I was able to switch to a career in data. I am now a Data Engineer so I got the best outcome I could have wished for. 
The facilities at GA Sydney are great, so many new people to meet with regular social events. There is a sparkling shared kitchen and work space areas. The staff are great.
I think the curriculum needs to include more SQL as there is such a high demand for it in the market at the moment. 
The job assistance program is also awesome and tailored individually.
If you do an immersive course I would recommend committing 100% to it, study hard, go to lots of meet ups and do lots of pre-work and you are on to a winner!

For the 3 years leading up to taking General Assembly's UX Design Immersive, I had been struggling to find the right career path for me, and I was searching for something that would help me upskill and make myself marketable as a job applicant. Prior to this program I had paid $1000s to career coaches, trying to get help with my resume and applying to jobs as project managers, but the results were lack-luster. 

Then in October 2019, I looked at GA's UX program again, I compared it with other competitive programs in NYC for UX, and ultimately, I went with GA because of how long they've been doing this program, the price, the length of the program, and the career support. I'm 1 month out of the program, and as I am hustling in my career search at the moment, made extra difficult thanks to COVID, I have to say that GA prepared me so well for this hustle and for being a competitive candidate in the field. My resume, LinkedIn, and Portfolio site are all high quality and hit all the points that I've heard Recruiters and Hiring Managers talk about looking for in several career search panels I've visited since. 

Our instructors were so knowledgeable, very approachable, and they created one of the best learning environments I've ever been in. If only college had been this fun. Also, GA creates a very high standard for creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, which I really appreciated. 

I'd highly recommend this course to anyone considering making a career switch into UX. 

I really enjoyed the experience of completing the UXD Immersive at General Assembly in downtown LA. I truly believe that the education I received there and the experience that I gained is worth every penny spent to make it happen. A month and some change later, I'm still job hunting (amidst a global pandemic) and I'm very well supported by the Outcomes team in staying focused and continuing to apply for jobs-- it's just not a great time to be out of work and seeking. I am glad that I took this course and will use the tools and methods I learned there throughout my career. 

February 6, 2020
I quit the program in the last two weeks due to finding a job and poor execution by Management.  Our instructor changed three times and we had not one class on algorithms or Big-O notation, reasons I took the course.  They did not respond to my letter until after three emails.  

LETTER BELOW
PlusesFirst we’ll start with the positives from the physical to the logical and qualitative.
LocationThe GA campus in DC is clean, serviceable and well stocked with excellent Frontlines support.  I would give it as near as 100% as possible.  Classrooms always have working projectors, enough seats and whiteboards.  Coffee, Peanut Butter and Jelly and tea bags are always plentiful.
OutcomesThe outcomes team gives the students most of the skills I learned in this industry at dozens of customers and clients over 20 plus years.  As much as the students complained about the long sessions to me, those that follow its rigors will secure a position quickly.
CurriculaThe curricula as defined in the GA SEI Syllabus compares well with Flatiron, CodingDojo, Trilogy and others.
InstructionAll lead instructors seemed knowledgeable of the material covered.  All instructors were approachable and inviting of the material.
DeliveryThe Google calendar was updated weekly with relatively accurate material to be presented and learned.  Labs and software functioned as expected.  Installfest saved the students trouble that they will quickly learn in the field.  Compatibility and libraries are key from development to deployment.MinusesNow, some constructive guidance
LocationThose stairs are extremely steep and elevator access restricted.   Heat in these historical buildings often has trouble on those frosty days.  This one is no different, a space heater or two might help if compliant ones are available.
OutcomesOnly one thing I might recommend here are interview dry runs.  We had one or two examples of interviews, and I imagine hiring panel next week will be equally excellent.  But as mentioned below, practice, practice practice!  All candidates I have ever met benefit from practicing the interview questions and the discomfort.  I mentor all of my charges in this area.  We even do professional development sessions on it.
CurriculaThe curricula was not taught completely.  For example, one of the reasons, that I, an experienced Engineer chose GA were the Algorithms and Data Structures courses as shown in the screenshots below. These courses were not available until after the course opened and even worse were never addressed.  This pattern of missing core material as we moved forward forms part of the basis for my letter and departure.
InstructionOur lead instructor changed three times.  None of them covered all of the material separately or together.  For new students this gap will carry over into their new careers.  Although I mentioned this before and in tickets, it has not been addressed adequately.  It cannot be rectified at this late stage.  
DeliveryFurthermore there was often a lack of respect for the difficulties that the students faced.  Comments such as the students are “lazy,” “do not want to work,” or “do not like to read have been heard.”  While I encourage constructive criticism it must be backed by instructional excellence.
Instructional ExcellenceAlthough very personable as a whole the instructional style was far too loose to give new students the comfort they need in this difficult, challenging and dynamic field.  Like sport and music, training for novices is about learning patterns and executing them repeatedly and in combination.  As the student grows, these patterns or katas inspire the artists to create their own symphonies.
Not enough structure was provided for training the students muscle or neurological pathways to allow for confident improvisation.  This is my number one guidance.  When teaching new material it is vital that it is taught, demonstrated, practiced and reviewed.  Although much of the material had this character, it has not been consistent enough to train the students.  

 On my final day I was directly criticized for the instructional failures of this cohort.  I was told that I was pushing and telling the students what to do when in reality all that I did was:

1. Describe the concept.
2. Demonstrate the concept.
3. Allow the students to choose issues to tackle.
4. Reviewed them as a whole.

The instructor who arrived later to try to guide us was disrespectful to me and to the classroom in his behavior.  
Summary

I chose GA over the alternatives for several reasons.  First, the curriculum met most of the baselines of each of the other bootcamps in the area, although it was slightly pricier, the vibe and location seemed worth it.  I was 100% accurate on the location and vibe, you are a warm and welcoming team that open your hearts to all students.
Please structure the courses more.  I mentioned this in my ongoing tickets and this letter.  One of the lead instructors offers great answer and respond format.  He sometimes made the students uncomfortable, yet it was the type of discomfort of growth rather than pain.  Consistent training of your junior and lead instructors will ensure that the student learn the patterns better and all material is covered.
Overall I have learned much from this program.  I attended to have a structure and milestones to meet in an immersive format.  This need was met.  I am glad that I took this program, but I wonder if the Trilogy program might be more structured.  Regardless, I thank you for this opportunity and look forward to seeing any of you in the field.
Sincerely,Gouthum Karadi

I took General Assembly with the intent to make a career pivot into the tech industry by thinking I was going to learn the tools to become a software engineer.  I ended up getting a role in Web Development. However, it was me, and mostly me, that set my path for this role.  General Assembly just provided a base. 

I had learned a whole lot throughout this boot camp, that is for sure. But, we have to understand that people are paying up to 22K (through the catalyst program) to take this course for their life objectives. Not only is this is a massive financial commitment, it is a time commitment, and most importantly it is an emotional commitment. As the aspects of money and time are self explanatory, the emotional commitment might be the biggest one as the job search afterwards is by far the toughest task.

Let's really take a step back here and think. Please understand this before you take ANY coding bootcamp. 

12 weeks does not make a software engineer. I repeat. 12 weeks does not make a software engineer or a web developer or even a junior level developer. The reality is, General Assembly is a for profit school and they'll do everything in their power to get students to pay money and take their courses.

I want to reiterate that I learned a lot. But, I quickly realized that this program is more worth it for people who have coding experience already and want to expand their skills and not for someone who wants to make a career transition into programming. I say this despite the program being advertised as this one way ticket to becoming a software engineer who will make six figures right off the bat. 

The fact is: the curriculum brushes over fundamental computer science concepts that normally go a long way in the coding interviews and only touch base on several technologies rather than going in depth with them. This makes sense because you really only have 12 weeks to "become as software engineer" yet, I thought that some things could have been excluded from the curriculum so us students could be further educated on important topics.

As for the instructors. Oh geez. They were great people but, dang do I felt like I really got ripped off on this aspect of the bootcamp. My cohort had two assistant teachers who took the course previously but have never had any professional development experience. But what was even more frustrating was that our global instructor, who was on a screen teaching multiple courses as at time, did not have any professional experience either! I would also ask him about certain advanced topics but he failed to guide me in them and ultimately was discouraging! It was such a joke that these instructors were so unqualified for their positions when students are putting in their souls into creating this professional transition. I almost felt cheated. Remember, as a student it's easy for someone to look good compared to you but in the end, it'll all unfold.

Lastly, General Assembly is praised for their outcomes/job assistance. But to be straight up, our career coaches did not help much. I even heard of other students from the other programs complaining about their career coach not being responsive until a student got a job! Blasphemous. For all of you out there drooling at the fact that these bootcamps have "outcomes or job assistance", it really isn't too much help. A quick google search or a phone call from a friend will be a better choice for advice.

Ultimately, General Assembly provided me a launch pad to boost my skills in development. However, I cannot recommend this to anyone with the price that they are asking of their students.

I want everyone to understand this.

You get yourself a job. Not a coding bootcamp.

Good luck!

Prior to participating in this bootcamp I had just made a complex decision to career change from elementary teaching to software engineering. I had somehow made a large friend circle of software engineers who offered their support and advice as well as two career changing friends who had just completed the General Assembly Software Engineering Immersive. I had tried to teach myself coding multiple times over my teaching career and decided a bootcamp would be the best kick to really help me move forward.

GA Boston has some of the best folks ready to support and guide people. It was intense, and it pushed me in ways I hadn't been pushed in a while. We learned JavaScript, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, front-end to back-end development, and the Outcomes team (career coaching/job assistance) are incredibly supportive and knowledgable. I appreciated being able to schedule one on one time with the coaches and I felt like all the staff were really accessible and ready to help.

I was in a class of 18 people and felt very close with everyone. Even outside of the cohort I've connected with so many people throughout the alumni network. Overall I am glad for the experience and the network.

Enrolling in the SEI program at GA was the best decision I've ever made. The staff at GA are wonderful, and the instructors are super knowledgeable, and more importantly happy to help you with anything. I think anyone with a poor review of GA wasnt there for the right reasons, it's not high school or university, you dont have to be there, you chose to go. Those that make the most of the resources there are the ones that will be successful. There's a lot of course content and it moves very fast so dig in and get ready to learn.

I have been thinking about changing my career to software engineering for a long time. This year I have decided to join General Assembly and I  honestly I don’t regret it, the teaching system and the projects helped me to learn and further understand multiple technologies to be able to make beautiful sites. The campus is spacious, just ideal for you to learn and there are always people available if you have questions.

 The job-support at the end of the course is unique, helping you to brand yourself and shine from other applicants. Definitely, the best way to start as a developer.