General Assembly

For those who have a year or two of software development experience but are having a difficult time making that career leap, GA might be a great resource for you. For others with little to no tech experience, GA is probably not the answer. The problem with the curriculum is they move to fast for someone who is trying to start out in this field. One doesn't have the time or resources to figure something out before they quickly move you onto the next thing.

The community is good and if you're in the bootcamp program, there is a good amount of attention you get form engineers and teachers who are willing to help you. Albeit that is not to say you will struggle and feel like things are being thrown at you too fast without being able to understand the micro details, which is essential to the coding process.

The classes that are offered outside of the bootcamp, like the part-time front end class will be a headache if you are trying to actually make a career change. You don't get the resources or help you need to make that leap. The TA's have little to no teaching experience and are just starting out in the field as developers. 

The problem with GA is they will take on anyone who has the willingness to learn, but do a poor job of delineating those who already have a good amount of experience, and those who have none whatsoever. They will simply take on anyone because they want their business to prosper.  This presents a huge problem, as I see plenty of grads from the bootcamp who are unemployed and struggling because they don't have the tools necessary to become software developers.

My best recommendation would be to avoid the part-time classes, and if you have a couple years experience and know your stuff but are having trouble making the career leap, GA would probably be a good bet for you. If you have no coding experience, try Treehouse or get mentorship, and a couple years down the line try out the bootcamp. 

 

This course includes 10 online modules to complete with a project (excel file) to submit at the end, along with 10 weekly live lectures (that are recorded and can be watched at a later date). The lectures may or may not be directly related to what you are learning in the online module that week. You are also supposed to book a 30-minute 1:1 session with a mentor each week to discuss any questions or roadblocks you are facing in completing your modules. The course costs $1,250.

The first two to three weeks covered nothing but Excel basics and creating various types of charts. For me this was much too easy, but I understand that this was probably to make sure everyone, even total beginners, were on the same page as more experienced folks. Then we moved onto learning SQL, which was helpful (technically you can get the same info from a CodeAcademy couse for free, but the way it was presented in GA was much more palatable for those with no coding experience). Finally, we focused on design and presentation, which was helpful but also probably covered in any univeristy-level public speaking course.

You don't really learn any statistical methods other than obtaining the basic mode, median, mean, and you don't learn how to tell what values would be considered significant. You do brush the surface of learning how to analyze data (using pivot tables in Excel), how to chart data (using Excel charts), how to gather data (using SQL), and how to present data (using PowerPoint and presentation skills). And also some color/design theory that helps you make your charts look good.

The worst thing about this course is that there isn't a strucured way of getting concrete feedback on your projects. First, you have to ask for feedback. I guess this is more similar to a real-world situation, but it shouldn't be the case when I'm paying for a course! Even when I asked for feedback by scheduling Zoom meetings with my mentor, I was not getting any valuable feedback on my projects or the recommedation that I ended up making based on the data. I don't think my mentor even looked at my projects, he would just say things like "there are no right or wrong answers." At a certain point I stopped scheduling these meetings because they were worthless. They should at least have your mentor grade your project or require that the mentor review your project and come up with some recommendatios to give you.

The second-to-worst thing about this course was how it was a bit disorganized. Maybe it's the technical writer in me, but I got to a point where I was so annoyed at the typos and/or minsinformation sent in mass emails, and the often conflicting information given in the instructions for submitting projects that GA really lost credibility for me, and I don't know if I'd recommend it. Maybe after having a few circuits they'll have worked out the kinks.

In terms of what they are doing well - the content was good for a beginner, lectures are interesting, and everyone I've interacted with has been very nice and willing to help me understand the material. You can tell that they're trying to make this a good course. But you have to be a very specific type of learner (and a total beginner in data analytics) for this to work for you, and you have to be willing to beg for feedback, because otherwise you aren't going to get any, and you're probably not going to get much out of the course.

General Assembly was my introduction to a coding boot camp and into web development.  I attended and completed their full stack web dev program.  The costs were high and I commuted to DC everyday because I was commited.  I stayed late after class to work on projects with groups or sometimes alone, got and pestered instructors for help, but at the end of the course, yes I know so much more but I felt it was not enough.

I would say only 25% of the students were capable of what the course had advertised and the rest of the 75% that were left, most of them were just as commited and dedicated but just didn't get certain subjects nor gain the proficiency to do it well.  If you were in the 25% great but if you were not, then you were SOL, there is no free repeat and the help you needed were hard to find during the course.

I would attend somewhere else as the amount of time you just commited is not something you will get back. 

Programming has always been a passion of mine and discovering General Assembly has allowed me to gain the skills to turn my passion into a career. Coming from a more technical background through my own self learning, GA gave me practical application skills. I'm still amazed that I created three fully fledged web applications each in only one week. Now, I make apps in my spare time with ease as I continue to develop my skills. Through GA's assistance I accepted an offer from Expedia only 2 1/2 months after graduation.

I recently completed the part time Digital Marketing course at General Assembly in Seattle. I am SO HAPPY I decided to do this - and that is saying something considering that it took place every Saturday for 10 weeks during Seattle's sunniest summer ever!

Everything I knew (before taking this class) I learned on the job. (I am currently working as a marketer for a tech company in Fremont.) I joined GA’s Digital Marketing course to become better at what I do, learn from industry experts, and gain a network of marketers who I can continue to grow with and learn from. The course absolutely lived up to those expectations - and even my co-workers have noticed the positive impact this class has had on what I bring to the team!

I loved learning from an instructor who is actively working in the industry. She was super knowledgable and clearly cares about her students. It's great to know that she is someone I can continue to bounce marketing ideas and challenges off of in the future. During our final presentations (which is great professional experience, by the way!), I also made friends with one of the judges (another industry expert!) who I think will continue to be a great mentor moving forward.

And, of course, I can't leave a review without mentioning how happily surprised I was to learn what a wonderful community exists at GA. The staff (Annie in particular) and my fellow students were all so warm and welcoming. 

I'll end this by saying that my company is currently hiring and, based on the content of this course and quality of instruction, I'd feel very comfortable hiring a GA grad!

I took Digital Marketing at General Assembly from March 2015 to June 2015. I loved every moment of it. The curriculum is highly relevant and includes up to the minute material that will really put you in such a great position to be successful as a digital marketer. The instructor and teaching assistants were also highly knowledgeable, very hands on and always willing to help.

GA isn't your typical university. There's a certain vibe about it that you will grow to love. It's cutting edge, if you will. Coming out of the course, I now work with content marketing, SEO, social media, email marketing -- MANY of the concepts on a daily basis and it's been a huge asset to my business. Most importantly, it's helped me lay out a full digital marketing plan.

Thanks GA!!

I took the Front End Web a Development course with GA and had such a positive experience. I am a full-time freelancer so the part-time two classes per week schedule worked perfectly for me. My teachers were the head web developers at Nordstrom and pretty much the coolest guys ever. I learned everything I had hoped to out of the class, and some that I didn't even know I would. Now I have an incredible, responsive website portfolio for future clients hosted on GitHub and I did it all in class! 10 out of 10 would take another class with the Seattle GA if I wasn't moving in a month!

My background before I started my journey into web development was in documentary production, journalism and education. I had no clue about where to begin coding digital experiences. Sure, I have some experience with CMS (Content Management System) and some HTML and CSS, but not to the extent I needed in order to build my own web app. Which is where my journey began: I wanted to build a journalism education game app and pitched it at my previous company’s internal hackathon. It was chosen as one of the winning apps, and I got to work with a team of developers producers, and engineers. From that point on, I was hooked on working in the world of apps!

Before attending General Assembly’s Web Development Immersive (WDI) course I looked into other institutions and I’m very happy that I chose GA. Not only do I feel like I belong to a strong community of intelligent, hard-working, and supportive employees, students and alumni, I feel like a successful student! I knew about General Assembly while I lived and worked in NYC, and because of my fiancée, who TA’d for the first General Assembly UXDI (User Experience Design Immersive) course in San Francisco. So even though I kind of knew about the great community, I experienced it firsthand when I started the WDI program in Seattle.  

It was an intense and sometimes scary ride, but it was worth every moment. I made great friends, colleagues, and had sympathetic course producers and instructors. My instructors have both professional and educational experience. They were very good about gauging class participation and pacing of lessons. I knew that the material being taught is based on what’s being used the in the professional world and the latest technology, so I knew I’d be getting a great return on my investment.

After my course, I was offered the Developer-in-Residence (DIR) fellowship and gladly accepted it. I’m very proud to be able to give back to the next cohort and pay it forward using my newfound knowledge and skills.

After my DIR fellowship, I’ve been asked to come back as a TA for the 3rd cohort and am thrilled to have recently accepted a full-time Associate Technical Product Manager position at Expedia. Because of General Assembly, not only have I been able to transition into tech, but I have also learned skills I can combine with my previous experiences as a producer to advance my career. Thank you GA!

I was in the first Web Development Immersive (WDI) in Seattle. I am now a Front-End Web Developer at a consulting/creative agency. Before doing this I was in healthcare and I decided to make a career change. I did research on other coding bootcamps around Seattle. I decided to go with GA for a number of reasons. First, the course curriculm was amazing. I learned 3 different stacks in 3 months. Second, the career/networking help they provide during and after the course. I was able to find a job within a month of finishing the course. Third, the community that GA has in Seattle and around the world. And finally the people that work at GA Seattle. The entire staff at GA Seattle is there to support every student part time or full time. I can now say that I love my job and I am making more money than I ever have thanks to GA. I can say without a doubt that GA changed my life.

I recently completed GA's Web Development Immersive and am so incredibly glad I discovered the program. For me, it was a positive, uplifting environment where I made incredible friends and connections. The instructors and staff are truly dedicated to helping change peoples' lives and give them valuable, marketable skills.

I had researched other coding schools, however, none seemed as personable and prestigious as GA. Also, no other school's curriculum or course format seemed to fit my needs quite as well.

That being said, it was no cakewalk; I had very little trace of a life outside of GA for the duration of the three-month course. 10-12 hours each day (in order to successfully retain most of the concepts) is no exaggeration.

I'm currently in a full-time three-month contract position, and because of the effort I put forth in the immersive, I have very few concerns about attaining my next role. A big theme at GA is "growth mindset" and this is an especially helpful thought pattern for when you're feeling less-than-capable.

However, before you decide to take the plunge, ask yourself: do I love learning constantly, do I have emotional fortitude (e.g. being comfortable with struggling through concepts daily), am I doing this for the pure joy of building/creating/designing, and am I willing to dedicate three months of my life to coding and sleeping? If yes, then I highly recommend! Good luck!

I loved my experience at GA. My instructors were invested, knowledgeable and genuinely cared about sending us into the working world prepared. The instructors are constantly iterating on the curriculum, based on student feedback, and market-specific research. The immersive courses are intense - expect to put in between 70-100 hours a week, depending on the project you're working on.

You absolutely get out what you put in - if you aren't super focused on the course, the immersive is likely not the best fit for you. The UXDI immersive also emphazises group work - that is something to keep in mind when considering UXDI, be prepared to work on a team, with compassion and respect. Because the UXDI program encourages project-based work, you leave the program with a work-ready portfolio. GA is an incredibly welcoming community, and one that they encourage you to stay part of beyond your time in class.