General Assembly

TL;DR - it was truly a transformative experience and I am very glad I took the WDI course at General Assembly. 

For those of you wanting details...

After working in the tech industry in non-technical positions, I finally decided to take the leap and began codeschool at General Assembly. 

Though in the industry, I myself lacked any real technical knowledge outside of some CSS selectors and some regex. So, like the naive caterpillar I was, I entered the GA cocoon and 12 weeks later, emerged a beautiful technical butterfly. 

Don't get me wrong, those 12 weeks of class are intense and stressful, long long long days and a touch of being overwhelmed. But once you land that job and start a new career that you enjoy, the pain fades quickly and you're left with a badass new skillset and a FANTASTIC community. The folks at GA are simply A+ humans and I'm happy that they're in my life. 

I think the biggest thing to understand is that you'll get out of this experience what you put into it. If you want to be a developer, you're going to not only have to bust your ass in class, but you'll also need to be working on developing those skills outside of class. You have to learn to teach yourself and learn to stretch and grow constantly. You're not going to learn everything you need to know in 12 short weeks, but you'll establish a really solid foundation to continue learning with. 

I think the other thing worth noting is that you don't have to be a developer if you take this class. In my current role, I am a basically a technical consultant for clients implementing our product. I don't write a lot of code, but I read code and debug code and solve complicated issues every day, and I love it. There are a lot of different paths that you can take after finishing GA's WDI course. The career counselor there (shout out to Nicole in Austin... she's amazing) will help you figure out what jobs are out there and what speaks to you.

I graduated from the User Experience Design Immersive course at General Assembly in April 2016. The immersive course is challenging but definitely worth its weight in gold.

Throughout the course I was given the opportunity to practice the UX craft in a supportive environment with guidance from experienced instructors. As the title suggests, you are fully immersed in the course every single day for 10 weeks and I abosolutely loved it. I learnt so much during those 10 weeks and met some of the greatest people. 

One of the great things about GA is the collaborative environment which helped me to build my UX network, meet mentors, connect with industry contacts, potential employers and lifelong friends. 

I was able to gain so much more out of the course than one would initially think & still reaping the benefits now. It was amazing to see my own evolution during the course and I can safely say that this course was a pivotal moment for myself & some of my peers. 

I worked a number of contract jobs after I graduated through contacts that I made through General Assembly & currently working as a UX Designer agency side. 

All in all, I would definitely do it all over again. 

 

I always thought about programming as an 'unnecessary evil' until the very first day of the course, when my instructor DT had showed us how much fun it actually is and what amazing things you can build with just a few lines of code.

I was learning  for almost 20 years (since primary school up to Master's of Engineering) and studying at GA was one of the best educational experiences with one of the best teachers I had.

The course itself is very intensive, it's important to complete, understand and remember all the materials from the prework and  if possible do some extra on your own (eg Code Academy).
It really takes 40 hours per week with afterhours for homework and going through the notes. 

Great atmosphere, support, resources, materials and many occasions to socialise and meet other programmers. 

Teachers are very passionate, helpful, experienced, patient and encourageing to try and do new things.

Classes are intensive, but run and explained in a very funny and easy way :)

Before, I also thought that you can't really change careers in 12 weeks, but trust me yes you can (if you put enough effort and commitment). 
Fantastic career support with all the strategies of how to find the right job (not just an any job).

Good luck! 👍🏻

I went into this course as the least experienced and youngest student of my class, but at the end I felt like I could stand next to my peers and look at them as equals, rather than view myself as less capable. The course was designed to get you a job as an ux designer as fast as possible while equipping you with all the skills and knowledge you'll need for your first job. Although all coursework was very realistic and practical, with the last project having an actual client, the learning environment is amazing. As a current university student I can say that although the course wasn't designed for me, I got so much from it and I think if you want to learn anything about anything related to UX this is course is for you!

I completed the Data Analysis Circuit on-line course offered by General Assembly.  The level of support offered by General Assembly is outstanding, each student is encouraged to select a Mentor for the course, attend on-line meetings, and participate in the class meetings.

The General Assembly team is always available to answer any questions, review your submitted projects and meet with you one on one.

This was the most positive and enjoyable training class and working with the staff at General Assembly made this a successful and informative experience.

I look forward to my next on-line training course and working with General Assembly.

 

This course was super valuable. It’s true that you don’t know what you don’t know.

This course has empowered me with the confidence to have UX discussions, use the industry correct language and terminology and have knowledge around what is best practice.

Since completing this course I have transitioned into a role as User Experience Designer and I am loving challenging those around me to ensure we are user -centric in everything we do.

I would have liked to have some course material that I could refer back to though.

TL;DR: Worth every minute of my time and every dollar spent.  Invaluable experience with tangible results.  Was hired at a top company within 6 days of graduation.

 

A little background regarding my education, experience, and character: I hold a BA in History and Comparative Religion from a liberal arts university.  I have worked as a teacher, a fashion photographer, a designer, an account coordinator, and a partner in a wedding photography business.  I enjoy traveling the globe, learning languages, and eating local foods.  In summation, I’d never had anything beyond a slim introduction to HTML prior to my decision to enroll in GA.

 

I formally began GA’s WDI first remote cohort after completing one month of self-directed study, a prep that gave me a solid foundation to begin but was no substitute for what I learned.  I had my suspicion regarding the efficacy of a completely online platform but it quickly dissolved as I completed my first week.

 

The 13+ weeks felt simultaneously indefinite and momentary.  I believe the content of the curriculum was so new and challenging that it seemed long but it was also so engaging while augmented by the fun had in class with instructors and classmates.  The most important thing about this course is that you learn and you learn a lot in a short period of time.  While the course is no substitute for a CS degree that teaches you the complex math behind machine code, the jobs a web developer is looking for doesn’t require that!  I think most people are fearful of bootcamp programs because we’ve seen the scandals involving for-profit academies (Everest, ITT, DeVry), but you need to realize that programs like this work far better for those that have already been out in the world gaining experience and looking to pivot in a new direction.

 

You are assigned HW nightly that certainly requires 3-5 hours of work but the projects are your true tests and ultimately become your portfolio.  I kept on top of my portfolio landing page and projects and eventually received a bite from a top company two weeks prior to my graduation.  My interests lie in front-end and web animation so when I was offered a full-time salary position with killer perks 6 days post gradation, the final validation for this course was checked off my list.

 

Learning to code is not a passive skill (well, at least not initially) so you must be ready to listen carefully, think critically, and apply what you learn thoughtfully.  If you do this and couple it with dedication/interest/passion/whatever drives you, failure is not an option - you will succeed.  GA has a finely tuned system with kick-ass instructors that are real people, and by that I mean they’re personable and considerate.  Many of the instructors are GA grads themselves that after a few years in the workforce have decided to come back and teach, which is killer because they can speak the same language as the novice.  I haven’t an unkind word for any of the instructors I encountered.

 

The same kind words apply to the operations and career outcomes staff.  GA has done a fine job sourcing amazing talent and I trust they will continue to apply these tactics to acquire even more.

 

To summarize, GA has an outstanding curriculum with an amazing staff that keeps you laughing and interested while teaching you hard skills that truly gets you the work you’re looking for.

I recently completed GA's Web Development Immersive and I honestly had no idea what to expect going in to the course. I had no prior development experience, beyond the free Codecademy and Code School courses I had been taking online.

I have a background in journalism and had worked for a media company designing newspapers for a little over two years prior to taking GA's WDI. I had been teaching myself to code and I fell in love with the endless possibilities that web development holds. 

I decided to make the leap and GA was the best fit for me. GA Austin is in the perfect location downtown amongst the various tech companies and you have the opportunity to meet "out in the wild" developers in that very building! GA also really stresses the importance of community and I truly have found a community within GA. I had a great community of classmates within the classroom. We got to help each other and watch each other grow. We picked each other up when someone was down and we cheer each individual's accomplishments.

The instructors and GA staff are also part of my community. Everyone wants to know how the course is going, how the job search is going and what they can do to help. I was always greeted with a friendly face or a helping hand. There are tons of networking events that help you meet past students, present students that aren't in your course and future students.

The Austin tech community is my community. GA provided networking events and invited industry professionals in to our classrooms to meet us, speak with us, and critique our work. I've met a range of developers from a variety of companies, that I know I could call on to ask questions about code, the job search or advice about the industry.

My real takeaway from General Assembly is the sense of community they provide, because the course is not easy. It takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. It is truly immersive and having that support behind you not only makes it easier, but it makes it even more fun!

I came to the course with no prior experience coding or designing anything. It was a fantastic jumpstart, super fast, engaging, at times overwhelming but overall awesome. I had two great teachers Jason, who brought his great experience and deep knowledge of the subject knowledge and Will who was a very talented teacher and very passionate coder. The learning experience was great, but I was not prepared to struggle so much to find a job afterwards. It should be expected though, when you launch 100+ Junior developers on the market at the same time the process of getting them hired it is not an easy task. 

Just be ready, you are going to be amazed about the skills you have learned but getting a job is not an easy ride. 

I attended GA for their Web Development Immersive from May 30 - August 19, 2016.  I’ll start by saying it was an experience.  

 

The bootcamp is a very intense experience where you’re in a classroom for 40 hours per week - taking notes, listening to lectures, and working on mini-labs as well as day-long labs.  You also have, on top of the 40 hours per week in class, an additional 20-40 hours of homework and projects to complete outside of class putting your workload realistically at 60-80 hours per week.  It’s physically exhausting as well as mentally exhausting over the course of the 12 weeks.  Bear in mind that this isn’t a full-time job and part-time job that you’re probably tired of or bored with.  This is a course where you’re constantly being pushed mentally to grasp new material and apply it in solo settings, paired settings, and group settings; it’s exhausting, but also refreshing and exhilarating at the same time.  You’re encouraged to go to meet ups when you find the time between class, homework, and projects if you have the energy, to meet new people, expand your network, and hopefully meet someone who needs what you have to offer (i.e. employers and freelance work).  Somewhere in the mix of all that, you get resume coaching by a professional career coach, personal portfolio site coaching by professional designers, behavioral interview prep by professional recruiters, technical interview prep by professional programmers, and lectures about freelancing, negotiation, and a host of “soft” skills to prepare you for your eventual job search and career.  Somewhere in there, you also tour a couple of local tech/tech-oriented companies.  We visited uShip and Atlassian.  

 

The 12 weeks are structured in 4 units - 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 weeks, and 3 weeks.  You’re asked over the course of the 12 weeks to build 1 game, 2 group projects (1 front end, 1 back end), and 1 final capstone solo project with most people opting to make a full stack application for this, but the program leaves it open-ended as to what you do.  With the exception of the game at the end of week 2, where everyone is assigned the same game, the other 3 projects are left completely up to your groups and yourself to decide what to build.  You’re asked to be creative.  You’re asked to be logical.  You’re asked to be patient.  You’re asked to be motivated.  The program is very demanding of what you bring to the table.  

 

If you’re not so much intimidated by all of that that as you are excited by it, then please keep reading because you might have found your next step in life.  

 

It’s a blast!  You’ll meet people from so many different walks of life.  In my class, there was a college student majoring in business, a former Computer Science major, a former Army Ranger, a game designer, a journalist, 2 people who worked in finance, a guy who took on various roles at various companies, and a former Apple employee.  I was a music composition major in college, and worked as a pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher for a few years before I decided to transition to something new, which ended up, after a year and a half of searching, to be computer programming for web development.  You’ll come to make friends with these people, love them for their quirks, hate them for their quirks, and eventually have a sense of camaraderie with them because you all made it through something together that not everyone wants to do, nor, I’m not even sure, can do.  

 

ALSO, you’re in one of the coolest towns in the U.S.!  Austin is the live music capital of the U.S., so just the live music scene alone is something special.  Austin also has all kinds of hiking trails, like the Barton Creek Greenbelt, and natural swimming holes, like Barton Springs, to explore.  Everything Austin offers makes for a great environment to deflate and relax from the intense programming environment you’ll be entering into.  

 

This is pretty standard information, though, so I’d like to talk more about my personal experience with and in the program.  

 

I had never coded before GA, and so I was really going out on a limb here spending that kind of money, investing that kind of time, and putting myself way outside my comfort zone.  I’ve never been “a computer person”.  I used computers, but not for anything extraordinary; just Facebook, YouTube… the usual suspects.  I always had this weird interest in learning to program for some reason, though, and an acquaintance of mine always talked about it with such passion and verve.  I never gave myself the time or credit to teach myself how to program, so I ended up telling myself, “Now or never… you’re not interested in pursuing music professionally anymore, you’ve worked several odds-and-end jobs with nothing really catching your imagination… go for it!”  So I did.  It was the best decision I’ve made in my adult life.  I’m 27.  So now you know my non-existent programming background prior to GA.

 

(Note:  For anyone older reading this, there were also people much older than me, though.  I think in the cohort that started a few weeks after mine, there was a guy who was in his 40s.  In my class, the aforementioned game designer was 31.)

 

The application process was cool.  They give you very limited resources and ask you to build your own About Me website and submit it.  I did this, so they scheduled an interview.  I got accepted.  It wasn’t stressful.  They just try to engage you, see what gets you ticking, and get to know you.  Next was the pre-work to be completed before the program started, so there was at least an exposure to fundamental concepts.  The pre-work is challenging, and, unfortunately, in my opinion, I think GA could do way better with this pre-work.  Every time you come to the exercises, you feel like you aren’t prepared for them, which is not how the program is.  The labs, homework, and projects are very challenging, but you’re very well-prepared for them.  It may seem like you’re not at times, but you are.  You just have to really mine your mind for the information you’ve been exposed to.  This pre-work, however, can be quite harrowing at times, so if you decide to enroll, start working on the pre-work, and feel like an idiot… don’t worry… I was the same.  I’m not sure if it’s the exposure to a completely new way of thinking, or if it’s just the pre-work is insufficient in its explanations… it definitely leaves you wondering whether you’re going to be able to do this.  I can assure you again, though, the rest of the program plays out much better.  

 

My instructors were awesome!  Sean, Amanda, and Britney Jo… they were something else.  Very patient people who want nothing more than to see you succeed.  I don’t know GA’s process for hiring teachers, but they seem to pick the cream of the crop.  These people are so knowledgeable and very kind.  To boot, instructors from the other classes like Ross, Riley, and Mike reach out to you and make sure you’re doing well.  

 

The staff is really great, too!  Really cool people from Leah and Emily, to Nicole and Sarah, to Chris… there’s several of them.  They went above and beyond to make sure all of us were doing alright, and would always say, “Hey, how’s it going?” when you passed them in the hallway.  They hosted a potluck where all of the students brought food, and we ate together.  They know you’re spending money and time to be there, and they want to make it worth your while and really make you feel like you’re part of something.  

 

Something I haven’t mentioned about my experience is what was happening in my life outside of GA.  My father passed away halfway through the program, and I was very distraught by this loss.  The staff and faculty, with the exception of 2 or 3, all came up to me individually and privately to express their condolences.  Leah sent flowers to my mother.  They were incredibly flexible and accommodating, going so far as to offering to extend the program an extra week for me so I could go be with family for a week in the immediate aftermath.  They were also very supportive.  Everyone would engage me in conversation and check to make sure I was doing alright.  I really wouldn’t have graduated without the support they gave me.  I was completely alone in Austin.  I’m from Arkansas, so Austin is 9 hours away from my family and friends.  What they did for me meant the world to me, and, I think, speaks very positive worlds about the people you’ll be engaged with on a daily basis.  

 

I’m a very cynical person, but I believe in this school. 

 

A friend of mine I met there who was enrolled in the previous Web Development Immersive which started prior to but overlapped with mine, said something very succinct, which describes the experience in a hilarious, but apt way.  He said, “WDI was the greatest experience of my life that I never want to repeat again.”  I expressed this sentiment to my friends in my cohort as well as my friends in the Android Development Immersive and the User Design Immersive that were happening simultaneously with my cohort, and everyone who heard it laughed and agreed.  It’s damn intense, but it’s also a damn good time.  

 

If you have any further questions you didn’t get answered here, I encourage you to talk to the staff, but you’re welcome to contact me on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinstandefer 

I'll tell you first and foremost, deciding to attend GA was one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself.  If you're like me then what you really want to know is "am I going to get a job". that depends on a lot of things like how much work you put into it, how good your instructors and classmates are (mine were incredible), and that je ne sais quoi that makes some people successful for no quantifiable reason. What I can tell you with certainty is GA will make you employable. I went from no coding background to full time salary employee at a startup tasked with building out the android app by myself, and I'm doing great.  You will leave GA with those skills.  The greater hurdle is convincing employers that despite the notable lack of a degree you are actually more qualified that Johnny Justgraduated because you've spent the last three months doing the job they are hiring for.  It's not fair, I know, but a good friend once told me you gotta bet on yourself.

Before General Assembly, I was attending a traditional university studying computer science. There, I found that I wasn't learning any real-world skills. I had the desire to create something, but I didn't have the ability to do so. I heard about General Assembly through a friend, and he had told me it was the best decision he's ever made.

I decided to take the plunge! The interview process went smoothly. The admissions staff is very kind and informative, and I learned about General Assembly's mission through them. I had some prior knowledge of development, so the pre-work was a bit simpler for me than it may be for others. However, I could see the benefit for anyone coming in with no experience. 

I was nervous. Perhaps the course wouldn't quite live up to my expectations. I had heard so many different things, and read polarizing reviews. Soon after arrival, I figured out that General Assembly was the real deal. It is tough. The workload is intense, and you will find that the only thing on your mind at times is the course. This is exactly what I wanted though. It is called an immersive, and that's exactly what you get from GA. It really was an experience unlike anything I have done before. I was constantly thinking about code. I believe this is the only way someone can learn such an immense amount in only three months.

Besides the course load, GA gave me much more. I made new friends in a new city. I was given confidence in myself that was missing. I was provided mentors and peers that will be connections for life. I found a challenge, and I overcame it. Most of my cohort was comprised of people who were not challenged in their current careers, or were just not satisfied with them. I can say confidently that GA's immersive programs are the perfect way to make that change. 

I'm part of the first cohort that graduated a few days ago. I have technical background (Bachelor of Science in Computer Science) and some programming experience.

 

Research before signing up, and why remote?

Signing up for this first cohort was a huge leap of faith. I did so much research in finding the right programming bootcamp for me.

I even went back and forth to NYC to learn more about the bootcamps while attending a part-time programming class. Each way is 560 miles from my home. I put around 15,000 miles in my car in the process of deciding if I should go enroll in an immersive program.

Because I lived in a rural area, quite easily called the boondocks, I crashed at my relative's apt in NYC for free (lucky!). I still had to go home every weekend for 3 months while going through part-time programming classes. After that grueling commute cycle, I realized that I really can't leave my family alone almost 600 miles away, even if I want to join an immersive programming course. 

My husband is military so I cannot simply uproot our lives for my desire to go into an immersive, and become a programmer.

I really needed to think carefully about what I was going to be doing for the next few months in regards to my career change. After weeks of decision making, I came to the conclusion that I needed to either drive 110 miles every day roundtrip if I wanted to learn how to code in the nearest big city, or attend a remote bootcamp.

I ultimately decided that I should apply for a remote immersive program.

 

Hard time finding the right remote immersive bootcamp.

After applying for several more selective programming bootcamps and passing, it just didn't feel right. It felt like the people that I was put in contact with weren't eager to talk to me. Almost like I was a bother, especially the people who did the technical interviews.

I was getting a bit frustrated because I just couldn't connect with the people I was talking to. It didn't feel like they were eager to help me learn. Instead of sounding enthusiastic about teaching me, it felt like they were talking down to me. Of course, learning the best languages of the moment is key, but I also wanted to feel comfortable with the folks I will be dealing with for the next few months.

 

Seeing GA's Ad for the first cohort (aka guinea pig).

A General Assembly Admissions Advisor reached out to me. I was surprised. It took me a few seconds to process why GA was calling me. I honestly forgot about applying for their remote program. A few days back, I submitted their online form in whim to get the curriculum. Most of the schools with harder vetting process didn't really follow-up.

I've read a lot of reviews on GA and it just didn't seem up to par to what I envisioned myself getting into. The reviews for GA are so mixed everywhere.

Being the inquisitive person that I am, I politely grilled the GA representative on every single aspect of the program. She was very professional, it made me happy to talk to someone who knew what I'll be learning.

But I still wasn't convinced. 

I politely told the admission advisor that I might go with "XYZABC" school because I've already been talking to them weeks back. She convinced me to give it a chance, and attend the information sessions they have. The contrast alone between her demeanor and the uncaring conversations I had with the other "top" school convinced me to give it a shot.

I went to all of their information sessions with the lead instructor and the program head. All I can say was is that their information sessions were really live and open, very unscripted.

I pondered for a few more weeks, until I finally decided to go with General Assembly's Remote Immersive.

 

The pre-work.

I honestly wasn't ecstatic with the pre-work. I thought that it could've been much more focused on drilling the fundamentals than coming up with a pretty project. Honestly felt nervous when I went through the pre-work. I was thinking, "what the heck did I get myself into".

I was upfront about this when they asked for my feedback. I am not scared putting this out there. This also shows that nobody is silencing my voice. I even used my name in this review. Not going as anonymous.

I believe they tweaked it for the upcoming cohorts. I'm not sure. Attend the information session and do not rely on my statement alone. They are constantly tweaking things.

Although I did say that I wasn't much fan of the pre-work, because to me it lacked the preview on the fundamentals that the instructors will eventually hammer on you, I did not dock a star. It is because it ultimately did not take away anything from my learning experience.

 

My experience in the actual lessons.

The beginning was rough. It's just like starting your first day in class, or first day at a new job. A lot of adjusting and discomfort as you go into "immersive learning" mode.

However, I sure did learn a lot. I get goosebumps just thinking about the whole experience. 

I honestly can say that I got out so much from this program. I was able to finally utilize the tools, the Computer Science Fundamentals, that I I didn't know what to do with before graduating. I'm learning ASP and C# now, a few days after graduating. The program was very systematic in teaching us how to approach new topics most efficiently. 

 

Shoutout to my awesome instructors.

I also know it also had a lot to do with our awesome instructors. I am so thankful that I got the instructors that I did. Our instructor group had about 20 years experience collectively between them. That alone speaks volumes of my experience. Did they make it hard on us? Nope. They definitely gave us the chance to excel, but if the student didn't want to, they were not hard on him or her. But the instructors definitely did not slack off in whipping our butts to learn as much as we can. 

Take note, the instructor teams change every cohort. Again, attend the information sessions. You're spending $$$, an equivalent of a very decent car, you should at least make an effort in researching who will be teaching you. I for one would have not joined if I saw anything less impressive than what I saw the team that was going to be teaching me.

 

After graduation.

To speak of the other people in my cohort, I know of a few people already going to interviews. As of this writing, this is day 3 from graduating. I myself went to a few even before graduating. I cannot speak for everybody, but a lot of the people I grew close to, and am still chatting with, seem to be doing quite well. There were some who also had interviews before graduating, but a lot of us were holding out for remote positions.

Full disclosure, right now I'm not going all out in finding a job, so my view of the job market is not quite detailed. I'm thinking of either getting my MS in Computer Science or finding a remote job. At the very least, I want to code with and for a mission and get a job at a mission-focused company, hence the lack of vigor in applying for jobs immediately. The lack of immediate outcome in my part is not the fault of General Assembly. Plus, it's only been a few days since we graduated.

 

Jobs landing on your lap! Not.

Am I saying you'll easily get a job if you apply for this program? I'm definitely not saying that.

This is not a program for someone who saved some dough, and decided, "Hey! I wanna make easy cash!". Don't waste your money or your time if you're not willing to change your lifestyle, way of thinking, and personality.

 

How this program changed me.

I am able to dive head on to learning new tech without hesitation, my approach to working with others in the development side also changed. I'm no longer apprehensive about showing people my code, unlike 10 years ago when it terrified me to do so. I didn't go into this program to learn how to make easy money as a programmer.

 

How I approached the program.

I am actually one of the vocal (but constructive... I hope?) students. I didn't hold back if I felt something was preventing me from getting the best out of what I paid for, both monetarily and my time.

Working till 12am was normal for some of us, be it on homework or pet projects. My day in the immersive officially starts at 10am (although I wake up at 5am to do chores and attend to my family) and ends officially at 5pm. To really learn, get the most out of the lessons and work on my homework with the night TA, my GA time typically ends 11pm. Projects week normally calls for working until 2am. Those who had similar schedule (roughly 14 hours of coding each day for almost 4 months) were able to secure interviews before classes ended.

 

The job hunt.

Like I said, I'm not in full job hunting mode. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to find a job. But do I feel like I got my money's worth? Yes, I do feel that I made the right decision attending this program. I'm even in the process of talking to academic advisors from different schools regarding their Masters programs for CS majors.

Conclusion.

This review is about my experience. I am telling you about how effective it was for me in the aspect of being able to learn new tech and working in a simulated professional dev environment.

 

DISCLAIMER:

This review is definitely not an endorsement of the program. As of this writing (Aug 2016) I have not applied for a job at GA. They do not even have a campus in my big city. Definitely think hard, very hard, and do a lot of research before signing up for anything. And if you do sign up, make sure to do everything that will make your investment worthwhile.

You can visit my blog to read more about my experience as a WDI Remote student. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions you would like to ask a former student of the WDI Remote program.

I have to admit, this program was hard for me. I have a non technical background and there were times in the course I doubted it would work the way it said. In fact I got to a point where I was pretty sour on the entire thing, and there were a few weeks where I really threw a fit. 

I graduated two days ago, and I have to take back every bad thing I said. I was getting recruiter calls before my final project even started, and before I filled out a single application. Today was the first day I really started my job search in earnest, and GA has juice. I have gotten callbacks within hours of applying for anything, and matter of fact have an interview set for tomorrow. From an application I did halfway through today.

My story isn't over, since I've just begun jobhunting I'll obviously update this when I get a job. But the response from companies has given me a lot of faith. Here is what I will say in the way of specifics.

1. This is a really hard program; this is a really hard thing to learn.

Sometimes in this course I was miserable. I was trying really hard to understand, but I couldn't. There was a little while where I would get very frustrated and start to fault the program in my freak-out moments. But the struggling phase is probably just inevitable when you are trying to learn something really hard, fast. I have come to see that there is a method to the madness.

Some of my class actually didn't make it through, and if there is any definite difference I can say about who survived and who didn't, it has to be optimism. You have to know that even if you aren't technical, even if you feel like doing this is taking a big risk, you have to see it through. You have to discipline your dissapointments and frustrations and once out the other side, willl see the big picture.

2. The workload is EXTREMELY INTENSE, and you need to prepare yourself.

Cook a bunch of meals and freeze them ahead of time. Knock out any trips to the DMV or doctor you have on the horizon, you will absolutely not have time for it while in this course. If you have pets, honest to god make a plan to exercise and care for them. The schedule is that intense, and I am not exaggerating. 

If you have a spouse, tell them you are having an affair with your laptop for the next few months. Not even kidding. 

If you have any trips planned, cancel them. Do not make the ridiculous mistake of trying to move during this course, which is what I did and made me fall behind for a while. Also, do as much codeacademy as you can beforehand. You will be glad you did later. 

3. Mix trusting the program with your own gut and learning style.

My course was the first remote course, and there were things that worked and didn't. For instance, I found hand written note taking (what I usually do) was a mistake. You can't keep up with someone typing 60 wpm by trying to take hand written notes. Take screenshots, and code along with the instructors as much as possible.

CONCLUSION?

You know who you guys are, but the people that led my course (the first remote program) were Colin, Matt B, Matt H, Marc, Kristyn, Thom, Adi, Seth, and Meghan. (Shoutout so any corporate back patting does not risk missing you as it's target. It was well, WELL earned.) 

I was a tremendous pain to these people sometimes. I expected them to answer to me about how the course was running in a way that was probably obnoxious. They bent over backwards to help me. They were incredibly accessible. And adaptive. And as something of a dark horse within my class they put in as much effort if not more with me than with the super genius kids that were breezing through.

I don't think I have felt like an instructor, or all the instructors in fact, were this personally invested in me since elementary school. These guys were so on top of it. They knew before I did what languages might be easier for me to learn. They pay very, very close attention. They also are patient with that jerk set on cracking bad jokes and being the class clown. (Spoiler alert, that was also me.) 

I try to stick to the principle of being honest about both problems and solutions. There were plenty of times in this course where I was raising an alarm and freaking out. It is only fair now that I am through that I give appropriate credit. These guys are life changers. Even if you have doubts about this type of course, as once a huge cynic, I gotta say these guys are monumentally good at what they do. And the program they run meets if not exceeds the results that it advertises. 

UXDI at General Assembly helped me relaunch my career. I started in UX over a decade ago when the industry was just starting out. I spent a few years in a CX / UX role and then left to have my family. After almost 10 years out of the workforce, and out of the UX community, the industry had moved forward so much and my experience was very much outdated. I spent 2 years applying for jobs by myself, to no avail. It was then that I stumbled across UXDI at GA and thought I had nothing to lose. Incredibly, after only 1 week after my meet and greet I had lined up 7 interviews in 3 days! This was a combination of jobs i had applied for myself, interviews with recruiters I had met at the GA meet and Greet, and also interviews lined up for me by my outcomes producer. This was unheard of for me, considering I had previously spent two years trying to find employment. By the end of that week I had secured my first short term contract as a UX Designer. Since completing this initial contract, I have moved onto a permanent UX Reseracher role. I have been in this role for close to two months now and I love it. I am proud to say I am a GA success story - a middle aged mum who made her way back into the tech industry after a ten year hiatus. 

I took General Assembly's part-time front-end development course and was adequately pleased with it.  I had a fair amount of front-end knowledge prior to the course through online courses such as codeacademy.com, so the GA course was more review than anything (you won't need any knowledge prior to taking the course, however).  That being said, the instructor was great, the homework was beneficial and I loved the atmosphere created by the GA building/staff.  If I could afford the full-time tuition, I would definitely consider taking the bootcamp and making the switch to the programming field.