#LifeAtGA Category Archives - General Assembly Blog

GA Welcomes Gretchen Jacobi as Head of Enterprise & Jourdan Hathaway as Chief Marketing Officer

By

In August 2023, Daniele Grassi was appointed President and CEO of General Assembly to lead our continued evolution and ensure we continue to provide clients like Adobe, Disney, Booz Allen Hamilton, BNP Paribas Cardif, Guardian, L’Oreal, and Microsoft the best-in-class talent and training solutions they’ve come to expect from us. Gretchen and Jourdan are strategic hires brought on to help advance our expansion mission.

Meet Gretchen

Headshot of Gretchen smiling in a soft red blouse

Newly hired Gretchen Jacobi, Head of Enterprise, brings over a decade of expertise in innovative talent development and talent supply strategies. She’ll be focused on helping businesses rethink the way they build and retain talent through customized upskilling and reskilling solutions, as well as scalable emerging talent pipelines, including Hire-Train-Deploy and apprenticeships. She’ll also expand our public-private partnerships with governments and nonprofits, which have driven economic mobility for over 10,000 workers traditionally locked out of high-demand careers. Prior to joining GA, Gretchen held roles at Revature, as SVP, Head of Mid-Market, and at Flatiron School, as VP, Business Development and Head of Career Services.

“As the half-life of skills becomes even shorter and AI continues to boom, global companies, workers, and entire economies are grappling with how to remain relevant, competitive, and productive. GA addresses this challenge by partnering with the most forward-thinking enterprises and governments in the world to invest in their most precious assets — their people. I’m thrilled to grow GA’s reach and impact at a time when solutions to the skilled workforce crisis are more needed than ever.” 


– Gretchen Jacobi

Meet Jourdan

Jourdan smiling in an all white blazer

On the consumer side, Jourdan Hathaway has recently joined General Assembly as our new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). With more than 20 years of edtech and professional services experience in marketing and executive management roles, Jourdan will lead our global marketing organization. This includes brand, product marketing, growth and demand gen, performance, journey nurture, and revenue operations for our product portfolio of bootcamps, short form courses, and workshops. Jourdan’s expertise in creating an outstanding learner experience and operating a business at scale will support her efforts to drive demand for our offerings. She’ll also work side-by-side with our Sales and Product teams to help unlock future growth. Prior to joining GA, Jourdan spent 12 years in online education at Wiley University Services, most recently as the SVP of Operations.

”This role allows me to blend my passion for shaping the future of work with my expertise in marketing, operations, and technology. I’m excited to join General Assembly, long known as a pioneer in the career transformation space, and to help shepherd the business into its next phase.” 

– Jourdan Hathaway

Both Gretchen and Jourdan will serve on our executive leadership team, reporting directly to Daniele Grassi, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“I’m thrilled to welcome industry veterans Gretchen Jacobi and Jourdan Hathaway to General Assembly. Too many businesses continue to report that they can’t find the skilled workers they need. As the problem widens, we need to find new solutions. I’m confident that Gretchen and Jourdan’s complementary contributions will make a significant and positive impact on the next phase of GA.”

– Daniele Grassi

How to Afford Leveling Up Your Career: Financing Options at General Assembly

By

student writing about financing options in GA classroom

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes


Investing in any type of education to advance or change your career is no small step. And it’s one that requires both time and money. 

The financial element tends to be where many otherwise excited and motivated learners get hung up. When deciding to enroll in a coding bootcamp — or any other tech bootcamp — one question consistently pops up: “Is it worth it?” And it’s not just a question of worth from a general perspective. It’s also a question of financial investment. You want to know the money you’re putting in will give you the return on your investment you want and need.

At General Assembly, we like to let our students answer that question. Is taking a GA bootcamp worth it? We sure think so. And so do our grads. 

Take Luxe Hahn for example. After becoming a mom, Luxe decided to enroll in General Assembly’s Software Engineering Bootcamp. She now works as a Software Engineer at Auctane. When asked about the impact of this career change on her life now, she explained, “I’m energized and fulfilled in my career and even after a full day of squashing code bugs, I’m able to be present for my family outside of work. Not to mention the hours I’ve gotten back in my day by having a flexible hybrid work schedule.”

A career pivot to tech can be immensely impactful, but so can the financial burden to get you there. Luckily, you don’t need to finance your career change alone. At GA, you have a number of options to take advantage of when it comes to financing and tuition. 

This article provides a comprehensive look at various financing options and grants for coding bootcamps and our other tech bootcamp offerings — so you can focus more on your tech career transformation and less on cost. 

Continue reading

How General Assembly is Bridging the Skills Gap and Shaping Tech Careers in Bahrain

By

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

In an ever-evolving digital landscape, one organization stands out as a lighthouse for career transformation and education all at once. You might have heard of it! Does General Assembly ring any bells? Since inception in 2011 in New York City, General Assembly has grown from a humble co-working space into a global learning experience with campuses in 20 cities and over 35,000 graduates worldwide, and now, that wealth of experience is established in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Continue reading

GA Welcomes A New CEO: Meet Daniele Grassi

By

Change is an inherent part of progress, and today, we stand at the precipice of a new era as we proudly announce the arrival of our new Chief Executive Officer. With a shared sense of anticipation and excitement, we wholeheartedly welcome Daniele Grassi, an inspiring trailblazer with an exceptional track record and a passion for innovation.


Students, alumni, partners, and friends of General Assembly,

I couldn’t be more excited to join you as General Assembly’s new CEO. The opportunity to lead an organization that empowers people to pursue work they love and supports them in starting and progressing in their careers is a privilege beyond measure.

This is a special company. I have known the brand for years (who hasn’t?), and I have followed with admiration its impact since its inception. Now I get to see it from the inside. With each and every interaction I have had with the team, I have felt the passion to drive positive change, as well as the commitment to our community of strivers, clients, and colleagues.

Under the leadership of Co-Founder Jake Schwartz and then Lisa Lewin, General Assembly has built an incredible community of talented, innovative people. Our learners and alumni across the globe, more than 80,000 strong, are shaping the future of work at the world’s largest and most influential companies. Our work with business leaders is revolutionizing the way that corporations build and retain talent. Our partnerships with state and local leaders across the U.S. have redefined how policymakers and community-based organizations come together to drive economic growth. 

Daniele Grassi, new CEO of GA smiles in headshot
Daniele Grassi, CEO of General Assembly
Continue reading

GA Alumni Story:17 years as a Supply Chain Coordinator to Embracing the Role of a Software Developer at Cash App

By

Making a big career move can mean risking everything but when it pays off, it will turn out to be the best thing you can do for yourself. 

Jaqueline Lemos Elizandro, a Brazilian native currently residing in Sydney, Australia, worked at a company as a supply chain coordinator for close to 17 years before making a life-changing career move. Now, she is a full-fledged Software Developer at one of the biggest digital payment services, Cash App. 

Her journey is one of the many success stories we’ve seen here at General Assembly. Our students come from a diverse range of backgrounds hoping to carve out a meaningful and sustainable career in tech. In the case of Jaqueline, her decision to leave her comfort zone didn’t come easy. In fact, it took moving to an entirely different continent for her to take that courageous first step towards starting a new career in tech.

Read more on what Jaqueline had to share about her inspiring journey.

Continue reading

General Assembly and Tamkeen Partnership Yields 70% Positive Outcome for Graduates

By

Bahrain – May 2023 – General Assembly, a tech bootcamp provider supported by the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) in Bahrain, has reported an impressive 70.1% positive outcome rate for its graduates within 5 months since graduating, which includes job opportunities, freelance work, promotions and starting a business. The high positive outcome rate can be attributed to strategic partnerships with well-known organizations such as Zain Telecom, Bahrain Islamic Bank and HP Spring Studios.

Notably, many of General Assembly’s students were offered job opportunities on the spot at a career fair organized in December 2022. Further highlighting the hands-on experience that General Assembly provides, its students also participated in pro-bono work with Bahrain-based companies such as The Benefit Company, Beyon Connect, Loyale App, Ordable eCommerce, engaging in diverse user experience (UX) projects. General Assembly’s efforts have helped graduates who don’t have technical backgrounds or only have a high school education to secure employment within the tech industry, despite facing various challenges.

Continue reading

3 Tech Innovations in Healthcare Shaping Mental Health in 2023

By

Within the last 200 years, there have been major advancements in healthcare technology — from the invention of the stethoscope in 1816 to the discovery of medical X-rays in 1895. Now, technology continues to support progress in healthcare, with a new and much-needed focus on mental health. 

Since the 2020 pandemic, anxiety and depression have spiked 25% globally. Depression is the leading cause of worldwide disability, and anxiety is the most common mental health disorder across the globe — affecting nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives.

Fortunately, with advancements in technology, mental health support is also becoming increasingly accessible. Due to the positive impacts of technology in the health space, many are shifting their careers from healthcare to healthtech, or outright moving industries to support the growing need for tech workers in health.

This article covers three major technology innovations shaping mental health care, the in-demand jobs to support them, and tips for landing a healthcare technology job. 

Continue reading

Chart Your Course: Which General Assembly Class Is Right for You?

By

Whether you’re making the leap into a career change, or leveling up your current skill set to land that next promotion, you might be wondering if an online coding bootcamp is right for you. The good news is that General Assembly offers a range of beginner-friendly class formats (from full-time immersives to flexible, part-time schedules), and we have a course that will fit your specific career path and interests. 

Continue reading

Celebrating International Women’s Day For Tech Week 2023

By

The tech industry is a dynamic sector that encompasses a wide range of businesses and innovations, from software and app development to artificial intelligence and robotics. With its rapid growth, building a more diverse and equal industry has become more complex but more important than ever before.

Traditionally, the tech world has been a male-dominated space and this has resulted in a significant gender gap across different tech fields. While much progress has been made in recent years, there is still an obvious disparity. Today, women make up less than a third of the world’s workforce in technology-related fields. The recent tech layoffs have also been devastating, with the research indicating that 69.2% of those laid off were women.

Continue reading

Celebrating Women’s History Month With Veterans and Military Spouses: General Assembly & The Adecco Group Sponsor Part-Time Tech Training

By

While the tech industry has made significant strides in closing the gender gap, there is still much work to be done as we kick off Women’s History Month this March. Women only hold 28% of computing and mathematical jobs in the US as of 2022, and make up just 34.4% of the workforce of the largest tech companies. 

This month at General Assembly, we’re shining a light on an often overlooked segment of potential women in tech: veterans and military spouses. 

Continue reading