General Assembly - Los Angeles, California

Tim M.

About me: Alumni of General Assembly, Software Engineering Immersive

Pros:
Fantastic and knowledgeable instructors who push you to do your best and care about your success.

Great career and outcomes coaches who will work with you to get the right job for you, not just the first available.

Hands on courses heavy on practical software applications. You will spend at least a workday worth of coding every day while in this program.

Fosters a convivial collaborative atmosphere where you are encouraged to help your fellow students, and for them to help you, instead of a cut throat, win-at-all-costs culture.

Cons:
Wish there were a bit more emphasis on theory and abstraction in curriculum.

Would love to see options for longer programs. I myself would have loved an option for some guidance on lower level operations and languages.

Bottom Line:
Excellent choice for beginning a career in the tech and development field.

Bonus: General Assembly is a California Training Benefits approved program. If you are recently unemployed or switching careers, you may qualify for tuition assistance or money to live on while attending. (I did!)

Beryl H.

I enrolled in the Data Analytics course for GA during their Aug-Oct session. I was able to collaborate with students from all different industries. I took this course because I am a data analyst in banking and really wanted to learn new technical skills that I could apply right away. I had never used SQL or Tableau before but I was able to learn those within a matter of weeks! I think the best part about GA is the workshops and events that they hold. I have been able to connect with lots of people. GA makes learning very attainable for anyone!

Elizabeth M.

General Assembly is amazing! I took the WDI course in the Fall of 2018 and I found a job as a Front End Web Developer in January of 2019. I started out knowing nothing about web development and now I can confidently build my own websites and web apps. The outcomes department was very helpful in my journey to finding my dream job. Although the course was hard, it definitely paid off in the end! I recommend General Assembly to anyone who wants to switch their careers and is willing to put in the work!

Pato O.

I took the Digital Mkt accelerated 1 week course and in general terms I can say it was a great experience. It's definitely a lot of information to digest in 1 week and I think that the final presentation complicates even more the equation because by day 3 everybody is more focused on doing that, than on processing all the different topics. However, I think most of the relevant topics are covered, the teacher shows a lot of knowledge about digital marketing and the course is well structured. Additionally, the school is really nice and well located, plus is a great place to get to know cool people. Overall it's a great option but I would try to do the part-time instead.

Simone W.

GA gave me the resources I needed to completely change my career. The intensive program is in-person and full-time, forcing me to dedicate myself to learning new skills. GA's downtown LA campus is in a great location, close to the Arts District. GA's career placement program has been very supportive and responsive. And the GA alumni network has been a source of mentorship for me. Overall, I'm glad I did the program. Like anything, you get out of it what you put in.

Ghazal Z.

I wish I could give it 1 star. This is a bit over due. But I signed up for GA classes last year around the same time , to be more specific UX/UI classes. I went through great depths to take a loan out through them hoping these classes are going to build my future. To be more specific I have already gotten my bachelor prior to these classes and I signed up for UX/UI courses. The course was so so terrible and the instructors were horrible. The theoretical parts of the class did not cover any of the necessary information you need to succeed in the course nor this field. The technical part of the class was taught so miserably by instructors that couldn't open up the software tool (Sketch) and one of the instructor assistance deleted my project that I worked on for weeks. I stayed in the class for couple weeks hoping I would gain some sort of skill and be able to land a decent job, but that hope was quickly let down when the instructors repeatedly set our salary exceptions extremely down. I was told that I should expect the maximum salary of 70k which is insanely low. Long story short, I dropped out and only was able to get very little refund for my money. I dedicated a full month teaching everything to myself online through, youtube, Udemy, and books and other sources and I was able to land a job shortly after with a salary twice as promised by these unqualified instructors. So, STAY AWAY. DON'T GO UNDER DEBT. you will be able to find a job even without the disgraceful certificate of GA.

Michael W.

General Assembly offers much for entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, career changers, new skills seekers, and small business owners who are looking to do more, know more, and be more in the tech world. I'm a full-time Web Development student and I'm very happy with the challenging curriculum GA has put together.

Sharif M.

Incredible place to learn and grow. The supportive team at General Assembly has created a ‘learn by doing’ creative space that is helping build out LA’s larger tech community. The projects and courses are practical and competitive - many new startups and established companies have GA grads working and leading. Wonderful community for DTLA!