Workshops at General Assembly
The tech world is ever-evolving with new innovations constantly taking front and center. As trends continue to change, it has become more important than ever for tech enthusiasts of today to stay on top of the game. By keeping your skills updated, not only can you increase your employability rate but also stand a chance to explore more exciting opportunities.
For most, coding bootcamps are a great place to turn to, mainly due to their flexibility, duration, and costs—they can help accelerate your career tracks by teaching the most in-demand skills with an industry-approved curriculum.
However, many bootcamps understand that not everyone has the privilege to solely dedicate a few months or a couple of thousand dollars for an education. With this in mind, General Assembly—one of the largest bootcamps in the world—expanded its offerings by including a wide array of workshops that can cater to those looking for a no-fuss program to upskill themselves.
The 10-year-old bootcamp’s self-stated goal is to ‘close the skills gap’ in the tech industry. As of date, it has helped over 12,000 graduates from its full-time programs launch new careers in tech. The school, however, is far from done.
With its workshops, General Assembly is attempting to supply the ever-growing demand for qualified professionals. In spite of the duration, students are guaranteed high-quality lessons considering most of these workshops will be conducted by General Assembly’s own top-tier instructors.
As we previously learned in General Assembly: Instructors’ Spotlight, the school hires some of the best from the industry, with a number of them having held positions in the biggest companies such as Adobe, Google, Microsoft, IBM, and PayPal.
These workshops are also ideal for those thinking about enrolling in one of General Assembly’s full-time or part-time courses. If you’re a career changer or a recent graduate who would like to get a taste of technical education, this is your chance to dip your feet into what awaits without having to worry about the time or the General Assembly cost.
At General Assembly, there are six main topics to pick from; Business, Coding, Career Development, Data, Design, and Marketing. In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the most exciting workshops happening this month and next. You can also head on over to General Assembly’s Catalog page for the full list of workshops available.
Learn Give Grow
General Assembly is all about empowering the global communities and in that spirit, it recently launched a new holiday campaign dubbed Learn Give Grow. For every eligible individual who registers for a Free Friday workshop, the school will donate $1 to the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development non-profit.
All you have to do is sign up for any workshops tagged Free Fridays here and General Assembly will be making the donation on behalf of your participation. The campaign runs from November 10, 2020, to December 30, 2020, with a cap of $150,000. See the full terms and conditions here.
“It’s better than free. In the spirit of serving and bettering our communities, we’ll donate $1 USD for every person who joins us at our Free Friday workshops—that adds up to a lot of impacts and a lot of learning. Explore upcoming workshops and share with your friends, family, and loved ones for a gift that keeps on giving!”
Eligible Online Workshops
Below are some of the online workshops that are eligible for the holiday campaign, categorized according to the topics. Please note that all the following classes will be conducted entirely online via Zoom and participants are required to bring a laptop and preferably have a strong internet connection.
It should be noted that there are multiple sessions for some of the workshops. Click on the link provided to look for upcoming sessions, in case you missed the dates listed below.
Business
Date: November 25, 2020 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:30am-12:30pm +08
Cost: Free
Smithfield Digital Co-Founder Stephen Toms will lead this two-hour workshop as you learn how to rank your website at the top of search engines, like Google. He will be sharing some tips on creating an effective SEO campaign that improves your online visibility and increases traffic on your websites. This is suitable for entrepreneurs, digital marketers, and individuals looking to start a career in a relevant field.
Date: November 21, 2020 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00am-2.00am +08
Cost: Free
This workshop will shed some light on using consumer empathy as a tool for successful product strategy, design, and marketing. You will discover where and how to find the necessary data and research inputs to design a customer journey map and learn more about several methodologies used by major brands and products, alongside real business case studies.
Date: December 11, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 9:00am-11:00am +08
Cost: Free
Spend two hours with Jimmy Sia, Head of the Go to Market, Strategy & Operations (Enterprise) from Grab as he discusses the rise of Scrum, a popular framework initially designed for software development. In this workshop, participants will learn more about how Scrum fits within the Agile methodology via real-world examples and a practice exercise. This class is ideal for beginners and/or those with some experience.
Coding
Date: November 25, 2020 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:30am-12:30pm +08
Cost: Free
This is your chance to learn the fundamentals of Python programming, alongside relevant techniques and tools with the help of Smartease Director Dr. Wee Kiang Yeo. In this workshop, participants will be able to learn more about the uses of Python, its application in data analysis and web development, and the problems it can solve. Upon completion, participants who are interested to delve deeper into this programming language can pick up where this workshop leaves off with General Assembly’s part-time Python Programming Course.
Date: December 11, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 12:00pm-2:00pm +08
Cost: Free
If you’ve always wondered what programming is like, this is your opportunity to discover more for free! General Assembly’s Lead Instructor Arwa Lokhandwala will be introducing participants to a broad overview of programming and basics of coding via HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. With over five years of industry experience, Arwa will also walk you through common programming concepts. This class is great for tech newcomers and aspiring developers.
Date: November 23, 2020 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:00am-12:30pm +08
Cost: Free
Phillip Peet, a Web Designer at Philboss Design is set to lead this two-hour workshop and enlighten participants on the building blocks of the web; HTML and CSS. Additionally, you get to learn how to apply these programming languages to build your own simple yet functional sites. This workshop also serves as a great introduction to General Assembly’s part-time Front End Web Development Course and full-time Software Engineering Immersive.
Career Development
Date: November 21, 2020 (Saturday)
Time: 1:00am-2:30am +08
Cost: Free
General Assembly’s Global Outcomes Operations Manager and Senior Career Coach, Joy Haugen will highlight some of the best practices when it comes to job searching. With over a decade of industry experience, Joy will use her expertise to help those interested in mastering job searches with tips straight from her own “playbook”.
Date: December 4, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 8:00am-9:00am +08
Cost: Free
In a time where a lot of emphasis is placed on one’s communication skills, public speaking is still feared by many. In this workshop, Shahier Rahman, a partnerships specialist for General Assembly DC will share some tips on how to command the attention of your potential employers, clients, and even peers using the same strategies used by world-renowned speakers. Enhance your own public speaking voice with this online workshop.
Date: December 18, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 8:00am-9:30am +08
Cost: Free
Most professionals still stutter when asked about what defines them. Take a 90-minute journey with General Assembly’s Global Outcomes Operations Manager and Senior Career Coach Joy Haugen as she shares some insights into the importance of a personal brand and the know-how on building a clear and concise brand.
Data
Date: November 21, 2020 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00am-2:00am +08
Cost: Free
This workshop will teach participants the best ways to use Google Analytics to measure the actions of users on your website or app. You can expect to get better insights into your website’s visitors, their behavior, and any patterns and trends. The workshop will begin with an exercise to point out the metrics and data that matter the most to your own business and subsequently the actions you can take to give your business a boost using this free tool.
Date: December 4, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 9:00am-11:00am +08
Cost: Free
Data Analyst at Google Wayne Wong will be leading this workshop and introduce aspiring scientists and analysts to data visualizations, an essential business tool. Participants will get to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of visual methodology, how they can be utilized to convey a message, and the process of creating them.
Design
Date: November 25, 2020 (Wednesday)
Time: 8:00am-10:00am +08
Cost: Free
Principal at DigIO, Design and UX Instructor at General Assembly, Steph Mellor, will take participants through different methods of understanding users’ behavior, thoughts, needs, and desires. Participants will then perform an exercise to identify the actions they can take with the insights they have recently gathered. This process is a crucial step for all kinds of business and comes in handy when launching a new product or service.
Date: December 4, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 12:00pm-2:00pm +08
Cost: Free
This is an introductory workshop that will explore UX Design’s roles in influencing consumers’ behavior, lead by Darren Siow, Owner of Trinity Studio. Additionally, he will be discussing the fundamental tools and techniques used by professional designers. This class is ideal for aspiring UX designers who are interested to pursue part-time or full-time UX Design Courses at General Assembly.
Marketing
Date: December 5, 2020 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00am-2:00am +08
Cost: Free
Social media is where it’s at. As a business owner, a digital marketer, or a professional in corresponding sectors, it is crucial to implement strategies that are curated especially for social media platforms. This class will teach you the best practices on major platforms and different ways to create engaging content for your audience. Participants will also be able to identify the differences between publishing, listening, and reporting tools at the end of the workshop.
Date: December 18, 2020 (Friday)
Time: 9:00am-11:00am +08
Cost: Free
Instagram is a popular social media and is now a top-recommended platform for brands and businesses across the globe. Founder of XYZ Lab, Sotirios Seridis, will show participants how to grow a brand presence on Instagram with strategies to manage your feed, visual aesthetics, stories, and IGTV. Some other things that you will learn include tips to find and collaborate with influencers, audience engagement methods, and content planning.
There is a slew of other free and paid workshops that you can explore outside of the campaign period. All you have to do is head on over to General Assembly’s website, take your pick, and sign up for the course of your choice.
What Participants Love About General Assembly’s Workshops
Here are some reviews from those who have personally experienced General Assembly’s workshops:
“This was awesome! Thanks so much for providing valuable information about networking. I especially enjoyed the information on personal branding and how it impacts the way companies view you!”—Overheard in Online Networking Strategies
A participant of the Online Networking Strategies workshop commended the comprehensiveness of the class in spite of the duration, adding that they were able to walk away with a lot of useful tips that can boost their career.
“Great format, great presenters. Very concise and a lot of information effectively communicated in just under an hour. Would absolutely recommend it to all friends and colleagues interested in exploring tech as a career trajectory change.”
Meanwhile, others welcome the free resources with open arms, especially in such turbulent times where job security is a genuine concern: “The fact that GA provides a free workshop like this shows to me that GA really cares about people learning new skills. I appreciate that.”—Overheard in Programming for Non-Programmers
Echoing the same sentiment, a participant who took part in an Intro to Coding: HTML & CSS said: “Thank you for offering this while so many of us have zero income coming in. I don’t think you could understand how motivating spending this time learning is!”
Learn New Things With General Assembly
The journey towards self-improvement begins with a single click of a button. What else are you waiting for? Visit General Assembly’s Workshops and Events page and browse through hundreds of classes that can help you realize your true potential.
Those who are interested in embarking on a part-time or full-time journey with General Assembly can also get a taste of what awaits them through these smaller offerings.
There is no better time to start learning and subsequently, contribute to the community with General Assembly’s Learn Give Grow Campaign which runs now until December 30, 2020. The donations will allow the International Rescue Committee to continue making the world a better place.
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.
