Actualize Reviews
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Brandon Lin Verified via LinkedIn
Post-graduation review
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For anyone on the fence - let this be the sign that you should do it. It is amazing how much you can accomplish in a few short months.
I thought about attending a bootcamp for a few years, and over that time considered a number of bootcamps that operate in Chicago. Going in, my criteria were:
- Able to attend in person
- Full time
- Focus on a single stack of technologies due to the short duration of a bootcamp
Quite a few bootcamps met these criteria. COVID restrictions meant that no programs were offering in-person, so I went for their live virtual classes and was happy with the experience. What set Actualize apart for me was their focus on education. Their website states that they are educators first. While I can't compare with other bootcamps having only attended Actualize, I can attest that the instructors are excellent at communicating and reinforcing complex topics to people from a wide range of backgrounds. Our cohort had teenagers and people with grandchildren, people with CS backgrounds and folks who had never coded before joining. The instructors are engaging, passionate, knowledgable, and have plenty of real-world experience to share.
The curriculum is well designed for newcomers to writing software:
- Ruby is a great choice for first-time coders as it is not burdened by verbose syntax - this focuses students on picking up fundamentals like conditionals, arrays, hashes, loops, etc. rather than debugging where they missed a closing punctuation. It is a language designed to read like english, which is super approachable and fun to code in. This gets you started, and further into class you can explore other languages more easily.
- The program focuses on a small set of languages and reinforces fundamentals through repetition, building your knowledge up until you are proficient with a stack. Some other bootcamps promise to teach you many different popular languages, rather than going deep into a few. Actualize equips you with the ability to pick up other languages as needed (aka when you are getting paid at a job).
- Each week there is "job hacking" - dedicated career advisors coach you through the steps needed to get a job and succeed after bootcamp ends. Resume writing, personal websites, interviewing, types of employers, etc. are all things they help you with.
- Post bootcamp, graduates continue to attend a course dedicated to practicing data structures and algorithms and preparing you for your interviews.
Culture wise, Actualize is a very welcoming, accommodating, and honest place to learn. There were many times that folks from my cohort considered leaving, but the supportive atmosphere and encouragement from teachers and peers kept 100% of my cohort mates through to graduation. It is a small company and the folks who work there all seem like a tight-knit family - they take care of their people, which permeates through to them taking care of their students and alumni. Alumni who have moved on to full-time positions frequently popped into class to say hello and offer their perspective, experiences, and advice. From reviewing other bootcamps there seem to be a few that are patched together to get as many students through so they can get paid - Actualize feels like the opposite of this, that their instructors would do this even if money was no object to them, they love to teach and to see their students succeed.
Actualize doesn't prepare you just to get a job, they set you up to have a career. They teach you to be curious and explore, to be excited to code each day, and to work on whatever you might be interested in. Like pulling the cord to start an engine, you may have tried before this to learn on your own through classes or books, but yet you still haven't found success. Actualize was the pull that got the engines going for me and so many others. You can do it too! -
Sam Verified via LinkedIn
Certificate in Full Stack Web Development (Student
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For me, where I am in my life (career pivot, woman, parent, eager to learn and grow), this was absolutely the right decision--no question. And no question that this was the right place to do it. They have their shit together, they are not a scam, and it's a great place to go through a hard, huge thing. For me, this was more than just learning coding. It was learning how I learn, and fighting back against some shitty, mean-ass voices inside my own head that have lived there for too long. Because there are so many variables going into whether or not it's the right decision for you, I am hesitant to recommend the bootcamp model blindly. If you've got specific questions (like I did when I came to CourseReport to read reviews about Actualize) I would be happy to give more detail or answer questions. Find me on LinkedIn and let's chat (unless you're weird or pervy, in which case, please don't).
One specific thing I will say: for women, or anybody who may feel like they don't belong in the dev community, listen up. Get yourself a teacher who looks at you like Amanda. She won't do the work for you, but she'll light a loving fire under your ass to see your own potential and give yourself credit for what you can do.
I am very, very grateful for this experience and proud of myself for taking the leap.
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Hector Nuno Verified via GitHub
Graduate
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I chose this bootcamp because they were the only bootcamp that I found that had live instruction. This made a huge difference because I learn better when I have someone demonstrating things to me instead of just following instructions or doing just assignments. I like having that feedback, especially when I learn something completely new. I thought it was a great experience, I liked that we actually got to code with our instructor as she was demoing. I would recommend this bootcamp to people who need an actual instructor present to be able to learn. They are a small company, which was a big plus for me especially because bigger companies usually just want your money. The big companies don't really seem like they care about your outcomes but at Actualize you really feel like they care about your success. After graduation, they don't leave you hanging which is great. I'm writing this on my last day of the cohort and I'm planning on extensively using the job hacking resources they provide. -
Vicencio Mendez Verified via LinkedIn
Amazing Experience
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I was referred to this Bootcamp by two former Actualize alumni and the only thing I regret was not joining sooner! My experience and the curriculum were superb! I couldn't imagine learning this much in such a short time. All the instructors were phenomenal, Kevin in prework, Katherine as the lead instructor, and the TAs.All were always more than willing to help and go over anything you were stuck on. It doesn't stop there, Lisa in career services has been super helpful in my job search. I recommend enrolling if you're looking to get into web development! -
Matthew Katz Verified via LinkedIn
My Experience at Actualize
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Actualize was an amazing experience where you learn so much in such a short period of time. The program starts with a month of pre-work where you learn the fundamentals of coding syntax and data types, then from there you start the 3 months of live instruction where you learn to create full stack applications. They do a great job teaching you lots of complex concepts, in their entirety, quickly and effectively. The curriculum is excellent and my instructor was a really great teacher as well. If you are looking for a bootcamp to launch your career in tech, I couldn't think of a better place. -
Daniel Ibrag Verified via GitHub
Bootcamp Grad
Overall it was a great experience, the online course was fantastic. Originally i had an expectation that the online course would be half baked and feel a bit experimental but that was not the case at all. Its hard not to recommend this bootcamp to anybody who i know that would be interested in a career as a software developer! -
Michael Beard Verified via LinkedIn
Such a Great Course!
I came to Actualize after reading many, many course reviews. A friend of mine is an Actualize Alum, and he recommended it highly. I will say if you're looking for something to help you start a new career in software development, this is definitely worth the money and the time. Knowledgable staff, and so helpful with learning to learn to code, and figuring out what comes next. -
Greg West Verified via LinkedIn
My Actualize Experience!
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Actualize enabled me to learn an incredible amount in a relatively short amount of time. Before Actualize I was learning as much as I could through self study. I was able to learn about algorithms and other puzzle-solving style coding problems, but I wasn't learning much at all about practical programming and how to BUILD things with a computer! This is where Actualize excels, and I don't think I could have learned how to build a full stack web application in even 1/10th of the time on my own. Actualize gives you the tools you need to transition into a career in web development with actual skills beyond just theoretical computer science knowledge. There's also a great job hacking program where you're guided by career counselors, and there's an extremely supportive network of people who want to see you succeed. If you're like me and are burnt out from a career that doesn't value your skills as highly as you feel you deserve, I can't recommend Actualize highly enough.
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Dylan Sarikas Verified via GitHub
Great, Personal Experience
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You may be interested in learning to program but confused about what a “Full Stack Developer” actually is. Let me explain. A Full Stack Developer is a web developer who works on both client and server software. This is often referred to as the “Front End” and the “Back End”. The Front End is what you see when you go to any website, how the page layout looks, how the buttons, menus, and forms all operate. The Back End is where a lot of the logic and data for the website exists. This would be where, for example, a website like Twitter would store all of the tweet data. So if that sounds like a field you’d like to work in, then learning to become a Full Stack Developer would be excellent. But Actualize also teaches general coding knowledge and just about everything you learn is transferable to another programming language.
It was a great experience and I think the attribute that sets Actualize apart from other, larger coding bootcamp is how much they actually care about you. I had two friends who before me went to the two largest coding bootcamps and while they also enjoyed their experiences, we all agreed that Actualize cared the most about our personal success. This is most evident with the “Job Hacking” that takes place at least once a week that really prepares you to step into the world of a programmer after bootcamp. There are career counselors who meet with you personally 1-on-1 several times after the course of the bootcamp to get to know you and really tailor a plan to help you land a job, because that’s what this is really all about. -
Corrie Verified via GitHub
Great course, great instructors
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Living in Chicago, but applying to bootcamps in the pandemic, I was curious whether I should wait to apply to Actualize until things opened up back in-person, or if I should apply for the online class. After sitting in and observing a previous remote cohort, I went for it and am glad I did. Our instructor created a great atmosphere where I really got to know other students from around the country, we had inside jokes and met up outside of class to work together on homework. I also enjoyed the format of the curriculum, which consisted of short lectures, then a chance to practice the concept yourself on something different but related, and then a review if you were stuck/didn't quite get it. The whole vibe of the instructors and career advisors matches their pitch deck and you truly feel the Actualize staff is here for you, supporting you on a learning journey and invested in your success. The curriculum focuses on Ruby on Rails and Javascript and Vue.JS, which were great languages and frameworks to learn the concepts quickly and easily. I know I have a lot more to learn, but I left empowered to learn more and keep building things. -
Ben Astengo Verified via GitHub
Bootcamp Grad
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Actualize far exceeded my expectations of what I thought I could get out of a bootcamp in such a short amount of time. If you're someone that has to maintain a job while attending this class remotely let me be an example of how anyone can absolutely do it. I came into actualize being an insanely burnt out truck driver working roughly 65 hours a week ready to make a career change. Going to school during the week and driving on the weekends is one of the most daunting things I've ever done in my life and I couldn't be any happier in taking the plunge. Actualizes course is perfect for the student that starts with 0 knowledge of web development and still has a work-life balance to manage outside of school. Dani is the best teacher i've ever had including high school/college. Apply to actualize!!!! -
Camden Parker Verified via LinkedIn
Overall Experience
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I am very pleased to report that Actualize has been a wonderful experience for me as a whole. The people I got to know and the strategies I learned during this camp have already become invaluable to me. The professors here are fantastic, and the TA's as well. They provide excellent help and teaching in all circumstances, the resources provided are incredible. If you are looking to get into the best bootcamp at the best price this is your place! The online aspect also worked perfectly with my schedule and provided me with my first remote experience on a computer for school or work and I really value the online camp for that purpose. If you have read this far you should honestly just go check out the camp and apply.... Actualize for the win! -
Ro Verified via LinkedIn
I WOULD TOTALLY DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN
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I just graduated from the Actualize Coding Bootcamp today!! It was honestly such an amazing experience. Actualize will provide you with all the support you need to make that career change to software development. HOWEVER, it is much more important that you yourself have the drive to become a software developer. No bootcamp will do that for you. In my case, I was extremely motivated to do well, and for that reason, I believe I was able to unlock the full potential of Actualize Coding Bootcamp. My instructor Dani was an amazing resource, and I'm grateful she put up with all the questions I asked her throughout my time there. My career advisor Sarah was also fantastic. She helped me through many job applications and a lot of great job-searching advice. My classmates were also a pleasure to work with. I plan to make use of my unlimited access to both Actualize's bootcamp materials and career help to get my first job as a software developer! -
Anthony Verified via GitHub
A Great Choice!
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Actualize is the best decision I've ever made when it came to deciding a bigger step in life. Not only were the other student's amazing but you become friends with everyone their and the environment of the classes are amazing. If you're having troubles they will help you to the best of their ability and they want to see nothing more than for you to succeed and grow as a web developer as well as a person. -
Kevin G Verified via GitHub
Awesome Coding Bootcamp
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I applied to Actualize due to a friend's recommendation. I have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science that I received in 2016 and worked as a Unity3d developer for a year. After that I started playing video games professionally and took a huge break from coding. I signed up for the bootcamp to help me learn new aspects of coding and help me focus in on web development. The bootcamp pushed me to learn about full stack web development in a structured environment and taught you not just coding concepts, but overall important skills to help be successful in anything you do. It was a blast and I immensely enjoyed the experience! -
Thomas Dhinsa Verified via LinkedIn
Actual Actualize Review
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Actualize was my choice out of four other coding bootcamps. I was initially impressed with their website and even more so when I went to linked in and, saw that Actualize had so many Alums. After a little research as well as some actualize tutorials, My choice was made and I couldn't be happier about the decision. The skills taught are necessary and the Actualize curriculum bridges all the gaps between languages wonderfully. I'd recommend Actualize to anyone. -
Jordan Burns Verified via LinkedIn
Software
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I remember hearing about programming and then having the pleasure of seeing it up close with a family member of mine so, I decided to look on online for a Bootcamp that best fit my schedule whether it be day or night, with great values and just a overall great vibe. And that’s when i came across Actualize. My experience here has been nothing but fast, efficient, friendly and helpful beyond belief. They are attentive, caring and have a excellent curriculum. Thank you very much Actualize!! -
Kurt Verified via GitHub
More Than Coding!
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Actualize has been more than I could have asked for when I started looking for coding bootcamps!
What sets them apart is their commitment to you as an individual and their emphasis on teaching you HOW to learn.
They're also very focused on the fact that most students are here to get a job in this industry. Their "job hacking" program keeps you accountable and is a great way to push through some of the harder moments of the job search.
On top of that - Peter was just a flat out amazing teacher- I wish he taught me more subjects because at no point were we just "getting through" the material- he really taught it and found ways to relate to every student. I was blown away with their willingness to meet me where I was and be non judgmental throughout the whole process.
If you're at all considering a coding bootcamp as a way to switch up your career, I could not recommend Actualize enough! -
Kelly Kaufman Verified via LinkedIn
Actualize changed my life
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My experience at Actualize was life changing.
It was such a stressful, arduous process to find the right bootcamp for myself. I would even go as far as to say, that finding the right bootcamp was and will probably be the hardest part of my coding journey. I researched over 10 bootcamps, and I learned very quickly that most of them have the same business/education model. Which is either being scammy by not properly evaluating students for their program, because they just want your money— and then kick you out when you can’t keep up (Ii.e. App Academy, Coding Dojo), OR are 10-12 hrs a day, 6 days a week, with very little instructional/teaching assistance and absolutely no mental health support. (I.e. Hack Reactor, Hackbright Academy)
Being someone who has OCD, ADD, and Complex PTSD— I was freaking out about how I would be able to do a coding bootcamp. All of these schools had educational models, that set up people like me to fail. I finally found Actualize when I decided to venture outside the west coast for schools. They have been running a remote program way before the pandemic. I was immediately struck by their curriculum, in that it’s 3 months long but half the hours of a traditional bootcamp (normally 12 hrs). After speaking with the school’s Dean Peter Jang— I was beyond inspired to attend this bootcamp. Their education model is revolutionary, in that they prioritize ‘learning how to learn’ first— and coding second. The school is filled with faculty that have educational and mental health backgrounds. And their emphasis is teaching you the skills to teach yourself, which is vital in the tech industry.
Amanda was the AMAZING, and the best teacher I’ve ever had. I reached out to her pretty early on in the bootcamp, because I was really struggling— and we ended up meeting every single week to check in. She helped me outline study habits, concepts to focus on— and always always encouraged me to take care of myself first, not go into burnout, and prioritize my mental health (something you WILL NOT find at any other bootcamp). It was honestly very difficult to reprogram myself to work in this way, after being conditioned since childhood that the only way to succeed is to work 78372 hrs a day/ 213421 hrs a week, and be a slave to the miserable, endless grind to the top. Far more valuable than the coding education I got, which was excellent— the most valuable things I learned from Amanda was: getting a framework for how to learn, realizing I can work in a way that supports my wellbeing and still be successful no matter how hard or ambitions the job, goal, or task is— and learning that I don’t have to do everything perfectly in order to accomplish my goal. This was life changing.
I also want to take the time to mention the job support team at Actualize, which was OUTSTANDING. First of all, the career support was an active part of our curriculum from day one. This is very unusual, as ALL the other bootcamps I researched do not begin job counseling until the last 2 weeks of bootcamp, and in some cases after graduation— and it’s a short-lived process. Lisa and Sarah conducted class with us every week, working with us on everything from resumes, to our LinkedIn pages and personal summaries. They were also accessible throughout the bootcamp to meet one-on-one. I really utilized this resource with Sarah, who I met with frequently during the bootcamp. She went ABOVE & BEYOND to support me not only with my job search experience, but helped me to organize my time at bootcamp in a way that took care of my mental health. In fact, Sarah prioritized my mental health, and every solution we created started with this as a foundation. What’s remarkable is the job support hasn’t even ended… I’ve graduated bootcamp, but this week I begin 3 job hacking classes , and then 4 successive weeks of interview prep classes— all to support and gear me up to secure a job in the new year. In addition, Lisa and Sarah are also making themselves available again to meet one-on-one as needed. This is the first time in my life that while feeling overwhelmed to begin this process, I feel fully comforted in the support I know I have— and will ultimately emerge successful in the job hunt process, because I have passionate, brilliant, caring people to help me through every aspect of it.
The last thing I will say, and this is for anyone researching a bootcamp— the support I got from Actualize was fully contingent upon my ability to reach out, advocate for myself, and ask for help. I’m sure that my experience would differ tremendously from a student who didn’t do this. In my opinion, succeeding at Actualize requires a keen level of self-awareness, the ability to communicate that, and reaching out to faculty for help when needed. Do not expect to get this level of support from Actualize or any bootcamp for that matter, if you don’t ask for it. This is one of my biggest pieces of advice to anyone looking to do a coding bootcamp.
I could not recommend this school enough, I am so grateful I found Actualize— and believe will forever be reaping the benefits of this choice. -
Mike Allen Verified via LinkedIn
This is where you "learn to fish"
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I spent a fair amount of time researching coding bootcamps before I took the plunge with Actualize. After all, the cost of these camps vary as much as the technologies offered. I was certainly proficient with computers, but I had no coding background at all. I didn't even know how to bring up the terminal. Let me say, emphatically, this was the best decision I could have possibly made. This course did not teach me syntax or how to build "X" (Well I mean of course they did, but read on...). I practiced researching, learning, and apply information directly from documentation. I learned how to fish in this bootcamp. It's given me the confidence to build things we never learned in class, and tackle other technologies right out of a 4 month camp. Don't waste anymore time thinking about all the things you have to do to start, just start and start here. -
Kevin Verified via GitHub
Excellent Experience
I highly recommend Actualize. We started with a 5-week prep that gets you up to speed in Ruby and exercises what you have learned. Beginning the cohort is exciting, I was expecting to be overwhelmed but everything is laid out for you and our instructor Brian could not have been any nicer. They do a great job at understanding the experience students are going through and willing to help in any way. -
Jonathan Verified via LinkedIn
Life Changing
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I knew I needed some structure when learning the fundamentals of software development, so I started taking a look at dozens of different bootcamps. So many of them taught similar languages and had multiple projects that you'd be able to produce. There was one however that stood out from all the others on a couple main aspects, and that was Actualize. Actualize has been one of the greatest learning experiences I have ever had.
A lot of bootcamps only provide you with maybe an hour a day, 3-4x a week of actual instruction. The rest of the time that you are "in the bootcamp" you are just doing some self learning. Spending the amount of money that a bootcamp costs just to teach yourself isn't helpful. Actualize is devoted to having actual live instruction 5 days a week. You go through some material, watch the instructor code, and then have a challenge to do something similar yourself. It is incredibly effective and I was able to learn & retain so much information in a short period of time. Not to mention the instructors are incredible and very knowledgable - Brian was my cohort instructor and I cannot praise him enough for how well he goes through everything.
You can also tell that everyone in the class genuinely cares and wants you to succeed. Actualize also has something called "career hacking" which meets every Sunday to go over things related to the job search. Lisa is amazing and helps you get prepared to start tackling interviews and applications pretty much halfway through. The best part - the job hacking is available UNTIL you get your first job. They genuinely care and want you to land that first role!
I can't say enough incredible things about this bootcamp - there isn't another one that compares whatsoever. -
Leon Shimizu Verified via LinkedIn
100% Worth It
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From the beginning, I've pretty much only heard good things about Actualize. Originally, I made a post of LinkedIn asking what bootcamp people would recommend and for a good couple weeks to a month, the only people that replied, were people from Actualize. On top of that, one of the other major reasons I chose them was because of the smaller teacher to student ratio, I believe my class was just about the max at 13 to 2 (Teacher and TA - both specifically for this class). When I was doing my research about other bootcamps, I saw that they had 20:1 or 30:1 and other variations of that so when I saw that Actualize is a much closer/personal experience, that definitely stood out to me. The last thing that stood out to me was the fact that all their teachers were a teacher of some sort before, meaning that they aren't just people who know how to code, they are people who know how to teach and also know how to code. -
Britney Verified via LinkedIn
Coding Bootcamp
Such an amazing experience. For someone who had absolutely no experience this course really gave me an amazing knowledge base to transition into Web Development. The faculty was amazing. Brian and his dad jokes really make the class more enjoyable and Lauren and Patrick the TAs had really great knowledge. The overall experience was a 10 out of 10! -
Lucas Verified via LinkedIn
More Than Just A "Coding" Bootcamp
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I transitioned into web development with zero prior experience, and after graduating, I rate my experience at Actualize to exceed my expectations. I expected a boot camp that would only teach me to code and throw me out into the wild. What makes Actualize an excellent program to me was the help in the transition every step of the way. Will they teach you everything there is to know? No. But I found it more valuable in their mission to teach students by letting them break code, learn from their mistakes, and build a solid foundation to go forward. The instructors and teaching assistants are there whenever you faced an obstacle every day during or after class for the students. They are always patient and willing to help you learn the material.
At Actualize, they understand that the main goal is to land a job in the industry. That's why the first week they introduced weekly job hacking lectures to help in your transition into the tech field. Even after graduating, you're able to still connect with your career advisors for any assistance on landing a job whether it be resume reviewing, announcing job posts, discussing application strategies, or even reviewing job descriptions and compensations. To reiterate, every step along the way, the staff at Actualize is there to help in your transition into the field.
How well Actualize helps you transition into web development becomes a strong attraction to many others that also decide to make the jump. That means the cohort you meet in class comes from multiple backgrounds with little or no experience and that creates this bond with them knowing that all of you are in this together. As the lectures progress forward, you get the chance to talk and work together with cohorts that helps build a sense of camaraderie when code does or doesn't work. So I think the types of people that boot camps will attract make as much an impact on your experience as the quality of their instructor. I could not recommend a better boot camp after my experience at Actualize. -
Ian Silber Verified via GitHub
5 Stars all around
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As someone who was on this very website 5 months ago looking for a bootcamp to throw an exorbitant amount of money at, I understand the difficulty behind trying to pick which reviews to trust, which sound scammy, who just had a bad experience due to their own lack of effort, etc... In the interest of openness and transparency I was asked to write this review, however, that has in no way had an impact on the scores I am giving. I tried to pick an area I could maybe leave a 4 instead of 5 star answer to try and give this review a bit more trustability, but I failed, because in all honesty my experience has been 5 stars all around. My lead instructor Amanda Hale did a phenomenal job of being both engaging and informative. Additionally Amanda did a terrific job of pushing me to my limits while still offering a helping hand when it was truly necessary. Our 2 teachers assistants were also an amazing help when fixing bugs and both super supportive throughout the process of learning this new skill. The environment was extremely welcoming and over the course of our five months together our cohort became great friends with each other. If I were to criticize a single thing to give this review a bit more validity among the skeptics it would be my personal distaste for Vue.js, again that comes down to preference and it is an incredibly popular framework and useful for the job hunt. Speaking of the job hunt, this bootcamp offers something unique that many other bootcamps do not, Career Services. At any point you can book an appointment with one of Actualize's two fantastic career counselors. due to the small class sizes you get very tailored, personalized help from finding a job, to writing a resume, to leads on different apprenticeships that match you specifically. All in all, highly recommend this bootcamp. -
Ian Boyle Verified via LinkedIn
Great Overall Bootcamp
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Actualize is a great bootcamp, especially for this with little previous coding experience. They focus on teaching you how to teach yourself, which is extremely important in programming, and one of the main reasons I chose Actualize. The other main reason I chose this program was because they had been offering it online way before COVID, which was a huge plus - they definitely have the right structure in place. My only caveat, being someone who had a decent amount of previous coding experience, is that there were times where I didn't feel as challenged as I would have liked. Other than that, Actualize did a great job in giving me a solid foundation to further my programming abilities. -
Gail Verified via LinkedIn
The Best Bootcamp for your money!!
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I cannot recommend this program highly enough. From the great instruction to the TA's to the Job hacking crew, everything is set up to help you be successful. Our instructor Amanda was amazing! She is so much fun, but also pushed us every day out of our comfort zone. You could always tell she truly cared about us as students and wanted us to succeed. She believed in all of us and was encouraging through the process. We had great TA's to help us as well. Meg and Jonathan did an outstanding job as support.
Bootcamp is very challenging and demanding. I was impressed by the lessons as we learned a great deal about both back end and front end software engineering. Actualize set me on a good path to continue my learning after bootcamp as well. I really appreciated the dedication to job hacking. Actualize helped us update our resumes, fix our linked in profiles, and connect with others in the industry. We did a lot of practice for tech interviews and were encouraged to start applying for jobs and put our resumes out there.
Many bootcamps have you work on a capstone project in a group, but at Actualize, we did our own project from start to finish. Although we had many opportunities to pair or mob program, I thought it was really important that we built our own app from the ground up. It gave me a much better understanding of the whole process and how the parts fit together.
I truly appreciate all of the support, encouragement, and top notch instruction that we received. If you are looking for a bootcamp, look no further! I did look into other programs, but Actualize let me sit in on a class, they have Mac's that you can borrow so you don't have to invest in one, and they truly support their students! -
Philip Verified via GitHub
This Bootcamp is seriously the best around.
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I chose Actualize because after reaching out to a few different bootcamps they were the only ones to actually reach out to me and put me in touch with an actual person and after talking to the admissions manager I knew this was the place for me. My experience seriously could not have been better Amanda was an amazing teacher and was more than happy to help and teach you all of the stuff you are going to need to make a true run into the software development industry. From my classmates and the T.A.s everyone was super helpful and it makes you realize that you are all in this together and that you are all working towards the same goal and everyone is more than willing to jump in and help you with anything you may need. I would recommend this bootcamp to anyone that wants an actual in depth course on how to learn about learning software development and in the 12 weeks you are more than capable of building a full stack app and present it in a way that you know everything that you are talking about not just a bunch of vague nonsense. I would also say anyone that isn't happy where they are at that this is a great jumping off point for a new career I spent 15 years at my last job and had to leave and when struggling to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life I am glad I went this way and chose in my opinion the best coding bootcamp out there. -
Shane Verified via GitHub
Great Info and Great Support
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After transitioning out of the concrete industry, Actualize gave me all the tools I needed to succeed in the tech field. Their curriculum is fast paced and covers a wide variety of information, but you never feel left behind. Due to the small class size, experienced instructors, and multiple great TA's, there is always a support structure to fall back on if you need it. If you're interested in a full-stack experience that will challenge you as well as teach you, then I couldn't recommend Actualize enough. -
Mike Verified via LinkedIn
Very Interactive
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I chose Actualize over the other courses originally based on timing. However, I feel I am extremely lucky to have been a part of the course at Actualize. Not only were the instructors and TAs very good at online courses, they were also extremely friendly and caring. Furthermore, they teach everything that can be taught for your job search after the course, and with ongoing assistance, I truly feel that this is one of the best courses out there. -
Melodee Lee Verified via GitHub
Not only does it provide great instructors but the staff genuinely cares
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I came across Actualize as I was making a career change from sales. Not only does it provide great instructors but the staff genuinely cares about their students and their growth. This course consists of a dozen of exercises/problems each week, a video explaining how to solve the problem, and then a section for you to solve the problem. The course is set up to learn new topics each week, and you get plenty of practice in class and in homework assignments. Moreover, there was a strong sense of community and we all quickly became comfortable with one another and trusted one another in the learning process. -
Christian Minnie Verified via GitHub
A Coding Bootcamp That Cares About Its Students
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Like so many of the other reviews posted here, I want to reiterate what a fantastic bootcamp this is having just graduated from it myself.
With an excellent, well-rounded curriculum that runs for around five months, followed by their job assistance program called "Job Hacking," students genuinely have all the support they need to not only learn full stack web development, but to reinvent their resumes and professional lives.
I attended the most recent in-person cohort at their Chicago office. Peter, the head instructor, led this cohort. He did a fantastic job teaching us, and was always willing to take us through anything we needed help with step by step.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway I got from all this was not necessarily becoming a pro developer after only five or so months, but learning how to teach myself how to code so as to be prepared for a fulfilling career.
Though it may be hard to believe, this bootcamp really lives up to the hype. -
Will Verified via LinkedIn
Wonderful Experience
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Going to this camp has been a great experience for me, I feel like I learned so much in such a short period of time. This course is quite intense but once you graduate you will feel confident that you can start applying for entry level positions in software development. I came into it with zero coding experience and the pacing of the class, while fast, did not leave me falling behind by any means. I highly recommend this to anyone who has tried to learn to code on their own and felt as though there was just too much to learn and got lost in the mess of it all. Actualize provides a structure curriculum that is tried and true. -
Percy Jonasson Verified via LinkedIn
Coding Bootcamp
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I had the opportunity to recently attend the in person cohort for Actualize's Coding Bootcamp in Chicago. With no prior experience in coding, I wasn't sure what to fully expect. I appreciated the instructor being upfront and honest about what the class was going to provide in a 16 week period. We focused on the fundamentals and basics of coding while learning how to learn to code. I believe this is a huge factor in being successful in the software development industry. It is constantly changing and with the help of Actualize's program and curriculum, I honestly believe I have been set up the best way possible to be successful in my job search now and many years after. The instructor also made sure every student had the resources and time needed outside of class to learn and get the help they needed. -
Vic Juska Verified via LinkedIn
Amazing bootcamp
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Just graduated! An amazing experience, had Peter as our instructor. He makes the class actually interesting and you want to attend it every day (i couldn't say that about most of my instructors back in college) He also stays after class, and even came in on the weekend towards the end of our class to help finish our capstone projects.
I highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in becoming a software developer. -
Laura Verified via GitHub
New Grad
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I chose Actualize because it was a full-time, full-stack bootcamp that is about 5 months long. 5 weeks of pre-work, that is self-paced and 12 weeks of virtual class that you attend every day. I was drawn by the fact that in a very short time, you were able to learn these skills. I appreciate that everyone at Actualize makes you feel very welcomed and cared for and they want to make sure you have a positive experience. The mental toll the bootcamp will take is talked about immediately and I love that. I would recommend Actualize to anyone that is looking to fast track their career into coding, but make sure you are ready for a rollercoaster ride and you really dedicate yourself. -
Jonathon Ahn Verified via GitHub
Fantastic instructor-student ecosystem!
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I chose Actualize because of their commitment to the human side of career transitioning, and it really went above and beyond! Instructors are contactable at (almost) any time, the job search assistance is stellar, there really isn't any more you can ask for in terms of learning a new skill and finding your way into its industry.
They do a fantastic job of treating you as a person who deserves to succeed and take as many steps required to get you where you want to be. The level of support you receive as a student both in and beyond the course really makes a huge difference in giving you the confidence to get out of your comfort zone and into the world! -
Isis Verified via GitHub
Believe The Hype
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First off..If you read through these reviews you will see so much positive feedback that it makes you think that there is no way these are true. Well, I'm here to tell you...It's all true! From the first phone call with Ricky to my amazing instructor Dani..there are so many great people that just want to see you succeed. I loved the small class size and the fact that Dani always had time for me if I needed help or just wanted to chat. Their career support is incredible. Yes it's true they don't offer any type of career guarantee but honestly, why should they? It's up to you the student to use the tools and knowledge that they instill in you to make it happen. They have amazing job Hacking resources and the career counselors are so great at what they do. Sarah was amazing at helping me be prepared to tackle the job hunt and also always someone that I could talk to about any life stuff that was affecting my learning. Overall this was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone looking to jump into tech.. 10/10 would do it again!! -
Nikki Sanmarco Verified via GitHub
Excellent bootcamp, feeling very prepared
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Changing careers can be terrifying, especially if you've been in one for a long time with an extensive formal education. I was feeling very unfulfilled in mine though, and I wanted to try something different. I didn't have the means to spend another 4 years in college though, so I was very excited that coding bootcamp was a thing, because programming is what I wanted to learn. Its an intimidating field to try to go into, but I really like how Actualize taught you how to learn other programming languages. The bootcamp made me feel like even though I still don't know much at all, I can learn it quickly and I know how to go about doing that. My instructor was so great. She was super high energy all the time and very positive, so class was always entertaining and it was easy to stay focused. Its very clear that she, along with the career counselors really do care about the students and how they do when they are done. I never felt like just another number they were trying to add on to their good stats. My prework instructor was equally helpful in the journey. They were both abundantly available when I needed extra help. At the end of this experience, I am impressed with what I have learned in just a few short months and the project I was able to turn out, and I dont think I could've have accomplished that at just any bootcamp. I feel like I have enough knowledge in each area of programming that I can easily go out and expand that knowledge to get the right career. I also am really impressed with the job assistance resources, and it was one of the main reasons I chose this bootcamp. They really do want to make sure that you take your new knowledge and get the coding job that you want. The counselors definitely know their stuff on everything from resumes to networking to interviews. I would highly recommend this bootcamp to anyone who thinks they would like to be a programmer. It was money and time very well spent!
