Why General Assembly Is Rethinking Bootcamps for 2026 and Beyond

On the Course Report podcast today, we’re joined by Jourdan Hathaway, Chief Business Officer and CMO at General Assembly. General Assembly is in the middle of a pretty meaningful shift. They’re moving beyond the idea of a single, all-or-nothing bootcamp model and toward learning pathways that better reflect how people are actually building careers today. In this episode, we explore how AI is disrupting every role – from entry-level to leadership – why continuous, pathway learning is replacing the “one big career sprint,” and how GA is redesigning its programs to meet both employer demand and learner needs.

What brought you to General Assembly, Jourdan?

What brought me to General Assembly really wasn’t about a job title or a job description. It was about mission alignment. I’ve always believed that every person deserves access to skills, opportunity, and a career trajectory that can genuinely change the arc of their life. That belief comes from my own lived story. I talk a lot about economic mobility, and this role gave me the chance to bring my professional toolkit into an organization that is purpose-built around creating pathways to economic mobility.

That alignment is very real for me. I also get to see this work from three different lenses – the learner lens, the employer lens, and the government lens. Being able to sit at the intersection of all three is what ultimately brought me here.

A lot of our readers know General Assembly for its immersive, career-changing bootcamps. What were you hearing from students, alumni, or employers that made you start to rethink that traditional bootcamp model?

We were hearing a lot about speed, cost, and flexibility. And then there was a theme that we’ve all been hearing everywhere – the growing need for rapid, practical, hands-on AI skills.

Rather than offering one fixed experience, we had to create a model where learners could enter at different points. People want to build skills over time and choose how far or how fast they go, instead of committing to a one-size-fits-all experience. That was a big shift from how the model was originally established.

Across all three groups – learners, employers, and government – what we hear consistently is that there’s no role today that isn’t being disrupted by AI.

Individuals are asking themselves, “How do I stay competitive? How do I keep investing in my skills so I remain valuable and impactful?” At the same time, employers are looking at their organizations and saying, “We have big goals for AI-driven business transformation – how do we get there?”

Our challenge was figuring out how to bring all of that together into a solution that works for learners, employers, and the broader ecosystem.

When someone hears “learning pathways,” what does that actually mean in practice? What’s really changing – both on paper and in reality – for a General Assembly applicant?

The job market now demands continuous learning, where skills are layered over time rather than acquired in a single sprint.

The pathway model acknowledges that reality. Tools and roles are evolving so quickly that education can’t be a fixed, one-size-fits-all experience anymore. Career paths today are no longer linear – they intersect and overlap. Think about designers who now need AI and data skills, or product managers who suddenly need AI capabilities both within and adjacent to their discipline.

So we stepped back and asked: what would it look like to create flexible pathways that reflect how people actually build skills today?

In practice, each pathway consists of four strategically sequenced 32-hour courses within a specific discipline. It starts with foundational concepts and progressively builds skill depth over time. Every course is designed around current AI tools and techniques, and each one immediately adds value to a learner’s resume.

Learners can choose to combine these courses into a full pathway within a discipline, or they can take individual courses depending on their needs. That flexibility is a major shift from the traditional immersive model.

The focus areas themselves are still pretty familiar, right? You’re still centered around things like software engineering, product management, data analytics, and machine learning.

Right now, we offer pathways in AI for Software Engineering, AI Product Management, AI Data Analytics, AI in Machine Learning, AI Experience and Design, and AI Fundamentals. We’re also launching AI in Marketing soon. Those are our discipline-specific pathways.

But I also want to highlight that learners aren’t limited to choosing a single pathway.

Some people want four strategically sequenced courses within one discipline – for example, product management. You may take 4 courses within the Product Management discipline. Others may not need a full discipline pathway but instead want a specific bundle of skills.

That’s where the modular approach comes in. Learners can mix and match courses to build the skills that best align with their goals at any given point in their career.

Are the courses sequenced from entry-level to more advanced? If I’m more experienced, can I jump straight into the fourth course in a pathway?

That’s exactly the set of questions we were asking ourselves when we started talking to learners and employers.

Some people come in and say, “I need the basics. I need the foundation.” For them, starting at the beginning of a pathway makes sense – they build skills progressively and walk away with a well-layered, comprehensive skill set.

Others come in and say, “I’ve been working with AI for the last two years. I don’t need the fundamentals – I just need this specific advanced course.” That’s where the skills bundle model really works.

In that case, learners can pick the courses that directly address the gaps they have right now. And to be clear, many people don’t come in knowing exactly what they need – that’s okay. We’re here to help guide those decisions.

What we realized is that we couldn’t keep saying, “This bootcamp, in this order, at this cadence, works for everyone.” Each course needs to stand on its own. Maybe you only need one 32-hour course. Maybe you need all four. Maybe you need a different combination entirely.

That modularity is what really distinguishes this offering from what we’ve done in the past.

For someone who doesn’t yet know exactly what they’re looking for, how does General Assembly support them in choosing the right pathway, bundle, or individual course? Are there still admissions teams helping people navigate those options?

Yes, absolutely. We still have an admissions team that helps people work through exactly those questions.

A lot of learners come in saying, “I know I have a skills gap. I know AI skills are important to me. I just don’t know what I need yet.” Our role is to help them clarify that.

We usually start by understanding their goal. Are they trying to advance in their current field? Are they looking to gradually transition into a new one? Or do they simply need AI skills added to their existing toolkit?

We can support all of those scenarios and help build the right combination of courses. In general, skills pathways tend to attract professionals who are looking to upskill rather than people who are completely new to tech. But the reality is that AI now intersects with roles at every level – including leadership roles.

In fact, I just enrolled myself in a course that starts in a couple of weeks – AI for Data Analytics!

For a student who’s looking for something closer to that traditional bootcamp experience – more structure, more hand-holding, and the ability to really go deep into a career change – how comparable is completing a full four-course pathway? Can someone still go from zero to a career change through that pathway model?

We’ve definitely evolved beyond the classic bootcamp experience. A traditional bootcamp was about 420 hours of instruction. A full skills pathway – four courses – is 128 hours. So they’re not identical, and they’re not meant to be.

Bootcamps are still really well-suited for full-time, intensive career changers who can commit to that sprint format. And we actually still offer that model through our IT Bootcamp, which is designed for people breaking into tech at the entry level.

Skills pathways serve a different need. They’re designed to deliver immediate value, build expertise over time, and allow learners to deepen skills gradually – either by continuing within the same pathway or branching into adjacent areas.

We also know that career outcomes matter, which is why we’ve added career development workshops as part of the overall offering. Those workshops help learners think through their career planning and next steps as they apply what they’ve learned.

That makes sense. Flexibility is so important for learners right now, but some people are still looking for that deeper, 400-hour-style experience. It’s good to know the IT bootcamp is still an option.

With this increased flexibility, how do you make sure depth isn’t lost? Are these courses still project-based and instructor-led?

Yes – Pathways were absolutely not designed to shortcut depth.

Project-based learning is core to what General Assembly does, and that hasn’t changed. Every course includes practical, hands-on assignments. Learners walk away with tangible, usable projects they can reference – whether as proof of concept in a job search or as something they continue to build on.

For example, in an AI for Data Analytics course, you’ll leave with a dashboard that you’ve built yourself. You’ll get feedback from an instructor and from your peers. That hands-on element is what turns theory into real capability.

There’s a big difference between knowing *what* and knowing *how*. Our courses are built around making sure learners leave with both.

At the beginning of our conversation, you mentioned that all of this is happening in the context of a rapidly changing job market. How is General Assembly helping learners connect the skills they’re learning with actual career opportunities – especially when job titles, requirements, and even the application process itself are changing so quickly?

That’s exactly the right question.

This is why career development workshops, led by experienced career coaches, remain such a critical part of what we do. Another advantage we have is our close, ongoing relationships with employers.

Our parent company, LHH, works with enterprise organizations across industries, which gives us a constant feedback loop on the skills that are in demand, the new job titles that are emerging, and how those skills map to real roles. That insight feeds directly into our curriculum.

We’re updating curriculum constantly because the pace of change is so fast. I was recently reviewing curriculum from last year, and honestly, it’s almost laughable compared to what we’re teaching now. The tools, case studies, governance frameworks, and best practices evolve incredibly quickly as AI adoption matures.

We take what we’re seeing in the market and reinvest it directly into our projects and coursework. It’s not easy, but it’s essential. The future of work isn’t coming – it’s already here, and that’s what we’re preparing learners for.

That’s a great point. You can’t realistically plan for what skills people will need five or ten years from now. Instead, you have to build a learning model that’s flexible enough to evolve alongside the skills themselves.

Given how quickly the curriculum is changing, is there anything in particular you see being added or expanded in 2026? Are there specific AI-related skills or roles that are already starting to influence what you’re building next?

We’re focused on making sure what we teach aligns with where work is going – not where it’s been. I can’t emphasize that enough.

We’re constantly looking at the intersection of human potential and economic demand. And I’m very confident that by Q4 of this year, we’ll need to create courses that I can’t even fully conceive of today.

I’ll give you a very real example from my own experience as a hiring manager. We recently implemented agentic AI within our contact center to help augment capacity. In the process, we realized that the biggest challenge wasn’t the technology itself – it was managing these digital agents responsibly and effectively.

For the first time, I wrote a job description for an “agentic AI compliance manager.” The person stepping into that role is a former contact center representative.

Watching a new job emerge in real time is incredibly exciting, especially when you care deeply about economic mobility. This role requires a mix of technical skills and soft skills, and it didn’t exist before.

So when you ask what’s coming next, that’s the kind of signal we’re paying attention to. If I’m seeing this need inside our own organization, I know enterprises everywhere are seeing it too. Eventually, those needs translate into new skill requirements – and then into new learning experiences.

That’s the work we’re doing: helping people see how they can move from roles they’re already in into entirely new opportunities that didn’t exist before.

How do you think about certifications? Do industry-recognized certifications influence how you think about curriculum development going forward?

I do think industry-recognized digital badges and certifications have value – absolutely.

How they fit in depends on the specific skills being taught and the goals of a particular course or pathway. We evaluate that on a case-by-case basis. When we’re developing a new set of courses, we look at whether a credential meaningfully signals skill attainment for that discipline and whether it aligns with what employers care about.

In some cases, credentialing makes a lot of sense. In others, hands-on project work and demonstrated capability are more important. We’re thoughtful about that balance and open to aligning credentials where they truly add value.

You’ve been at General Assembly for a few years now, during a pretty turbulent and fast-changing period for career training and skills education. What excites you most about where GA is headed next?

A lot of people have said to me, “There’s been so much change – what must it be like to lead through that?”

And honestly, what’s most inspiring is working at an organization that is so clear on its mission that it’s willing to decouple from past products and past ways of working.

We’ve all seen organizations that hold on too tightly to fixed mindsets. And we’ve seen others that continuously reinvent themselves. It’s incredibly motivating to be part of a company that recognizes we’re at a real inflection point in how the world works.

We’re fundamentally changing how people collaborate, how they interact with technology, and how individuals who never thought of themselves as tech-enabled suddenly become tech-augmented. That’s the space we want to play in.

It’s not about what we did in the past. It’s about understanding what employers need today, what employees need in order to learn, apply, and grow, and then asking: what is General Assembly’s role in making that possible?

Last year, when we launched our AI Academy, we didn’t fully know how far things would evolve in such a short time. One year later, the opportunity is extraordinary. I’m incredibly proud that we’re part of the solution – helping people build skills for a future we’re all still learning to navigate.

Jourdan, thank you so much for this conversation. As the tech landscape continues to change, it’s clear that how people learn has to change with it. And from this conversation, it’s clear that General Assembly isn’t going anywhere! I really appreciate you taking the time to share how GA is thinking about the future.

Find out more and read General Assembly reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with General Assembly.