General Assembly Review 2024

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General Assembly in a Nutshell

Overview

General Assembly is an education provider that offers online, on-campus, and on-demand courses (available in the United States only) and workshops. It has a network of over 30 campuses, more than 19,000 hiring partners, and over 70,000 alumni—giving it a global reach.

General Assembly is ideal for beginners who want to learn how to code and for individuals seeking to improve their skills or transition to a different career. It offers tech bootcamps for coding, analytics, web design, and more. Moreover, General Assembly tests and updates its content to align its students with ‌industry standards, improving their chances of securing a job post-graduation.

What is General Assembly?

General Assembly offers five immersive tech bootcamps—one part-time and four full-time—on campus and online. The full-time immersive courses last 12 weeks, while the part-time immersive course lasts 24 weeks. 

Below is more information about each bootcamp. 

• Data Analytics Immersive: You’ll learn how to analyze data using Python, SQL, Tableau, PowerBI, and Excel, and build a portfolio to show prospective employers.

• Data Science Immersive: This course will teach you data analysis, statistical modeling, the basics of machine learning (ML), Python, and using large data sets to predict patterns.

• User Experience Design Immersive: You’ll learn various user experience (UX) techniques and skills, the foundations of visual and user interface designs, and how to perform user research, wireframing, prototyping, and more.

• Software Engineering Immersive: This course will teach you to code, create full-stack web applications, apply programming fundamentals, and grow your web development skills. You’ll work on projects, practice version control, and code within multiple frameworks and stacks.

• Software Engineering Immersive Remote (Flex): This follows the same curriculum as the Software Engineering Immersive bootcamp. The difference is that it’s conducted on a part-time, 24-week schedule.

Additionally, there are 10-week part-time evening courses designed for busy professionals. These include Data Analytics, Data Science, Digital Marketing, Front-End Web Development, JavaScript Development, Product Management, Python Programming, React Development, and User Experience Design. There’s also an eight-week part-time course on Visual Design. Alternatively, you can study these courses through a one-week accelerated pathway. 

There are also three self-paced On Demand lessons: Digital Marketing (30 hours of learning), User Experience Demand (48 hours of learning), and Data Analysis (60 hours of learning). These courses are best suited for individuals already in the tech industry who are looking to brush up their skills.

Finally, there are free workshops and events regularly updated on General Assembly’s website. These can help you build skills in a few hours.

Is General Assembly Safe and Reliable?

General Assembly has won numerous awards, including the 2014 Return on Education Award for a modern curriculum, the 2016 Innovation Competition Awards, the 2017 Optimas Silver Winner for Corporate Citizenship, and accolades from Fast Company and LinkedIn accolades. 

General Assembly uses secure third-party payment processors, including various credit card institutions and PayPal. The company’s Data Privacy team ensures it complies with global data protection laws and regulations. You’ll receive a notification before General Assembly shares your data with third parties or in the case of a security breach.

While the school has a license to operate in every US state, it doesn’t have accreditation by a body recognized by the Department of Education. Additionally, General Assembly isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). 

However, many former and current students have shared positive reviews of the company online. Some praised the helpful teachers, while others appreciated the beginner-friendly courses. On the other hand, there were some complaints about pricing and billing.

How General Assembly Works

General Assembly offers instructor-led tech bootcamps and other programs to teach you how to code, design web applications, and more. Courses range from eight to 24 weeks, depending on whether you've selected ‌part-time, full-time, or evening courses. 

The programs include one-on-one coaching, personalized learning through video or in-person instruction, guided coding practice, access to helpful student resources, and meetings with tech leaders or hiring managers. I appreciate that you can also attend free workshops and events to boost your learning experience. At the end of the course, you will have gained tech knowledge and skills to use in real-world settings.

How to apply to General Assembly

To get started, head to General Assembly’s website and click the Account button on the right-hand side of the screen. This will take you to another page, prompting you to sign in or sign up. Click the link over the blue “Sign up” text to access the account registration page.

Here, you’ll input your name, email, password, and location and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. General Assembly will then create your user account, and you’ll receive an email to confirm your email address. Your user account gives you access to your dashboard, Settings, Orders, Waitlists, Credit cards, and more.

Alternatively, you can click the Courses button on the site homepage and choose your preferred bootcamp. This will open a new page with an Apply Now button, which will take you to an application page where you'll input your name, email, and phone number. Next, you’ll receive a prompt to create your GA Connect Account and continue the application process.

From here, you’ll get a call from the Admissions team, who will guide you through the application process and answer your questions. If you want to apply for a bootcamp through your account instead of the Courses page, you can do so through the Orders page on your dashboard.

The call with the Admissions team will evaluate your suitability for a course by assessing your experience and goals. They’ll also administer a free assessment test to ensure you can cope with an immersive course. The team will recommend an alternative program if you’re not suited to your chosen course.

If you do qualify for the course, the Admissions team will notify you to make the initial down payment for the program or pay the whole tuition fee upfront.

Once General Assembly approves the payment, they’ll contact you and let you know your spot for the course is secured.

Prerequisites

General Assembly’s courses are beginner-friendly, so there are no prerequisites. All you need is access to a computer and a reliable internet connection (if studying online). 

Cost

Currently, all of General Assembly’s immersive courses cost $16,450. All of its part-time evening courses cost $4,500—except for the Visual Design course, which costs $3,500. 

Depending on whether you’re paying for a part- or full-time program upfront, you can receive a discount of $250 or $450, respectively. Other financing options include payment installments, loans, veteran benefits, scholarships, and employer sponsorships. Contact General Assembly for more information.

The on-demand courses—which are less intensive than the other programs—cost $950 each.

General Assembly Student Resources

General Assembly offers support via phone (with local numbers based on your location) and email (at hello@generalassemb.ly). The company responded quickly to my phone calls. Email responses didn’t take long, either. 

General Assembly’s website also has a detailed FAQ section covering topics like online learning, on-campus events, course details, and more. Plus, its blog has many posts on subjects such as artificial intelligence (AI), tech jobs, and the metaverse. 

Additionally, resources are available at every stage of your time studying with General Assembly.

Pre-admission

Before signing up for a course, you can attend an informational session to discuss the curriculum with an instructor.

During your course

Once you’re enrolled, you can take self-paced prep lessons to familiarize yourself with your chosen course. Plus, you’ll receive guided instruction and one-on-one coaching from your instructor before or after class. You can also interact and collaborate with your fellow students, asking them questions and sharing advice.

Further, General Assembly invites tech leaders to lead panel discussions and give guest speeches. You can attend these online for an insider’s look into the industry. 

Additionally, you’ll have access to free online workshops and events to help you expand your skill set and learn more about your chosen field.

Post-graduation 

General Assembly’s career services team will help prepare you for interviews and coach you on answering technical questions. They’ll also train you on networking so you can stand out to hiring managers during events.

While General Assembly doesn’t offer a job guarantee post-graduation, in my opinion, its career support is still great.

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General Assembly Alternatives

How General Assembly compares with other tech bootcamps

General Assembly vs Flatiron School

Like General Assembly, Flatiron School is a top-rated learning platform offering part- and full-time courses. However, Flatiron School has fewer courses, is slightly more costly, and only has two campuses (Denver and New York) compared to General Assembly, which has more than 30. Its courses are also longer than General Assembly’s, ranging between 15 and 40 weeks. 

General Assembly vs Kenzie Academy

Kenzie Academy is a highly-rated platform accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. However, it offers fewer programs than General Assembly, and they take longer to complete—nine months to a year compared with up to 24 weeks. Furthermore, Kenzie Academy doesn’t accept international students, while General Assembly does.

General Assembly vs Springboard

Similar to General Assembly, Springboard offers courses with flexible schedules and several tuition financing options. It has a better rating on Trustpilot than General Assembly—4.3 versus 2.8—but it doesn’t have some of General Assembly’s valuable features, such as in-person classes.

Bottom Line

General Assembly offers immersive coding courses and personalized, hands-on training for students of all kinds—including total beginners. It has flexible learning and payment options and the opportunity to attend live or online sessions. I was also impressed by its detailed FAQ section and straightforward signup process.

Although it isn’t accredited, General Assembly’s market-adapted curriculum and global alumni network give you opportunities to land jobs in different industries. Overall, General Assembly is certainly worth considering if you’re interested in completing a coding bootcamp.

FAQs

How long is the General Assembly bootcamp?

General Assembly’s bootcamp lasts 12 weeks for the full-time pathway and 24 weeks for the part-time pathway. The company also offers eight- and 10-week courses in other topics, which are great options for those in full-time employment.

Is it worth doing a coding bootcamp?

Yes. Completing a coding bootcamp can equip you with the knowledge and skills required to break into tech or switch careers. It can guide you through the basics of programming languages, improve your problem-solving skills as you tackle ‌coding challenges, connect you to tech professionals, and more.

Is General Assembly user-friendly?

Yes. General Assembly offers an easy-to-use platform with menus clearly labeled for seamless navigation. Moreover, the extensive student resources and support help improve your overall study experience.