Samuel Bassong

Software Engineer

Online

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Sam is a software developer and educator driven by a curiosity about all things technology and a dedication to guiding others into the tech industry. Previously a bioscience researcher, he transitioned into engineering through General Assembly’s bootcamp in 2021. After years of delivering user-facing products and enterprise-grade geospatial software, Sam returned to GA as a Teaching Assistant, then Instructional Associate, and now serves as Lead Instructor. This full-circle journey allows him to pair read-world industry expertise with an empathetic understanding of the student experience. Off-clock, he’s likely debugging passion projects, following top-tier soccer leagues, catching live music, and spending quality time with his partner and two cats.

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IN CONVERSATION WITH SAMUEL:

What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?

The React ecosystem on the frontend for its modularity and state management, as well as Node/Express on the backend for its flexibility and minimal setup. Both tools also benefit from a strong open-source community.

What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?

MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node), because it is a modern, widely used technology stack with strong community support that offers an accessible entry point for new developers.

What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?

The "Just-In-Time" approach combined with the 80/20 rule, which aligns perfectly with GA’s mission. By focusing on the 20% of tools that developers use 80% of the time, we ensure students are job-ready quickly while building the foundation necessary to continue their lifelong learning journey.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?

Learning technical skills is a personal journey that requires perseverance and consistency. Approach this path with the understanding that code not working is normal; part of the job is simply finding solutions to those challenges. As long as you are willing to face those bugs and practice daily, you are making progress.

What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?

After graduating from GA’s SEI bootcamp in 2021, I worked as a web developer for a UX education company, building consumer-facing web pages and client communications with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Later, I joined a geospatial consulting company as a software engineer, developing and maintaining full-stack applications using many of the tools I teach today, including JavaScript, Python, React, Node, MongoDB, and AWS.

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