Actualize Reviews
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Jarret
Great Bootcamp
This bootcamp was great for me because there was a great balance between learning to program and preparation for the job search. Even if i could teach myself to program to the level that I now can, I would not have the support they provided regarding resume creation, networking, and job applications. Highly recommend. -
David
Best decision I've made
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I made an extremely hard choice coming to Actualize. Leave my comfortable but ultimately dead-end job for something that I might hate? I tried learning how to code online and always ran into walls, ran out of motivation, just burnt out. Is this going to be super intense? What if I fail... how do I explain that to my family and friends?
I really wish I could go back in time and slap myself in the face and tell myself to just do it. I had no idea that I would actually have FUN with all this. The joy of learning new things and expanding my mind - it's something I haven't felt since I was a kid.
What separates Actualize from some other bootcamps (only from what I've heard, cannot give any first hand experience) is that this bootcamp is more about learning how to learn, not learning how to code. Don't worry, you'll learn so much your head will spin when you look back at it - but at the time it never felt daunting. Our instructor Peter did an incredible job of teaching the fundamentals of learning, because that's what we'll really be doing in our jobs. This isn't about passing and failing, weeding out people who aren't getting it - it's about making sure everyone is up to speed and fully understands what they're doing and why.
I feel confident now going into the world of software engineering. Do I know everything? Am I a master coder? Of course not, that's just impossible. But I'm quick to learn, and excited to learn.
The fact that they hire people with actual teaching experience (not just programmers) to lead the classrooms is what pushed me over the edge, and I'm glad. As I mentioned, our instructor Peter was amazing, and probably the best teacher I've had. -
Hayden G
My experience
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I chose Actualize because I was in need of a career change and so I took to the web and looked for bootcamps and actualize stood out to me because of all the positive reviews I had seen even on reddit I had seen positive reviews... so I took a leap of faith and signed up and now finishing the course I can say that the reviews matched up Actualize was a very personal bootcamp I felt that my all my questions I ever had were answered and i feel that I am going to be as prepared as I ever could be for a job interview and I am excited to see what this next chapter holds for me! -
Jack
Express lane to software engineering
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Coding Bootcamps seem to share a similar idea of getting students just the necessary knowledge for a fast turnaround into placing them at a new job. Actualize takes this idea and pushes it to the brink, with good results. The cohort is shorter than some bootcamps, but the fundamentals you learn are exceptional. As I came to realize, it really wasn't important which specific languages I learned while at Actualize, because the likelihood of finding a job using just those languages was very unlikely. Because of this, Actualize focuses on the concepts so that students can quickly learn whatever new languages, frameworks, etc they will need for a new job. As a former teacher, this approach is wise and beneficial for student learning. -
Casey C.
Graduate
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Overall had a positive experience at Actualize. The curriculum and topics covered weren't necessarily the most popular current languages and frameworks, but the general idea was more to learn how to learn and teach yourself any framework or language you're interested in. Would've liked to have spent more time on JavaScript including some of the more advanced methods and functionality, but I feel I'm leaving the course with a solid understanding. I think I personally would've preferred to learn React instead of Vue, but that could be mostly a personal preference. Overall I had a good time, enjoyed my classmates, and feel I'm leaving with a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon. -
Danielle B.
Great Experience
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Actualize. My instructor was very knowledgable about the topics that were covered, the class size was small and the career counselors are a pleasure to work with. -
Roman Vetter
Review
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Initially, I had set up interviews with several different coding schools/programs and after several weeks of researching and letdowns, I happened to come across Actualize. I made the assumption that this would be like the rest of them which felt more like a scam rather than an actual coding institution; I set up an interview with Rena, and she quickly put my fears to bed. After another interview and scrolling through page after page of reviews, I was glad I had made the decision to go with Actualize.
I decided to switch career fields during the pandemic because I wanted something different and I wanted something better for myself. Choosing this school as a step towards my future was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was very fortunate to have Amanda as my instructor. From top to bottom, she succeeded my expectations and actually gave a shit about her students. She made sure we were all on the same page before moving on and made me feel valued as a student and human being. It's qualities like that that make this world not such a shitty place.
The career counselors also don't just abandon you when you graduate. They are there to make sure your job search is going well and to offer advice. I'm very thankful for them and all of their help thus far.
If you're on the fence about choosing a coding program like I once was, please please please for the love of god go with this one.
It may sound trite and cliche but you won't regret it and one day my young padawan, you will be where I am, writing a review similar to this one.
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James M.
Review
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Looking for a career change, I couldn't be happier to have chosen Actualize for my education over other bootcamps. From the very first steps toward applying I could truly tell that Actualize has honest intentions of educating their students and helping them become independent and valuable Software Developers. The environment for learning was optimal - a small class with great lessons and hands on practice to solidify the learning experience. Instructors and TA's were always readily available to make the process enjoyable, smooth and stress free. I recommend Actualize to anyone, regardless of experience that is interested in becoming a Software Developer. By the end of the bootcamp you will know, be able to, and already have made a full functioning web application using Ruby on Rails as a backend and Vue.js for the frontend. -
Jonathan Bahena
11/10 Better Than I Imagined
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The course itself teaches you everything you need to know to become a full-stack web developer. The classes are fun and enjoyable but are packed with a lot of information. My instructor was absolutely amazing with previous teaching experience making the course feel like a very natural classroom setting even over Zoom. The career advisors, as well as the instructor, will help you build up your Linkedin, resume, as well as interviewing skills to prepare you for the job search. I am currently at the start of my job search and I am excited to see what the future holds. -
Daniel
An Excellent Investment
I had an awesome time at Actualize. Amanda has been an amazing instructor. We covered both back-end and front-end development and complete really cool projects. The big deciding factor for me was the job-hacking or job assistance aspect of the bootcamp. You can tell they really want their students to succeed and provide ample resources (in perpetuity!) for finding work after the class is complete. -
Aiden Isaia
Fantastic Course
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Everything was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed my cohort. The staff and instructors are very helpful and kind. You 100% will be taught how to fully develop an app and feel comfortable making one. You also learn how to learn more which is very helpful. Job assistance is great, they spend a good amount of time helping you with your resume and your job search. I feel confident in my ability with a software career and believe everyone will be too with this course. -
Carlos
Great bootcamp choice
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Actualize was a phenomenal choice and experience for coding bootcamp. The course was part time in the evenings so I was able to keep my full time job.
What's great about Actualize is they teach how to learn and problem solve on your own which are important.
The instructor Brian is a great educator and always stayed after class to answer questions, or answered some questions during the day. All classes are taught live by the instructor and there's always a TA to help.
Actualize also has a "job hacking" segment that runs during the program and after you graduate. You get a career advisor that helps you from the beginning to create or update your resume for web development jobs and provide trainings on how to prepare for technical interviews.
In all, I'm glad I chose Actualize. It was a great experience and a great time -
Adrian
Big learning experience
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i attended the 12 week online boot camp course from Actualize. This course was a tremendous help on getting my feet wet with the software development career. Teaching you the vitals of backend development and frontend. learning ruby on rails backend APi's was a learning curve but wasn't impossible. I enjoyed learning the fundamentals of creating frontend pages with Vue.js and various other frameworks and resources given to us. we moved at a quick but steady pace on learning what we did in our 12 weeks, including our 1 month of pre work before our course officially started. The general overall atmosphere was very nice to learn in, my instructor brian was a fantastic mentor. i enjoyed getting to connect with my fellow classmates. I'm very excited to get my career started in this new field of tech. Highly recommend this boot camp from Actualize. It was a great learning environment. -
Mike M
Great Curriculum and Resources
Actualize does an excellent job at teaching the fundamentals of web development. The instructors are knowledgable on the subjects taught, and plenty of optional/supplemental exercises were available. Career counseling was also a nice bonus and was well done. -
Shinan
Full-stack developer
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Just finished my coding bootcamp course. I came into this coursework with absolutely zero knowledge about coding and I feel like through this I've gained a very solid foundation of a full-stack application. The instructors are all super engaging and my daytime instructor (Dani) was extremely supportive and enthusiastic about the curriculum so it was easy to learn. I highly recommend this bootcamp! -
Ben M
An amazing Experience!
I loved the small class size, teachers who were all extremely available and willing to help, the program that was designed to teach you how to learn efficiently, and the fun projects to work on.
It is a lot of work, but an incredibly valuable experience
11/10 . . . would recommend to anyone looking to learn web development -
Will P.
Excellent Curriculum, Structure, and Length of Course
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I found Actualize based on the Course Report reviews. The experience certainly met, if not exceeded, the expectations that I had upon entering. The curriculum gives you a good basis in languages that are applicable in the corporate world, but the most important aspect is on how you learn what you are learning. This focus gives you a good way to expand you base of knowledge outside of your class experience because of the emphasis on linear thinking and problem decomposition. Upon signing up, I was mildly skeptical about the overall length of the course, being that many are 6-8 months, but I found that to be unnecessary skepticism. The 12 week live portion plus the 5 week pre-work is the right amount of schooling to prepare you for the future. The daily schedule allows for flexibility to get out-of-class work done on your time, rather than keeping you in class 8-9 hours/day. Also, with a cohort size of < 15, you have the ability to connect with your instructor, TAs, and career advisory team frequently, without having to wait in a line of 50-100 other students with the same needs. Stellar program, 10/10 would recommend. -
Katie Tensfeldt
Best Decision I Ever Made!
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This bootcamp was the best decision I ever made. After losing my job in March 2020, I tried teaching myself to code, but couldn't get past a certain point. I ended up doing serious research on different bootcamps, and ended up finding Actualize.
What drew me to Actualize was the fact that they had been doing remote instruction before the pandemic, so I knew there wouldn't be a lot of roadblocks during the learning process, since their curriculum was designed for that format. Also, after talking to the admissions advisor, I really appreciated that they were honest about the entire process, and really letting me know that what I got out of the bootcamp was really up to me. I also was really pleased with the fact that instruction was 'face-to-face' so to speak, so classes were live. The instruction was great, since it didn't rely solely on copying the instructor's work (which a lot of online courses rely too heavily on), but on teaching you how to teach yourself, and really making sure you understand the material.
Class sizes are really small, and there is a great ratio of student's to either instructor or TA. My cohort was made up of 15 students, and we had 1 instructor and 3 TAs. This made it really easy to ask questions and make sure that no one was ever stuck on a problem for too long.
Actualize offers career services, which helped with resume building, and really making sure your job search is as successful as possible. Before graduating from my cohort, I had already submitted a large number of applications and gotten interviews for a few jobs. While they don't guarantee that you will get a job (because they can't control the job market or the effort a student is willing to put in), they really do make it easier to put yourself out there to apply for jobs.
From a less technical standpoint, the cohort format is really great, and after just 12 weeks, everyone became very close, and it was really sad to be graduating. The instructor was absolutely incredible, and very knowledgeable about the source material. All instructors have worked within the industry, but dedicated to teaching full time, so you are truly getting their undivided attention.
If given the option to choose a different bootcamp, I definitely would not. This was absolutely the right decision for me. -
Sophie
Barista turned Full Stack Dev...
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A little background about me before getting into this review....
I struggled with school settings all my life, I completed high school went on to study Fine Arts in College but dropped out after a year. I worked in coffee/restaurants for 10 years and have no tech background whatsoever.
I swear, I never thought I would be able to complete, enjoy, and retain so much in a course like this.
The instructors treat you like you are people. Like a person with a real life, real feelings, and real stress! This course makes the word 'bootcamp' real. It kicks your butt. But in the way you needed to.
A friend of mine with a similar background to me suggested this program when I was coding school hunting and after chatting with the Actualize folks, I didn't look at anything else.
Every single instructor I have met is full of life and keeps the students engaged even during lectures.
If you're thinking about making a career change, this is the best program, the amount of perks associated with the actual getting that job in the end is just insane. I can't wait to see what's next for me. -
Rob George
Wonderful Experience
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I chose Actualize based on it's glowing reviews. Those reviews were not entirely accurate. My experience with Actualize surpassed the reviews i read.
The smaller class size and live instruction worked so well. You can tell everyone on the Actualize team really cares about their students and the mission of teaching programming. Dani was easily in the top two or three instructors I've had in my educational career. I have learned so much in such a short time and feel well prepared for the next step.
I would recommend Actualize to literally anyone with even the the slightest interest in coding. -
Jamie
They Care
Just wonderful all around. My teacher, Dani, was fantastic. They want you to succeed both in class and beyond -- you can tell. -
David Simms
Best Decision Ever
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Got drunk with my brother one night, and decided this bootcamp looked wonderful. Rolled the dice and we both enrolled.
Easily one of the best decisions either of us have made.
There were times that you would get imposter syndrome.
There were times you would second guess if this was the right call.
You quickly discovered you weren't alone, and your fellow classmates became a second family within a few weeks. The support system was wonderful, the grind was worth it, and I have adopted a set of skills that will lead me to a cool new future. Thankful for the help, thankful for the wonderful skills, and will forever be thankful for RUBY HANDS BABY. -
Ryan
Best decision I ever made.
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This bootcamp is simply outstanding. I had absolutely NO coding experience coming into this, and here I am, 12 weeks later, and am fully confident in the skills that Actualize taught me. My professor was insanely talented, patient, and overall an incredible asset to have along the journey. I am so happy to have been able to experience this bootcamp, and cannot wait to see what my future holds in software engineering! -
Stef
Amazing Experience!
You can't go wrong with Actualize - the entire staff is amazing, helpful, and has your back throughout the whole program. I'm beyond thrilled that I decided to take a leap of faith and go with Actualize. Cannot wait for what's to come! -
Micah
Great experience with great people
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I chose to go to Actualize because of the curriculum focus on being taught how to learn rather than being taught a language and they did not disappoint. Even though we might not have learned the most popular languages we learned that was just a tool used to understand coding to the point where I feel very capable of learning other languages on my own pretty easily. I would recommend Actualize to anyone looking to get their foot in the world of software development and I feel prepared to take on the next step in my new career. -
Kaitlin Murphy
Actualize
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Once I started talking about the fact that I was doing a coding bootcamp, everyone had questions - What's the name of the program? What's the pace? Do you like it?
I can wholeheartedly say that yes, I liked it - to all the people asking me questions, I always encourage them to check it out. I was brought to Actualize through a friend's positive experience, and I hope that my own positive experience can lead someone else to it as well.
Actualize does a great job by being so different from a traditional learning environment and yet doing what they do so well. It's hard to learn as an adult and it's hard to make a career or life change but the evening class times align perfectly to working a full-time job and while it's certainly a time commitment, it never feels like drowning. The pace is fast but the classroom style of lecture on content, then time to exercise it on our own, then brought back as a whole group to see the exercise demo feels really natural. The teacher and TAs are available throughout for questions and their walkthrough of debugging or challenges is approachable and masterful. It's clear that my teacher, Brian, was an educator previously and a careful and mindful one as well. If you get him as your instructor, you'll almost certainly want to buy him a fruit basket for all his hard-work and dedication to the class.
The additional job-hacking course that's built in also can't go unmentioned. I'm walking out of the course truly feeling like I have the ability to get a job in a brand new field and that's fully because of the work of the career services team and their thoughtful inclusion of best-practices for career-switchers and industry new comers.
Overall, I can't overstate the good feelings I have post-bootcamp. I have been given the skills to be a continued learner even after the course is over, and I know that the folks involved will continue to care about the people they teach and the ways they continue to grow post-grad. -
Adam
Amazing Experience!!!
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Joining Actualize's coding bootcamp was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The class moves at a breakneck pace, so at times you will feel like you're drowning in information but keep at it and ask a ton of questions! The TA's and instructors are very responsive and helpful whenever you need it. YOU WILL NEED IT! Brian is and incredible instructor but be prepared for a slew of Dad jokes and painful mispronunciations of certain grains... In all seriousness if you are looking to join a coding bootcamp, look no further, Actualize is the best!!! -
George Chris Carter
If you're done searching for the right bootcamp...
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I chose Actualize by reading reviews right here on Course Report. I kept going back and forth and couldn't decide what path to choose, whether I wanted to try and keep teaching myself, take the plunge into a bootcamp, or choose a different one. I decided to setup a call with Actualize just to see what it was all about and if it would be the right fit and found an instant connection. At the time, I had reached out to at least 7 other bootcamps. Actualize was the first to respond and have been doing online cohorts, long before many of the competitors. Actualize prioritizes its students and learning first. The instructors will do everything and anything they can to make you successful. The amount I have learned over the past four months is honestly astounding and if you asked me where I would be and how I would feel at this point months ago, I would have never guessed I'd feel this great. One of the best decisions I've ever made. If you're not sure which bootcamp to do, this is absolutely the one for you. I genuinely couldn't be more pleased. Worth so much more than what you pay for. -
Mackenzie
So Glad I Enrolled
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As someone who had no previous coding experience, and who really considered myself a tech luddite in general, the decision to switch careers and jump in to a coding bootcamp was a daunting one. Deliberating over which bootcamp to choose, and actually making that first payment was a terrifying moment. Now that I am on the other side of this coding bootcamp, I am so happy and relieved to say that the my Actualize experience and training was phenomenal.
Not only will you develop and create a full-stack application, you will also gain the skills and confidence necessary to teach yourself and grow your portfolio on your own in the future. While the curriculum that needs to be fit in to a 3 month period makes the course very fast paced, the incredible support from the instructor and TAs made it so that I never felt completely swamped, or as if I wasn't continuing to gain new knowledge. I was also very happy with the job hacking and interview prep aspect of this bootcamp, and feel prepared to enter the development world. -
Antonio Restivo
Great bootcamp with good support
This is a great coding bootcamp with great instructors and a great curriculum. After finishing my CS degree needed motivation to work on independent projects and this bootcamp helped me get started. Chose this bootcamp since they have you do exercises live and give you plenty to do. Love the project I made in the end and plan to work more on it G-d willing. -
Sean Maher
Couldn't be happier
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I picked Actualize as my coding bootcamp because they have a huge number of good reviews and because they're based out of Chicago. I couldn't be happier with my decision.
We focused on the core concepts from the 4-week pre-work stage through the 12-week live class. Knowing nothing about coding bootcamps before attending this one, I was a little worried the technology that we would be learning wouldn't necessarily be applicable to every job that I apply for. What I quickly learned, however, is that Actualize teaches you how to learn effectively. They teach you how to go about learning new things in a smart and thorough way.
I was in a small class of 12 students, 3 TAs and a lead instructor. Dani has been the best instructor I've had in anything ever. Period. She's energetic, well learned and extremely empathetic as well. I feel confident in applying for any entry level developer job and even some mid level ones too. More than that I feel like I'll actually be useful and able to do my job when I get one.
This has 100% been the best money I've ever spent on myself. If you're looking for a coding bootcamp that will prepare you for a legit career in tech, don't sleep on Actualize. You won't regret it. -
Theodore Kim
Excellent Educational Experience
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Actualize is an incredibly well thought out web development bootcamp, and I feel honored to have been able to attend the course. Having spent about 20 years of my life in education, and having been an educator myself from a family of educators, I can confidently say this school is one of the best educational programs that I've attended in my life. The instructors and founder truly care about the students and believe in the course that they are teaching. The course is well organized, the curriculum is well curated for learning from ground zero, and the homework is great for deliberate practice. When I selected actualize, I was ready to be a fly on the wall and learn by exposure, but instructor took the extra mile and helped me specifically with my deficiencies, especially in the area of explaining and talking code. This program is a gem, and if you're looking for an education first experience, I would highly recommend you take a deeper look. -
Sarah
Best Decision of my life
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I chose Actualize because of word of mouth, and it was not a disappointment. This program is completely supportive both in the boot camp as well as after the program. As someone who came in with a minimum coding background, I felt like I grew so much in terms of skills. The content that you are taught and how you are taught is makes the experience enjoyable and sets you up to teach yourself post boot camp. This is a decision that I will never regret making. -
Aja
Best Decision I Ever Made!
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I chose Actualize because of their education first, coding second approach to bootcamp. As someone who has been out of school for a while, it was important to me that a lot of thought was put into the way these complicated concepts were taught in a way in which I could actually take in the information being given. After officially completing and graduating from the program, I can honestly say, I made the absolute best decision. I don’t consider myself a super quick learner and I also have ADHD, however, I was able to grasp the concepts and felt cared for by my Instructor and TA (shout out to Amanda and Erik!!) along with the entire Actualize team throughout the entire experience.
I got scammy vibes from a lot of other bootcamps out there. Especially those that offer that “Pay nothing until you get a job” thing, where they take money out of your paycheck for like 4 years (and most of the time, you end up paying far more than the upfront tuition). Not saying that all of them are, I just do not agree with the practice. Actualize not only does not engage in that practice and they have affordable/realistic payment plan options instead.
I research things pretty intensely, and did not deviate from that when making this important decision. Believe me when I say this, Actualize is the real deal and in the top 3 best decisions I’ve made in my entire life. DO IT! -
Pedro R
It was a blast.
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I chose Actualize because they promised an educational approach to learning how to code. They delivered on that and so much more. To the excellent teaching staff who always made sure you were keeping up and never hesitated to answer any questions. The awesome career counselors, who were able to make the seemingly scary adventure of job hunting less scary and more of an adventure to get you to the place you want to be. I loved my time at Actualize and if you are on the fence, I say , just do it. -
Remington Berg
Amazing Program!
Coming from a background in hospitality, I didn't know much about coding, but something I thought would be fun to learn. Coming into the bootcamp, I barely knew how to navigate a terminal, and now at the end of it, I build and designed my own web app. The course moves at a nice pace and there are so many resources to help you. You learn just as much as you have fun!!! -
Nadia
Great Experience
My time in Actualize was an amazing experience. I learned more than I thought would. It was a rigorous course. It opened my mind to a new way of thinking and I feel that I have the tools to not only join the job force but learn new programming languages on my own. I highly recommend joining this program if you want to start a career in software development. -
Emmanuel
Actualize Student Review
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I choose Actualize Bootcamp because of the teaching first approach to curriculum. The instructors all had teaching backgrounds outside of just know how to code. This helped me get a better sense of the fundamentals of software development. My Actualize experience was amazing. I participated in the night class cohort. I was provided with all materials that I needed for the course. They force you to learn the fundamentals of arrays, loops, conditionals, and functions before you start the course was a great way to build skills later for ruby and javascript. They do a great job making you mentally prepared for the grind because it is a 12-week Grind!! You get to work on many cool projects and form a shopping cart to a team API project(fun stuff). I would say some suggestions for the future, maybe a week with React and Django after learning Rails and Vue Js. Also, maybe a class two dedicated to front-end design principles. Overall, if you are looking for a great place to expand your coding knowledge. This is the place to be. -
Shane Colby
Coding Bootcamp Review
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I was looking to switch careers and became very interested in coding. Having a good friend graduate from Actualize made me want to see what it was all about. Seeing all the great reviews and actually knowing someone who had gone through the course and land a great job make it an easy decision to join.
What makes Actualize great is the teachers. Not only do they know what they are doing, they know how to teach it and make you understand the content. They are very helpful and want you to succeed. I was never afraid to ask for help if I needed it. Starting from knowing very little to creating apps in 4 months showed me that once you know the fundamentals, you are capable of learning anything you want.
Another thing that I love is the Job Hacking. Actualize works with you throughout the course to create a fantastic personal website and resume to start your job search. Once you are done with the course, they will continue to support you on your job hunt.
All in all, I am completely happy with my decision to join Actualize. From pre-work to capstones, I enjoyed it every step of the way. It is sad that it is over but it made me excited to see what happens going forward! -
Andrew Chin
A Good Experience
Overall, I had a ton of fun throughout the bootcamp and I'm looking forward to continuing to code.