Actualize Reviews
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Ari
More than a class
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A number of my fellow students commented that in all of their previous years of schooling, nothing was taught as well as this course. We had a great balance of instruction and exercises to immediately implement what we learned. As we worked alone or pair-programmed, two very dedicated TA’s were walking around, not to spoonfeed, but to help us figure out where we were getting stuck and why. I also took them up on their offer to shoot questions at them outside of class time. The cohesive environment made the night time hours more doable, and even enjoyable.
Besides for making us comfortable in a few languages, the curriculum is designed to lay the foundations for how frameworks or different parts of a web-application interact. Honestly, it WAS a bit of a shocker when Peter (lead instructor) told us a few weeks in, “By the way, your first job probably isn’t even going to be in Ruby.” However, I was told by people in the field that it’s not necessarily the language that is attractive to employers, but the fact that you went through a serious, rigorous program and was able to pick up new skills quickly. They turned out to be right. Last summer I was hired for a remote role in a growing company, and I’m working in Angular 2 and Ionic, both of which I didn’t touch in the bootcamp. Actualize’s curriculum has been tweaked since I graduated, so the staff is clearly trying to prepare the students for industry trends. Taylor, the school’s “job-guy,” was very active in helping us make connections and even set me up with a few interviews.
What puts Actualize on top is the built-in Apprenticeship that follows the course. I had multiple interviews where developers were both impressed and envious when I described the real-world agile development and real interaction with clients that we had before seeking that 1st job.
Best of luck in you quest.
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Emily
Great Program!
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Actualize was a positive experience for me! I had been coding on my own for a few years but needed the accountability of a formal classroom commitment to get become a marketable developer. Actualize helped me develop skills for the job market and also gave advice about how to job search. I really enjoyed the instruction and found the advice helpful.
Word to the wise: taking the course is not enough in and of itself, even though the material is sound. You must be networking and continuing to learn after you graduate. Ask specific questions about the networking strategies associated with the program and be sure that you are as committed to your search as you are to your studies. Finding that first dev job isn’t easy but it is extremely rewarding!
Actualize helped me make the transition to full time developer work and I will always be grateful!
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Natale
Great Experience
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I truly enjoyed my experience going through the Actualize boot camp in Chicago. The instructors really do want everyone to succeed and are willing to work with students outside of class time to get everyone up to speed. Its a lot of material in a short time span, but it is presented clearly and broken down in a way that is easy to digest! I would definitely recommend the course to someone who is interested in changing fields but doesn't have the flexibility to quit their current job yet. Actualize made it possible to move my career in a positive direction without having to forfeit my paycheck in the process.
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Jasmine Liu
Actualize Online: best online coding experience you're ever gonna find.
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Before any of this coding business happened in my life, I was not a tech-savvy person, much less a coder. I graduated from college with a degree in Business Management and had a huge passion for interior design. I was the least expected person out of my circle of friends to become a programmer because let's face it - it's a skillset I never touched upon and rumor has it if you didn't come out of college with a degree in computer science, you'll never be good enough to compete.
That all changed when I learned about Actualize. I took a ride with my sister to Chicago from Des Moines, Iowa to an info session on design/coding bootcamps located in Chicago's 1871. There were four bootcamps that presented at the time: Evolve, Designation, Fullstack, and Anyone Can Learn To Code (Actualize). This was the link: https://public.1871.com/event/E617103747. My first impressions were so:
- Evolve Security: Cyber security seemed a bit out of my league from where I stand in coding (which is ground zero) so I ruled out Evolve.
- Designation: My sister attended Designation and there were hopes I could too, but seeing that they focused more on just UX design and no code, I crossed it off my list.
- Fullstack Academy: From a first impression, Fullstack coding bootcamp is full time and very intensive. They have strict guidelines and tests you must pass, and having just come out of college, I didn't want to learn in an environment where I'm all about the test score.
- Actualize (Anyone Can Learn To Code): Then there was Actualize. Jay Wengrow, the founder, gave a speech about how the company truly believes anyone can learn to code, and that it's just a matter of how hard you're willing to try and persist. Jay goes on to explaining that unlike other coding bootcamps, Actualize is a mentorship where instructors with excellent educational and coding background guide you along and there is an optional apprenticeship experience. Not only did Jay seem passionate about the bootcamp, but he also believes in his students. Diving into coding unknown is horrifying, but that all changes when someone walks you through each step of the way.
So I decided that Actualize was for me. Jay gave some of us a tour of the classrooms and students in apprenticeship, and on that same day, I had an interview with Nick the admissions counselor, which consisted mostly of getting to know more about me and whether I'd be a good fit for the cohort (it's not intimidating don't worry). It really stuck with me how much Actualize really cares about the peers their students work with.
Fast-Forward: I went back to Iowa, and was accepted at Actualize; however as much as I wanted to attend the program, I learned that certain circumstances prevented me from attending Actualize in person. Jay and Peter still kept in touch with me in case my situation changes, but at that point the future was hard to tell. One day, Jay reached out to me and said they were opening their very first online course, exactly like the in-class, but live online. I was thrilled! This changed everything. I could actually learn coding through Actualize in the comfort of my own home. I grabbed the opportunity and started class June 2017.
FF x2: I graduated as part of the very first Actualize Online cohort and simply put: I can code now. I can legitimately say that I am a web developer who knows the fundamentals of coding and how to make apps from scratch, and I can apply my skills anywhere, be it learning Python, or a new Javascript framework like React. I can say to an interviewer at a job that I've worked in a peer-programming environment and I know all about git. I can also put on my resume that I know how to work with apps using postgresql database and integrating APIs using jbuilder. But most importantly, I can say to anyone who questions our curriculum why we start out with Ruby and not Javascript, or why Vue and not React, that it is through these specific language and framework I managed to build a solid understanding in fundamental coding, and I am now a ball of clay, ready to be moulded. That, I think, is the true purpose of taking coding bootcamps in general.
I will be starting apprenticeship in a week or so, and hopefully afterwards I can give you an update on how that goes and job hunt as well.
The coding world is always changing, and it's changing fast. Actualize has taught me that I came out this bootcamp knowing I can learn anything as long as I persist and work hard. It's not a bootcamp where you focus on the most popular language or framework; it's a practical one that handpicked the language and framework that is easiest to understand and build a solid foundation in. It is giving you the key to unlock the door to many more skills to come.
I highly recommend Actualize if you have no background in coding or computer science and would like to pursuit a career in it.
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Rena
Best Educational Experience EVER
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Actualize is an incredible, fast-paced 12 week bootcamp. I have never experienced such an elite educational experience.
From the pre-work throughout the in-person classes in Chicago, the instructores supported and guided us and were always available to come early or stay late to answer questions. Actualize has a unique education model that teaches, demoes, gives us the chance to try our hand at an exercise, and then goes over it again to ensure we are doing it correctly.
This was so incredibly effective; I never left class feelling unsure about the material, I always felt that I had a good grasp on what we had learned that day. Honestly, I would say the teaching here was better than my high school and college experience (and I had some pretty good professors in college!)
Programming can be extremely overwhelming and there is always more to learn but the Actualize curriculum fed us in bite sized chunks which made the learning experience a smooth and enjoyable one.
The part-time classes were incredible and allowed me to work during the day and learn at night; no mandatory homework kept my schedule from getting too overwhelming.
If you are interested in learning quickly and from the best, Actualize is definitely a great choice, I would recommend it without hesitation.
Prepare for your brain to get crunched, because it's a lot, but they will hold your hand the entire way.
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Eric Davis
GREAT SCHOOL!!!!!
I learned so much at Actualize. The bootcamp changed my life forever. They dont just teach you how to code but how to learn way beyond there school. They teach you the correct way to learn!!! With great instructors and a grerat environment, It was a awsome experience. If you're thinking about it, please give it a shot. Great school!!!
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Jennifer
A great option if you want to keep a full-time job
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I spent most of 2016 debating whether or not I should quit my job to pursue a bootcamp. My interest in changing careers was strong, but the financial commitment and the extended loss of full-time income I would have had to undertake held me back for a long time. I was excited to learn about Actualize in summer 2016 because it allows applicants to keep a M-F day job, since classes are all day Sundays and 6-9:30 M-Th. This schedule allowed me to keep working and pursue development. I started in fall 2016 and finished in late January 2017. Then I started the apprenticeship portion in February 2017 and completed it in June 2017. I had a job offer in development in early June 2017, and I was able to talk about my experience in the apprenticeship during the interview for that job. All in all, Actualize allowed me to develop skills that led me to my new career, without having to go without the security of my full-time job.
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Carlos
Loved it!
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After my IT career started to plateau, I started looking around for resources that might help me get my carreer to the next level. I came into Actualize to learn how to create web-apps and to learn Rails, but came out with much, much more!
One of the most important takeaways was importance of planning for a project before putting down the first line of code. I may not have understood why I was doing that when I was planning my capstone, but it all came together in the end. Having a solid foundation to my app allowed me to experiment to it towards the end without having to worry about breaking it.
I agree what other reviewers say, this program gives you back as much as you put into it. Although this program is part time, to get the most of it you must be able to spend some considerable time outside of class to review class content (which is recorded). This is specially true if you feel like you are falling behind.
Speaking of, the course at times felt like it was going at a neckbreaking speed. There were several occasions where I made a mistake and fell behind during class, but reviewing the class material at my pace always helped. Just be ready to invest that time.Overall, if you are able to spend a bit of extra time outside of class to catch up, you should be ok. I highty recommend it!
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Karol Gurba
Great Bootcamp
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Going into this program, I only had about a month of coding experince so I wasn't sure how well I was going to perform. The 4 weeks of pre-work definetly helped me get into ruby and it made me feel more prepared to start learning the more complex aspects of ruby. The 12 weeks of in-class learning were great, I learned so much more than I thought and at the end of the program I was able to build a full web app. I would definetly recoomend this program to people who want to get into a career in computer programming.
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Karen Liu
Best bootcamp in the country
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Thanks to Actualize, I'm now a software engineer.
And I'm not the only one. Everyone in my cohort who went for a new job got one. And that is pretty much the case in every cohort before and after mine as well.
I have so many good things to say about the bootcamp and the company as a whole, that I don't know where to start. I'll explain my background and how I found/decided on Actualize, and then break my review down into four categories: Instructors, Curriculum, career support, and community.
My background:
Before attending Actualize, I had a varied educational background. I got my undergraduate in Psychology and was in a masters program for Speech Language Pathology. During grad school, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in software engineering instead of Speech therapy, and by chance, I heard about programming bootcamps from a friend of a friend. I researched a few different bootcamps that I found on Switchup.org's website and applied to a few of them. The process of applying to Actualize was great - the CEO, Jay Wengrow, interviewed me himself and invited me to tour the space. I observed Josh, one of the two lead instructors, and knew right away that I wanted to attend Actualize (then known as Anyone Can Learn to Code). I went to one of their showcases and talked to the other lead instructor, Peter, their admissions advisor, and some alumni that were there. I knew in my heart that Actualize had the highest quality education and best value of all the bootcamps I looked into in Chicago. And I was right. It was the best decision I've ever made.
Instructors:
The instructors at Actualize bootcamp are the absolute best. I had Peter as an instructor, but also worked a lot with Josh after graduating. They're both really funny and are great teachers. They had teaching experience before Actualize, and are both brilliant coders. Josh regularly stays very late after class to help his students to understand the material because he's highly dedicated to his students' learning. They're both very responsive to messages and make themselves available for office hours.
Curriculum:
The way the bootcamp is structured is: about one month of online prework, three months of in-class instruction, a showcase where you show your capstone project to potential employers, and at least one month of apprenticeship, as well as white-boarding, lessons on computer-science fundamentals, and job-training. Class takes place in the evenings and on Sunday all day so that you can keep your full-time job, and the apprenticeship is where you work with actual clients to build their apps and websites. NO other bootcamp in Chicago does this. It's what makes Actualize so unique. Your capstone is individual, unlike some other bootcamps which have group capstone projects. Individual capstone projects are awesome because potential employers know that everything in your project was built by you.
We learned Ruby on rails, Javascript, AngularJS, git, jquery, HTML/CSS, SQL, API integration, and more. The curriculum is always evolving and improving, though; for example, current cohorts are learning VueJS .
We learned how to make apps from scratch and add features to them. And we were constantly reminded to push our apps to github as we developed them, so when I graduated, I already had a large amount of work on github to show employers.
Actualize teaches programming fundamentals that can be applied to any language. Many of my classmates and also previous alumni got jobs coding in languages we never used in class, such as Swift and Java. That's because Actualize does an amazing job of preparing you to be an actual developer. You're taught how to get unstuck when you get errors in your code, and you're taught how to learn new technologies on your own. For example, we learned how to read documentation.
Career support:
And you're not just left on your own after graduation. They have a dedicated career-management director, Taylor Dorsett, who has the #1 most-viewed profile in Chicago; he was one of the best recruiters in the country, so Actualize hired him to ensure that Actualize graduates are able to find jobs right out of bootcamp. After graduation, you'll get weekly trainings from him and Jay Wengrow, the CEO, to learn how to network, ace interviews, do whiteboarding exercises, and pass coding challenges. The value you will get from all of this training is worth the tuition in itself. Actually, the increase in my salary from finding a job in software engineering has already paid for my tuition.
Community:
I have made friends for life because of the awesome people I met at Actualize. They are now the people I spend the most time with. We grill together, have game nights all the time, and still participate in Actualize events and attend all of the showcases. It's a wonderful community of like-minded people who are all contributing positively to the tech community in Chicago. We attend meetups and continue to learn new technologies, either through our new jobs, or for our side projects. The network that Actualize provides is unbeatable. It not only changed my life, but it's changed my future. I would recommend Actualize to anyone interested in a career in tech. You will not regret it.
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JC
Life Changing Experience
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Attending Actualize literally changed my life. I had been stuck in a dead end job for years and was just going through the motions. I was searching for a change and a family member in the tech industry suggested that coding may be something that would interest me. I took some online courses and found that I really enjoyed it! The only problem was that I could only take myself so far and felt I needed some hands on instruction. My research led me to coding bootcamps but I was discouraged because they were all full-time programs and I was not in a position to quit my job. One day while researching bootcamps I came across Actualize. I was immediately intrigued because I saw it was a part-time camp that would allow me to keep my job. I did have some doubts because I did not know how they could train me to become a web developer in such a short time while only being a part-time program. I decided to push those doubts aside and I went for it. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. We were given hands on instruction and my teacher was/is awesome. We were given lectures followed by exercises to put in practice what we just learned. I learned so much and if I ever needed help someone from Actualize was always there to help push me along. It was not easy, but the road to success usually isn't an easy one. The staff is so supportive and they were always available to us (even the CEO!). Not only did I have a great experience learning, I also made some life long friends along the way. I would highly recommend Actualize. I now have a great job at a startup and the opportunities to continue learning and growing are endless.
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Derek
Perfect bootcamp to take and still work full time
I absolutely 100% endorse Actualize and the opportunities they afford potential future programmers.
The two things that initially drew me to Acutalize were the fact that I didn't have to quit my regular job and the apprenticeship program.
The bootcamp runs monday thru thursdays 6:00 - 9:30 and Sundays 9-5. This fits in perfectly with my work schedule.
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Chris
Changed my life
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Attending Actualize was the best career decision I ever made.
Prior to the boot camp, I was unhappy with my job and felt stuck. I'd always wanted to be a developer, but my coding experience was extremely limited and I wasn't sure I would have what it takes. Actualize gave me the technical foundation to successfully pivot into a fulfilling career in development. Attending Actualize means joining a great community. The CEO and instructors are truly invested in the success of the students and there's great camaraderie among fellow students and alumni. The Actualize curriculum is extensive and fast paced, but the instructors know how to break the material down into digestible portions. My instructor was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The Apprenticeship program was invaluable. It cemented the concepts I learned in the boot camp and exposed me to industry best practices. Working on real projects for real clients gave me a portfolio of tangible work to show to potential employers. The techniques taught at the career placement seminars helped me network and get interviews. The boot camp isn't easy, you're exposed to a huge volume of material in a short period of time, but you're given every opportunity to succeed. I'm now working as a developer for a great company doing what I love. As cliche as it sounds, my only regret is not attending sooner. -
Dan
Great Experience
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ACTLC (Actualize) is a great program. I enrolled looking to make a career change, and I was able to make a financially lateral move to an entry level tech position from a field where I had more than 10 years experience. I chose ACLTC because of its friendly reputation and the ability for me to maintain a full time job. It wasn't easy, but but it was fun. The teacher of my cohort was great, but it's really the extended family of ACLTC the made the difference. There were always lots of alumni around as, currently employed in tech positions, that were eager to help and convincingly interested in my success. I enjoyed the apprenticeship part of the program, and I really believe that it gave me the added confidence and knowledge to land my first job.
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Amy
The best decision I've ever made
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I had dabbled in web development since I was a kid and enjoyed it, but I always thought that you needed a computer science degree to become a developer. When I heard about coding bootcamps, I was initially skeptical. My main hesitation before deciding to attend a bootcamp was whether an instructor could effectively impart enough knowledge for someone to change careers and become a developer in only a few months. My worries were alleviated after I learned about how Actualize specifically chooses instructors who have a background in teaching.
Josh turned out to be a wonderful instructor. He was able to explain complex concepts in a manner that was easy for everyone to understand while keeping a laid-back atmosphere in the classroom but also pushing everyone to do more than what we thought we were capable of. The TAs were knowledgeable and always on hand to help. I was also very lucky to have been in a cohort where everyone was supportive of each other.
Another factor that drew me to Actualize was the apprenticeship program. After completing the bootcamp, you get the chance to work on real projects and learn how to deal with real clients with the help of experienced and enthusiastic mentors. No, you're not going to know everything there is to know about web development by the end of the bootcamp or even by the end of the apprenticeship, but that's not the goal of Actualize. You will leave with a solid foundation and the tools to keep learning. It’s up to you to utilize those tools.
Actualize also offers excellent job search and interview training. You won’t be automatically handed a job after the bootcamp and the job search process was often frustrating, but you won’t be completely abandoned. Taylor was an amazing resource and was instrumental in helping me find my current job. With his help, I received two great offers after a month and a half of searching. While I've never attended any other bootcamps, I believe what sets Actualize apart is that Jay, who is the founder, and all the people at Actualize actually care about the students even after we are no longer technically their students.
Only a little over a year ago, I was feeling stuck in a job I didn't enjoy and now I'm in my dream career doing what I've always wanted to do. Actualize was the best decision I’ve ever made. Actualize will be the best decision you’ll ever make if you are willing to put in the time and work to pursue a career as a developer.
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Ben
Excellent experience
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I attended the Actualize coding bootcamp in early 2017. The part time structure made it perfect for me as I worked a full time job during the course of the bootcamp. After sitting in on a class and meeting an instructor it was an easy decision to apply to Actualize. The instructor did a great job keeping us engaged even late into the evening after a long week. Actualize really gives you the tools to continue your education after you have completed the course. We learned a variety of languages and frameworks, but were also encouraged to pursure our own interests and incorporate them into our personal projects, even if those technologies weren't part of the curriculum. The job assistance is also top notch. Several interviews were set up immediately after the end of the course and I received an employment offer within 6 weeks. I would highly recommend Actualize to anyone looking to attend a bootcamp, regardless of skill level.
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Andrealiz Afable
Worthy Coding School
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Before coming to Actualize, I studied Psychology and Spanish in San Diego State University, and I was on track for a career as a social service professional. I also have a knack for implementing new ideas, and startups fascinated me during that time. I didn't pay attention to it much as I was busy pursuing my degrees then. I held a Public Relations Manager position at a startup during my last semester in college, but left because I was moving back to San Francisco Bay Area.
After moving back, I was blessed with the opportunity to work as a Behavioral Therapist for children who had autism and developmental disabilities. It was a greatly rewarding job and this is where I nurtured my passion to helping others.
In addition, I did a lot of volunteer work for nonprofit organizations in San Francisco and was able to collaborate with seasoned professionals in strategizing how to outreach to corporations and get them involved. This eventually lead me to change jobs and work closely with nonprofit organizations and the clients they serve.
I was then working as a bilingual case manager/social worker. I provided intense case management for 35-40 homelessness families per caseload and helped them achieve their goals of self-sufficiency, family well-being and independence. We provided resources for shelters, employment, education, health services, childcare, transitional and permanent housing.
This position encouraged me to have a broader impact on underprivileged populations outside of the system -- to create something that can be used as a tool for social service agencies and the community in general. I wanted to create applications that accomplished this goal, which lead me to apply to Actualize.I actually made the decision to apply right away. It was a Saturday morning, and I was looking through different bootcamps to enroll into. Actualize was the only part-time bootcamp that was being offered in San Francisco then. Because I was still working full-time and did not want to leave my job yet, I thought it was a great fit.
Actualize had a life-changing impact. Learning through Actualize helped me reach a goal: to learn how to code. With that simple accomplishment, I feel a lot more flexibility now with my career path. I see technology as a tool that you can pair with anything that you're interested in: from nonprofits, to startups, to medical, etc. I feel empowered learning these new skills.
When considering the specific features of Actualize I liked most, I definitely like that it was part-time. It gave people the opportunity to transition careers without having to lose their means of living. I also liked that our cohort had a small-size class. It really allowed the instructors and TA's to pay closer attention to your learning. Actualize can improve their program by implementing a strong career support team around the cohorts. They should also provide interview support where students can practice white boarding, technical questions, etc.
In regards to choosing Actualize over other bootcamps, when I saw the screencasts filled with humor, that jumped to me. As an educator in therapy, it was important to me that students love to learn. I felt that the founder of Actualize had the passion for teaching and giving space for fun while learning. That was key. I also checked reviews from their former students and they gave great reviews. They spoke about their values. A bootcamp with values is also very important.
I believe that every bootcamp is different and yes -- everyone has a different learning style. If you have a full-time job and need to keep it while you're transitioning careers, I would definitely recommend Actualize. If you are well supported and want to learn to code, I'd still recommend Actualize along with other options.
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Zeina
Equipped to change careers
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I was a newspaper designer. I had studied journalism and in grad school focused on the design aspect of journalism. During college, however, I started learning HTML and CSS by taking an intro class and ended up designing sites as a hobby, so I had some experience coding and learning things by myself. Actualize (or Anyone Can Learn to Code, as it was called), allowed me to change my career for the better. There is no way I would have been able to learn all I did at ACLTC on my own and get a job in this field. I also developed (see what I did there?) some wonderful friendships. I had done a lot of research into what bootcamp I would go to (including considering online bootcamps). The fact that the instructors were programmers but also had a background in teaching is what ultimately swayed me. Peter is an amazing instructor. The part-time aspect ended up working for me as well -- I didn't have a job at the time but was freelancing, so that allowed me some flexibility. Judging from my cohort-mates' experiences, having a job and going to the part-time bootcamp was a really tough challenge. So either make sure you have a really good support system at home, or see if you can work part-time. Having the apprenticeship (I think the format changed since I graduated -- I forget what it's like now) was really useful. It allowed me to get a little bit of experience in a work-like setting. I got a job offer about a month after graduating. Part of it is because of my experience in design. People are also going to look at attitude and how well you work with others, etc. Overall, would heartily recommend Actualize. However, I would not recommend any kind of web dev bootcamp to someone who's never coded before or has never before shown interest in it but wants to do it because it's the "in" thing to do. -
Will
Actualize
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I went to college at Indiana University for a double major in Telecommunications and Communications & Culture (basically film and media studies). After graduating, I got hired at GP Strategies, a learning solutions provider. They make training materials for other companies. I was a Content Developer, which involved a lot of proofreading and organizing content from clients into specific templates and formats. I started teaching myself to code through online tutorials about a year before the first day of Actualize.
When considering joining Actualize, the biggest hesitations were money and location - I moved up to Chicago to take the class. I chose Actualize over other bootcamps because it gave me the ability to attend and while still keeping my day job. I loved the way the classes were taught. There was a lot thrown at us constantly, but it was structured in a way that you would learn something new, learn a few variations of it, and then be set loose on your own to solve problems. It was a very effective way of teaching. If students ever had questions or concerns, our instructor was also great at helping you on a one-on-one level. Since taking the class, I am happier with my job, making more, and am excited to be a part of the industry. I would absolutely recommend Actualize. The classes are great, the people are cool, and you are given a ton of support and resources. The only thing I would add is that you shouldn't think of the course as something where you waltz in, spend some time in a classroom, and then are immediately offered a job as soon as you graduate. There is a great deal of information that is given to you at a high level, but when looking for jobs, my experience was employers were looking for those deeper levels. So to succeed and actually get a job in this field, it takes a lot of additional time on your own. -
Stephen Z.
Great experience and led to a new career!!
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I chose Actualize becasue of their focus on teaching. Peter, my instructor, was passionate about teaching, extremely knowledgeable, and always happy to answer all my questions. The class being part time didn't bother me because I'd usually spend 4 to 5 extra hours each day studying on my own anyway. And when you have 3 hours of intense lecture everyday, you can't absorbe anymore, it's just too much information.
Overall I was completely satisfied with my experience at Actualize. I actually had a job offer three weeks after graduating!! The company that hired me specificly wanted someone a little older, I'm 36, and from a coding bootcamp. They recently had a couple bad experiences hiring kids straight out of college with CS degrees.
Good luck out there!
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Daniel
Actualize Graduate
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What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
I graduated college with a degree in Computer Science and worked temp jobs in IT and call centers while searching for development position.
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What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize?
My main hesitations were if the bootcamp was going to be worth the time and money. I had a Computer Science degree and didn’t manage to get anything development related. So I was a little skeptical.
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What impact did Actualize have on your life?
I would say it had a huge impact on my life. Actualize has provided me with the experience necessary to move forward to a development position.
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What specific feature did you like most about Actualize?
The apprenticeship was the selling point for me. It provided real world experience building websites for non-profits.
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What made you choose Actualize over other bootcamps?
I would definitely say that the apprenticeship was what made me choose Actualize.
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Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why?
Yes I would recommend Actualize. What you learn throughout the course will shape your way of thinking and the experience that you get from the apprenticeship is indispensable. Having any experience with developing real world projects is necessary to get a job.
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Is there anything else you would like to add?
The instructors are great and make sure you have a firm grasp of the material they teach. Job placement isn’t guaranteed, but if you take advantage of the resources Actualize offers the chances improve greatly.
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What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
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Paul Krajewski
Student/Tech Lead
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What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
Went to college at SIU and graduated with a degree in Mass Communications/Media Arts, specializing in Music Business and Audio Engineering. I have an informal background of internet marketing and SEO, working for a family business about 5 years before coming to Actualize. What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize? Mainly cost and location. What impact did Actualize have on your life? It has paved the way for the career change I had been looking for. My work/programming life was much more confined and personal than it is today. The biggest impact is that I now have a network of like-minded individuals that I socialize with, work with and go out of my way for as an extension of my business/career objectives. What specific feature did you like most about Actualize? The emphasis on creating your own, personal capstone projects. I also really liked the class structure (amount of students per teacher plus some TAs). What made you choose Actualize over other bootcamps? It was part-time and taught creating back-end applications and APIs. A lot of the other bootcamps were too front-end design oriented. Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why? Yes, I would recommend it to anyone seriously considering programming as a career. It is much more effective at training individuals in coding for real life situations compared to something like a CS degree. I would recommend it over the other bootcamps because of the staff. Everyone that works there is nice and want each other to succeed. -
Risa T.
My experience was positive and anything that is good deserves to be shared.
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PROs: The instructors and part-time schedule was key. It was important for me that the teachers were not only experts in their field, but that they had the best teaching skills around (Shout out to the Chicago staff!). I also needed to work during the day to be able to pay off my loans. The Apprenticeship and Job Placement program directly after bootcamp were also very important to me. Attending a bootcamp was the most rewarding challenge I ever took, and while I'm still learning about the many languages a programmer can study, Actualize gave me the supportive community and healthy learning environment I needed. I made friends with my peers, and together I learned so much more than I could ever accomplish alone. I didn't feel alone, and had lots of opportunities to pair-program. I had been trying to self-study for years and visited several bootcamps before choosing Actualize.
CONs: Financially, enrolling put a huge dent in my savings and the time commitment affected my social/family life. Also, there were only two females including myself in my class, but I eventually met plenty of inspiring female coders that graduated from other cohorts.
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Jen W
Amazing Coding Bootcamp!
I loved learning about programming, the showcase, and the apprenticeship! This bootcamp opened so many doors for me!
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Matt
Worth the cross-country move!
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Attending Actualize was a truly life changing experience... in all the right ways! After a good amount of research, I realized that Actualize was the right bootcamp for me, moved cross-country to attend, and haven't looked back since. Before joining the coding world, I imagined programmers to be quiet, introverted, and the types of people who only worked alone.. oh, how wrong I was! Right from the first day of class collaboration was not only allowed, but encouraged. I enjoyed the classroom setting, where "lectures" truly felt more like a conversation between students and instructor. The in-class exercises were a stellar reinforcement of the material taught, and the weekly blogs, capstone project, as well as apprenticeship helped me stand out to employers (interviews are much easier when you have experience to share!). Being new to Chicago, I met most of my closest friends here as a result of Actualize. I also am part of an ever-growing network of awesome alumni, and I love my new career! Absolutely recommend!
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Brennan
Great Bootcamp
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1. I have a degree in acting and my only experience in coding was SQL for a job. 2. The cost for sure and the time. 3. I felt like a learned a lot and met and worked with great people. 4. I really enjoyed working on my own project for the capstone. 5. It was part time with an apprenticeship. 6. Yes absolutely. I would say that if you want to get into this field it is a great tool to help you. 7. !Strange is the best cohort. -
Justin Viegelahn
My Time at Actualize
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What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
I had worked in Web Traffic Management right out of High School for a few years. I then went to Art School for Video Game Design, but I realized I wasn't actually interested in making video games, just playing them, so I never actually completed my degree. I then moved to working in Email Marketing and Design which pushed me into Basic Website Maintenance (HTML and a little CSS).
What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize?
My only hesitation was would I be able to comprehend and keep up with so much information coming at me all at once.
What impact did Actualize have on your life?
It made me realize that I can listen and retain a lot of information at once. I didn't always remember everything I learned from the previous day, or even week, but I remembered the basics which helped me narrow down the problems to find the correct solutions.
I use this on a daily basis in my current job as a Web Developer.
What specific feature did you like most about Actualize?
The fact that it was part time. I had a number of friends who went to Dev Boot Camp, but I couldn't commit to 9 hours a day, 6 days a week. Actualize allowed me to learn and build my skills while still being able to work without ever feeling overwhelmed.
Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why?
I would. The way that the program is run is very good. Explain the language with examples, and then complete excercises. It just makes sense. You can also go back and review the video of the class on your own time which helped out immensely.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I really enjoyed my time in class, but the Apprenticeship afterwards is invaluable. You work on real projects in a real team with a Mentor. This will prepare you for what you can expect during your first Developer job. -
JENS NORDGAARD
Web Developer
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The course is tough, the pace is grueling, and the material...well if you are a newbie like I was, its all gibberish. The team at ACLTC realize this, and they do their best to make everything digestible. Mark Richardson and most of the other staff are teachers first, developers second, which sounds backwards but is very important.
These folks describe difficult concepts in ways that make sense, and their skills are only getting more honed with each class. I loved the TA's, Jay is the coolest CEO ever, and Mark, can't say enough about him. I would give the instructors a 6 if possible. The people made this course, and I would not have wanted to go anywhere else for my coding experience. I got a job 2 weeks after the course ended, so it works! Its all about what you put into it, and this program is great for the flexibility and the money.
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Tommaso
Thorough and Fast Paced
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What a great experience. The curriculum is broad enough to get a birds-eye view of building web applications. From the basics, through typical application constructs from scratch (like to-do lists, shopping carts, contact apps), data modeling and database building, building and consuming APIs, and exposure to the front end like working with front end frameworks and building dynamically loading pages using Angular JS. Being challenged through the final process of building an app of our own choosing was a great way to cap off and reconnect our lessons throughout the course. The instructors are exceptionally prepared, passionate, and encouraging. The TAs were great, too. Beyond the classroom, the ACLTC team did many value-adds like coaching on interviewing and helping put our resume together. Not to mention the great group of classmates I got to meet through this experience. Highly recommended!
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Anonymous
Amazing Experience!
Best decision I ever made! Well worth the money and the effort. I was able to land a job within a month of graduating.
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Anthony W.
This program is unlike the rest
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ACLTC is a program that helped me make a career change immensely. Before wanting to become a developer, I was working in finance and decided that I wanted a change in my career so I applied to ACLTC and it was the best deicision I ever made. The curriculum was challenging, but also doable. The lead instructor, Mark was extremely helpful, and thorough with his explanations and never hesitated to pause his lectures to clarify anything students needed help with. The TA's were super helpful as well, they were able to sit down with me and fix any bug I had whether it was with my code, or with my computer, any problem I ever had was solved with the help of the TA's. This program teaches you the fundamentals or Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, Javascript, Angular.js, as well as databases such as Mysql, and Sqllite. We also learned the concepts of OOP, REST, and API's. Although this program was intense, it is definitely managable. This program is part time, Sundays from 9-5, and M-Th from 6pm-930pm. I will admit, this may seem like a lot, especially if you're working full time (as this program is geared towards you folks), the teaching style of the instructor as well as the TA's will definitely help you understand the material, as well as help you push through.
My advice in order to succeed in this program is to do work and study even outside of class. It really shows who put in the work even in the off hours.
With the amazing instruction from Mark, the helpful TA's, the fast paced curriculum, and the support from the job placement manager, I was able to land a new career as a System Administrator for a large data company working on their automation engineering team. I can't thank ACLTC enough, in just a few months time I went from working at a job I wasn't enjoying anymore, to more than doubling my salary and working in an exciting field. If you are pondering whether or not to apply, I say you should have applied already!
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Anonymous
Worth Every Penny!
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This was one of the the best decisions of my life. I was very nervous about it going in, but once I met our instructor (Peter) I felt a lot better about it. Some people came in to the bootcamp with more experience than others, and he really made an effort to leave no man behind, as well as provide some extra challenges for people who were more advanced.
ACLTC advertised that you don't need to do anything outside of class, which I think is not exactly true. Some people had full time jobs while others didn't, but it quickly became obvious who was putting in work outside of class. I personally needed to study a fair amout on my own to keep up, and I think most of my classmates did as well. It moves rather quickly, and a LOT is covered.
They also have excelent support for helping you with your job search, as well as helping with your resume and interview prep. After graduating I applied myself 100% to job hunting, and was able to land a job as a software developer after 2 months. I start my job next week, and I couldn't be more happy with the entire experience!
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Mark
The People, Schedule and Classroom set ACLTC apart
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With the technical skills, job placement assistance and infectious passion for programming from ACLTC I was able to successfully shift careers from accounting to a dream job in web development. The program was challenging, but surmountable. The lead-instructor and TAs are incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. The subject-matter is relevant to the job-market, and the capstone project was an excellent challenge and example project for potential employers.
The class schedule and classroom environment were important distinctions for me personally, from other bootcamps (which are often all-day, all-week and more self or other student taught).
Looking back on the experience, the people (instructor, TAs, job-placement helpers, etc.) and learning the mind-set to become a programmer were the most valuable aspects of the experience. It was difficult, but also so much fun. Subsequent to the bootcamp, I continued to learn more in-depth knowledge for certain languages which I’m now utilizing in my employment, which was not unexpected, and I could not have done so without the mindset garnered at ACLTC. I would highly recommend ACLTC. -
Sam
ACLTC was great
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I signed up for ACLTC to completely change careers and hopefully become a web developer. ACLTC has a challenging but fun curriculum that taught me HTML, CSS, JS, Ruby, Rails and so much more. Jay the lead instructor was extremely knowledgeable about the material and so were all of the TA’s. Aside from the instruction, ACLTC also provides great job search support from helping with your resume to putting you in contact with potential employers. Because of the great instruction and support I was able to land a web developer position and couldn’t be happier with it. ACLTC ended up being a perfect fit for me and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to start a career in web development.
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Trent
You can't beat ACLTC!
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Attending Anyone Can Learn to Code has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. The staff has developed an excellent curriculum that makes learning to develop using an MVC framework a fun and rewarding experience. The coursework is intensive and challenging but never overwhelming. When making a decision on which bootcamp to choose, ACLTC has a lot going for it:
- An excellent staff that really and truly cares about your development and growth
- The ability to keep your full time job while you learn
- Job search support and guidance. They even have a full time employee dedicated to helping students get jobs after graduation
- A fun and challenging curriculum that will teach you how to build a functioning, responsive web applicationAs a result of ACLTC, I have now begun a new and exciting career in web development. If you are looking to make a career change into the world of development, you can do no better than Anyone Can Learn to Code. Highly recommended.
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Nick
One of the best decisions of my life!
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Attending this boot camp has been one of the best decisions I've made in my entire life. Here are the main reasons why this boot camp was perfect for me:
-I didn't have to quit my day job while attending this boot camp, so financially it made the most sense compared to other boot camps
-The classes taught the concepts very clearly so I was able to learn and code very quickly (I had about two months of experience coding prior to this boot camp and I learned so much so fast)
-The classes are taught at a good pace and class time is split up nicely. First, you learn a new concept. Then, you apply it and practice. Also, there are knowledgeable TA's that can help you in and out of class. With smaller class sizes, this was extremely valuable. I was able to meet with my teacher and the TA's a lot and it helped so much!
-The classes are also taught with a pragmatic approach, and you learn that everything has trade-offs. I really appreciated this.
-You get seminars on interviews, landing jobs, writing resume's and cover letters, and other useful things that helped me land a job
-I got to work on a capstone project that I was passionate about, which added to my portfolio to display to potential employers
-The boot camp continues to grow its connections with companies in the area. This means during the showcase at the end of the class where you present your capstone, more and more employers will be there to see what you've built, giving you a good chance at landing an interview and a job. This is how I landed my first interview and got a job offer within two weeks of ending the course!
To summarize the pro's, the boot camp was great because it made the most financial sense, the class sizes/support/curriculum was great, I was given an incredible opportunity to show my project to many employers, and ultimately it helped me land a job!The cons:
-Evening classes can be tough. Working a full day to learn entirely new subject matter can be difficult.
-There is greater competition to get in, so it will probably get harder to get accepted
-The reputation of boot camps are mixed. To some degree, boot camp graduates may have a chip on their shoulder compared to their CS degree counterparts. This can be overcome by showing solid code and KEEP LEARNING!
-The curriculum leans more towards the back-end than the front-end. Back-end developers are highly sought after, however as someone who enjoys the front end more, I wish the class spent more time on the front end. Still, I was able to land a job with a focus on front-end development. -
Colleen
Successful Career Shift
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I attended ACLTC in hopes to make a career pivot and become a Junior Developer. The course was well structured, covered a TON of different stuff with just enough depth to be dangerous, and the teaching staff is clearly passionate about the success of their students.
By the end of the course you have tons of new skills and tools under your belt, and you spend the last few weeks of class building a capstone project to show off your new knowledge. There's a showcase for the final projects to show them off to potential employers, which was an extremely effective way to get introduced to local companies for potential jobs and internships. The team at ACLTC works diligently to get everyone in the program into a postiiton they're happy with. I actually moved away from Chicago after attending the bootcamp and landed a Junior Developer position on my own based on my capstone project and a test exercise that I was well prepared for solely because of the quality of instruction I receieved at ACLTC.
After attending the course, you are competent for entry level developer positions, but expect to continue to learn for your entire career as a developer - it's the nature of the business!
Deciding to attend ACLTC was the best career decision I have made.
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Anonymous
ACLTC is fun and you learn the basics of programming but it does not prepare you for an entry-level position.
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ACLTC is fun and you learn the basics of Ruby, Rails, and JS but it does not prepare you for an entry-level software engineering position. The major appeal of the program is that it's part-time and allows you to keep your day job, but the downside is that they can only squeeze in 22 hours of instruction per week—not enough for coding novices to develop job-ready skills that will land an entry-level full-stack engineering job.A part-time program like this only has the time to teach the basics—programming loops, CRUD operations, how to use gems, etc.—but all of the entry-level jobs I have interviewed for included technical tests that were much, much more difficult than the ACLTC's curriculum. These tests expect candidates to have a much deeper understanding of JavaScript and even SQL, two topics that are not really covered in-depth at ACLTC because there just isn't enough time.
It's important to consider that although there are many software engineering positions that need to be filled in the U.S, the vast majority of these jobs are for Mid to Senior level engineers. Entry-level positions are truly rare by comparison and as an ACLTC graduate you are competing for these precious positions against full-time coding bootcamp graduates who have spent 60-80 hours per week studying and job-seekers with computer science degrees.
The ACLTC is run by good people and talented teachers/developers but in the end the program only provides a basic foundation for becoming a full-stack engineer. Students who did not have any background in programming prior to the course will need months of additional study after the program concludes before they are ready to pass most technical screenings.
Another disappointment was the lack of job support. Only the last day of class is dedicated to finding a job and after graduation they send you a few links to job boards and leads but that's it. ACLTC is a small organization and their efforts outside of class are directed more towards expanding into new cities (growing the business) than with helping students find jobs.
Would I attend the course today, knowing what I know now? Hard to say because I did enjoy it, but I lean towards "no" because I was expecting to be able to land a full-time entry-level position and I don't think the program prepares you for that because of its brevity. If getting a job isn't that important to you, you just like to learn new skills, and you have a few grand to spare then I think you'll probably be happy with the program.
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Khoa Le
Career changer bootcamp
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Attending ACLTC has been one of the best decisions of my career. The instruction from Jay and the TA's have made learning web development much easier. The most applicable skills were focused on our capstone with web technologies such as HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, Ruby on Rails, javascript, AngularJS, ruby gems, and much more. The sweet bonus for me was with the great networking during ACLTC showcase where I landed my first web dev job the next following day. I highly recommend this bootcamp for anyone who has the will and desire to be a web dev, even on a part time basis.
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Kim
Becoming a Confident Coder
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The ACLTC boot camp is a very valuable and worthwhile opportunity to gain the confidence needed to become a full stack web developer. The instructor and assistants are patient, thorough and supportive during the entire process. I've also made a network of friends that I hope to stay in contact with for many years. This boot camp is just what one needs to boost their confidence and really go for it!