In this series, we spotlight General Assembly graduates who epitomise the heart, soul, and grit it takes to transform your career dreams into reality.
Name: David
Course: Software Engineering Bootcamp
Year Graduated: 2020
Location: London
David’s Story:
Inspiration can strike at any time, provided you’re open to it. For David, he was chatting with a friend at a bar, who casually mentioned General Assembly. The comment planted an idea in David’s brain that would eventually change his life.
“It triggered, like, a little thought seed in my mind,” David recalls. “I inquired with GA to get insight into what they have on offer, met a couple more people who had done the Software Engineering Bootcamp, and thought, what have I got to lose?”
To some, David’s quick pivot from the NHS into software engineering may have seemed spur-of-the-moment. But his hunger to tackle the tech world had been a long time brewing. David liked his job—but had been looking for a fresh challenge. “I really wanted to produce something for end users to use—to be on the creation side of engineering.”
Like many natural change-makers, David longed for tough, consequential problems to solve—and the hard-won lessons that accompany them. “It’s continuous learning,” he says of his new cybersecurity role. “You really feel like you’ve achieved something when you hit that eureka moment and learn something.”
David’s experience is reflective of what’s happening across industries and roles: The rapid pace of technological change has altered job skill sets by 25% since 2015, according to Korn Ferry. LinkedIn’s latest report on AI at Work forecasts this percentage to rise at least 65% by 2030.
Following graduation, David applies the know-how he acquired at GA on a daily basis. “There’s not as much theory implemented in the GA course,” he says. “It’s really just hands-on experience that you’re gaining—and hands-on practice with tools and frameworks that are used extensively throughout industry at the moment.”
(By the way, this relevance is by design—GA constantly iterates the bootcamp curriculum to ensure it’s packed with the most in-demand skills in the marketplace.)
Even with a cutting-edge curriculum, no one succeeds without a team. David had plenty of people in his corner during his transformation—especially his fellow GA learners. “We champion each other,” he says. “It’s good to have that network of people who are in the same position. And it’s interesting to see how different people progress with their careers.” He’s quick to shout-out his GA support team as well. “They were really good—like, really hands-on helpful,” he says. “They made the job search a lot more bearable.”
Speaking of the job search, David urges enterprises to partner with GA to solve their talent issues. “GA graduates are different from traditional talent,” he says, “because we’re forced to operate in a sphere that very closely reflects the working environment.” He stresses how valuable it is to understand how, for instance, an agile scrum environment works—and to enter that situation with confidence on day one.
But of course, the first thing you need is a spark—just like the one David felt years ago in the bar. Interested in speaking with a GA grad directly? You just might be able to speak with the man himself. “I’m very active in the GA community,” says David. “I offer insight into how to approach job searches, CVs, and how to present yourself. It’s good to relay that onto other people so they can see success as well.”
Is David’s story the a-ha moment you’ve needed? Explore your options now.