In 2011, General Assembly started as a co-working space in the Flatiron District of New York City. It soon shifted from offering “office space for entrepreneurs” to offering classes on in-demand workspace skills. That was the start of a decade of notable milestones.
The following year, General Assembly opened its first international campus in London. By 2015, General Assembly was named “One of the Most Innovative Companies in Education” by Fast Company. This year, it is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
What began as a partnership between four friends who wanted to create a space for entrepreneurs has turned into a global pioneer in non-traditional education and career transformation, catering to both individuals and employers. Ten years after its founding, General Assembly has 14 campuses and 25 digital communities globally with 80,000 global alumni.
Today, General Assembly offers learners top-rated Immersive Programs in Data Science, Software Engineering, and User Experience. These full-time programs run for 12 weeks and include dedicated career coaching. By the end of the program, graduates are fully equipped with the skills they need to enter and thrive in their chosen fields.
General Assembly also offers workshops, part-time courses, and on-demand learning experiences in various other subjects such as Digital Marketing, Visual Design, and Product Management. All General Assembly courses focus on teaching today’s in-demand skills that lead to career transformations.
As General Assembly celebrates 10 years of cultivating diverse tech talent worldwide, you can look forward to special events and offerings that focus on giving back to the community.
General Assembly’s award-winning curriculum can help you gain in-demand skills, fit to launch a new tech career.
Browse General Assembly’s offerings here.10 Years of Success Stories
General Assembly has helped thousands of people around the world transform their lives. As part of its 10th celebration, let’s recap some of the success stories that encapsulate the impact of a General Assembly education.
A few years ago, Noemi Romero, a single mom to two kids, lost her job as a full-time nanny. After years of setting it aside, she was motivated to pursue her long-term career goal of working in software. She graduated from General Assembly’s Web Development Immersive program in 2018. Today, she is a customer quality engineer at Chicago-based software startup 4Degrees.
“What motivated me to make a change was that I always wanted to enroll in college—I had to drop out of high school when I became a teen mom. Being a new mom in high school, my priority was to take care of my daughter, so I became a nanny to provide for her. But I always had the dream of finding a career for me,” she said.
“I chose GA because I liked the curriculum and resources they offered. The timeline of the program was perfect for someone like me. I thought to myself, ‘I can’t afford to go to a four-year college, but with a three-month course, I can manage.’”
“As a single mom, this was just what I needed to be able to make the career transition,” Noemi shared. “They made me feel welcome and supported. They gave me an opportunity by awarding me a scholarship, and I will always be grateful to everyone at GA.”
General Assembly had a significant impact on Noemi’s life, and she encourages others to pursue their own goals. “I kept going because I was doing the program for my kids and my dream of a better future. They were my inspiration and motivation to take the risk—they were my fuel.”
“This was an opportunity that I was not going to take for granted. It is very hard to make a career change, but you are worth the hard work. In those moments when you feel like quitting, remember why you are doing it,” Noemi said.
General Assembly is not just for learners like Noemi who want to upskill, but also for those looking to reskill themselves for another industry that better fits their personal goals.
Manan Shah was a VP in Internal Audit at Neuberger Berman before shifting careers to pursue UX Design. He graduated from General Assembly’s User Experience Design Immersive program in 2017 and is now a Senior UX Designer at JPMorgan & Chase.
He shared why he decided to change careers even if he already had a stable and secure role in finance. “At Neuberger Berman, I was most recently a VP in Internal Audit. But there were a few reasons why I decided it was the right time to look for a new challenge.”
“I worked at the same place for 11 years after graduating college and never even interviewed for a full-time job. I learned how to excel in a structured environment, but I didn’t have the opportunity to flex my creative skills. I also wanted to start a family soon and knew it was my last chance to take a risk and do something different,” Manan said.
With dozens of bootcamps to choose from, Manan chose General Assembly and its UX Design course for several reasons. What finalized the decision for him was the opportunity to speak to someone who also made the move from finance to UX through an open house.
“GA has a great reputation among bootcamps, especially since they have a large employer network. It was also suggested to me by a few people, so I went to an open house. Coincidentally, the instructor was a UX designer at an accounting company. He said things that kept checking boxes for me, like ‘Am I the kind of person who asks how things could be made better?’ and ‘Do I like to find new ways to do things?’
“When I asked him his opinion on a career change from finance to UX, he understood my skills as an auditor and connected the dots from that role to UX. At that moment, I knew what I wanted as my next challenge,” Manan explained.
“The support and encouragement from my instructors and classmates were key to my success. I was able to help others with concepts I knew, and they helped teach me things I was not as confident in,” Manan further shared. “I would not be where I am now—which is in a much happier place—without GA.”
These are just a couple of success stories from 10 years of General Assembly graduates. If you want to learn more about school alumni and how they transformed their careers, read here.
10 Percent Off on Part-time Courses
As part of its 10th anniversary, General Assembly is offering a special 10 percent off on the following part-time courses:
- Data Analytics
- Data Science
- Digital Marketing
- Front-End Web Development
- JavaScript Development
- Product Management
- Python Programming
- React Development
- User Experience Design
- Visual Design
This special offer is a great opportunity for students to get full-on learning on a part-time schedule. Students will get 10 percent tuition credit on part-time courses that launch before September 30, 2021. If you’ve always wanted to take a General Assembly course, this is an incredible opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.
Free Career-Changer Guide
General Assembly has drawn upon its 10 years of experience in education and career transformation and has created “Landing Work You Love”, a free guide for anyone interested in entering the tech industry.
The tech career guide offers an overview of the six core areas in tech, including Coding, Data Analytics, and Data Science. It also gives an informative summary of the skills needed in each discipline, job responsibilities, and the typical career track in each field.
It includes a step-by-step guide on how to land a job in tech. From comparing the pros and cons of self-study with enrolling in a technical training provider to breaking down available financing options, this helpful guide gives a bird’s-eye view of what needs to be done to reach professional goals successfully.
“Landing Work You Love” is a must-read for anyone interested in entering the tech industry or even just interested in learning more about the different in-demand fields in tech.
Worldwide Community Events
A decade of educating people and helping transform lives is undoubtedly a reason to celebrate. To commemorate its first 10 years, General Assembly is also holding free online events featuring inspiring resource speakers who will share their expertise and success stories.
One of the events planned is Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow Panel & Workshop, which will be a casual conversation on how tech industry leaders are leading and inspiring future generations through the power of learning.
Leading the conversation will be Isabelle Peyrichoux, CEO and Career Coach of Brilliant Seeds LLC; Shanaz Chowdhery, Head of Community at Career Karma; and David Porcaro, PhD, VP of Learning and Innovation at General Assembly.
They will be sharing their own experiences about how learning contributes to success, insights on navigating careers in 2021, and how the next generation of lifelong learners and future leaders can be encouraged and supported.
The panel will be followed by a free professional workshop by Isabelle who will guide attendees through interactive exercises that will help them identify and pursue the work they love.
Another event to look forward to is Celebrating 10 Years: Implementing Successful Marketing Skilling Initiatives. This fireside chat will feature industry leaders Matt Tumbleson, Brand Director of P&G Ventures; Terry Rice, Founder of Terry Rice Consulting and Expert-in-Residence of Entrepreneur Magazine; and Roxanne Ong, SVP, Global Head of Consumer & Beauty Tech of Shiseido.
The expert panel will be discussing the challenges and opportunities marketing businesses face today. They will also share practical advice on how to use assessments and upskilling as methods to drive transformation and achieve tangible business results.
These free panels and workshops are available and open to anyone interested. Everyone is invited to attend these dynamic events.
Celebrating with a Purpose
In its 10th year, General Assembly is ushering in a new era and looking to the future. With a new senior leadership team composed of passionate movers and shakers in education, digital transformation, learning design, product management, and marketing, it is ready to go even further in the next 10 years.
Together, the team brings 200 years of collective educational experience to General Assembly and takes it to its new chapter while still staying true to its roots of career transformation through innovative courses and programs.
By working closely with instructors, students, internal teams, business partners, and industry leaders, General Assembly will continue to be a pioneer in its field, living up to its mission of innovation, global expansion, and the endless possibilities of the future.
From a small co-working space in New York to a global leader in education and career transformation, General Assembly has uplifted thousands of lives and will continue to change even more in the next 10 years and beyond.
Learn more about the special events and offerings that General Assembly has for its 10th anniversary here.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
