Actualize Reviews
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Pinny G Verified via LinkedIn
Full-Stack includes the human stack!
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Hello all, recent grad of Actualize here.
I was looking for a bootcamp to learn software development as I wanted to enter the tech world. After searching around online I found these exact reviews about Actualize. The positive reviews seemed too good to be true lol. A quick look on reddit told me they were not kidding and that this is one of the best bootcamps around. I reached out to the intake staff and immediately was struck by the personal attention of the staff! I had at least a 30 min conversation with the intake advisor who patiently answered all my question and tried to help me make an informed decision. She even offered to connect me to the teaching staff and past alums!
After starting the program, I felt taken care of by the entire Actualize staff. My class instructor, Amanda, is a rockstar teacher and went above and beyond to impart all the things we need to know to get a job in the tech world. She turned our cohort into a close group where we were all growing together. There is so much more to switching careers and learning software development than the hard technical skills. And that is where Actualize really shined! They were quick to support us in all ways besides actual code. Their job-hacking team, with Lisa and Sarah, helped us prepare for the tech world by training us on interviews, resumes, and networking/LinkedIn. The bootcamp also prepared us for whiteboarding and solving complex coding problems.
At other bootcamps you might be thrown into a class with 100s of people and then have TAs do the rest of the work or you will be stuck with an instructor who might be a great developer but a lousy teacher. At Actualize, instructors are developers who develop developers. Also, you will be in a more intimate cohort and really grow and gain together.
Lastly, the journey does not end upon completion of the bootcamp. It continues past that with constant reinforcement and training for both development and job-searching. There is a follow up course that is included that goes deeper into the problem solving and computer science.
When in doubt choose Actualize. -
Meg Howe Verified via LinkedIn
Personalized, Organized, Great Value
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I chose Actualize after a friend recommended it and after reading about the emphasis that Actualize puts on EDUCATION and putting understanding first. I wanted a personal touch and what I got was just that. My class was small and I got to talk 1 on 1 with career coaches, my instructor, my classmates, and even the dean of students, who personally called me when I was having second thoughts. Something I was really impressed by was the FORMAT of the class. We had several daily routines, lectures followed by exercises, and weekly job hacking sessions which really put me ahead when beginning to apply for jobs. We also had 2 Teaching Assistants, which meant office hours twice a week (super helpful and consistent) and at least one of them in class to help with questions every day. You begin with a month of pre-work which is at your own pace with a class once a week to go over that weeks assignments. It prepares you well for when you begin class full-time. My instructor Amanda cares about her students and even went out of her way one day to spend a full hour talking to me about her experience as a woman coming up in the industry. I was extremely grateful to have her as a role model both as a software engineer and as a woman in tech. I'm on my last day to class now, and I've accumulated: a great portfolio via GitHub, a personal website that I created myself, a fully loaded LinkedIn with over 600 connections, a professional resume, tons of resources, and a completed capstone project. Also the understanding of what those things even mean. I've already applied to 20 jobs and have 2 interviews lined up. -
Jordan Verified via LinkedIn
learning to learn, great work life balance
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I think the most important thing to me about Actualize is that you learn a lot but maintain great mental and work-life balance. A lot of code bootcamps have crazy hours per day but Actualize was consistently 11 am - 4 pm every day with an hour or two of homework per day--very manageable. As someone who struggles with mental health challenges, this was crucial to me. Amanda was a fantastic instructor and explained things well but also encouraged me to take breaks when I needed them. We learned primarily Ruby on Rails and VueJS, which I feel is a good foundation for full stack web dev. -
Mabelys Verified via LinkedIn
Happy I chose Actualize!
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Extremely happy I chose Actualize. Not only does it provide great instructors but the staff genuinely cares about the students and their growth. There was a strong sense of community and we all quickly became comfortable with one another and trusted one another in the learning process. I've built long lasting friendships and will forever keep this experience near and dear to my heart. Im so proud of myself and my cohort. Congratulations team, we did it!!! -
Pavel Nosarev Verified via LinkedIn
Perfect Place For Me
I personally came from a zero coding background and wanted to be able to start from the ground up. After tons of research I decided on Actualize because of the great curriculum and awesome staff. Everything here was a joy to work through. (and make sure to ask for Amanda, she is the best!) -
Jeffrey Verified via GitHub
10/10
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I came to actualize looking to transition careers from a chemistry background to something in Web Development (I had no prior coding experience). I decided to go with actualize because I was able to still work full time and take their night class online. In 12 weeks I was able to learn how to build both a front end and back end for web apps. It takes a lot of work and you need to come to class wanting to learn. I had Brian as my instructor and he was amazing. I would recommend his to anyone he was the best. -
Patrick Nikolaus Verified via LinkedIn
Graduate
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Having done a prep course for a different bootcamp that left me uninspired and unmotivated, I stumbled upon Actualize. From day one they were super transparent and communicative about their program and any questions I had. Learning that my teacher was not only a developer but also an actual teacher was the selling point for me. Brian was my instructor, not only did he create a friendly and relaxed environment to learn, but he laid the curriculum out in a way that was very easily absorbed. My all around experience at Actualize was great, I looked forward to class everyday and I came away from it learning and grasping way more than I thought I was going to be able to. If you thrive in a structured environment with a laid back atmosphere I would highly recommend Actualize to you. -
Matthias Verified via GitHub
Great School!
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I was directed to this Bootcamp from a friend who graduated here. He had nothing but good things to say about the instructors and curriculum. This made it easy for me to pick Actualize when I decided to make a career switch. I would highly recommend Actualize Coding Bootcamp! Their staff is very knowledgeable, helpful and want to see you succeed. The course is in depth and teaches you not only how to code from the ground up but also integrates ways to find a job when the course is over. -
Brandy Verified via LinkedIn
Graduate
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I have zero regrets. NONE.
Here's a little background on me - 40 year old student, with essentially no tech experience prior to taking this class, diverse career experiences completely unrelated to tech. Around February of 2020, I started paying closer attention to my internal voice pulling me toward tech. So, I did the wise thing...I turned to YouTube. My heart began to thump in my chest and an excitement I hadn't felt for a long time began to rise up as my eyes opened to possibilities. I bought a $18 online course for SQL. Something not too intimidating. I liked it. I attended a virtual conference, connected with folks on LinkedIn, bought another online course that cost a bit more, python. It was then that I realized as a complete newbie, who barely even knew the lingo associated with tech, was fumbling through GitHub etc. I needed a Bootcamp, I needed peers. And here is where Actualize comes in.
Actualize provided structure, direction (cause I could sense myself teetering on the edge of a rabbit hole), accountability and very importantly, I wanted to talk to my instructor & classmates in real time, like see their faces. For me I needed feedback immediately as I learned these complex problems. Kevin, the pre-work instructor, provided feedback and eased the transition into the intense live-teaching portion of the program. Peter, my instructor, was funny, smart, super encouraging. Megan & Sarah, the T.A.'s were patient, supportive and helpful. Lisa & Sarah, the career specialists are with us during the entire job hunting process until we land that job and after! The team at Actualize truly have our backs. I feel it.
Actualize equipped me with the tools, resources and community I needed.
So, I mentioned my age earlier because I want the person reading this to understand that you can do this! Don't let doubt and fear creep in. Don't talk yourself out of it.
Actualize, thanks a bunch! -
Macy Verified via GitHub
Wonderful Experience
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Amazing learning experience! Was able to start out as a newbie coder and create my own app towards the end. Everyone was encouraging from start to finish. More experienced members with code were SO SUPPORTIVE and didn’t make me feel like less because of my lack of experience. In fact, we all laughed at our struggles. Will always look back fondly at my time here. (: -
Vinny Verified via GitHub
Great for a career transition
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I have been working in creative fields for roughly fifteen years. After my last position, which exposed me to scripting in 3ds Max and in Cygwin, I felt that I had finally reached a terminal career point. I could have gotten comfortable and settled-in, possibly for life, but I wanted more challenge, so I made the decision to switch careers to coding.
After researching multiple bootcamps, their curriculums and poring over reviews of instructors, I made the decision to go with Actualize. A strong draw for me was not necessarily the technologies covered, but how well the instructors were reviewed and how well the information is presented.
Ruby/Rails, Javascript, SQL, Bootstrap and Vue.js are definitely solid technologies to know, and are very accessible, but they are not necessarily the current meta for "what's hot." The mission of Actualize, to not necessarily teach students whatever languages and frameworks are the current fad, but rather teach the frameworks for self-learning that will empower students to switch to any other language or framework, allows me to not only appreciate what I have learned in my short time in the class, but also appreciate what I am about to start learning on my own, and at a future employer. -
Mathias S. Verified via GitHub
I learned a lot in a fun environment.
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I went in to this bootcamp with virtually no coding experience and by the end I had made a web application from the ground up and presented it to a panel. Very pleased with how much I learned here and the support I received from the instructor and TAs.
The job hacking portion of the class was a major help to me. I would not have been able to advertise myself this well to employers without it.
I look forward to my new brighter future as well as seeing where my fellow classmates end up. The community of our class was fun and always willing to lend a hand. -
Ryan Verified via GitHub
So glad I chose Actualize
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Actualize delivered on everything that I expected going into the bootcamp. The curriculum was very effective in giving me a solid foundation of skills and concepts. But most importantly I feel empowered to go out and learn any language or skill that I feel passionate about or interested in. Dani was a great instructor and provided the right balance of guidance and instruction paired with the opportunity to solve problems and tackle challenges on our own using the skills we learned. -
Ian Verified via GitHub
10/10 experience
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I just finished the Day section of Actualize coding bootcamp with Dani as my instructor. Prior to joining Actualize I worked in education, and then in media.
I decided it was time for a career change, and to really do something beneficial to myself and my future. In High School I had taken some basic coding courses in C++/HTML/CSS, and tried to pursue Computer Science in college. However, I was not great at the math and science that a 4 year CS degree includes, and so I switched majors to education.
Fast forward many years to 2020, I had been working as (and still do) a video editor. While I enjoy the work, I really wanted a career with some consistency and staying power. I told myself, and some friends, that I was going to join a coding bootcamp. I did my research, I built out an Excel spreadsheet with all the bootcamps I was considering, and I landed on Actualize.
I chose Actualize 1) because of the flexibility in the schedule, a day or a night section, and the day section allowed me to continue working in the mornings and 2) because of their mission statement regarding hiring educators first and coding second. Coming from an education background I understood the importance of having an instructor that could really teach the material in an effective way.
I'm so glad I chose Actualize. I feel like I had a great experience all around, and learned so much information in such a short amount of time (and was able to retain all of it!). The career support once a week built into the curriculum was also helpful in getting me to start thinking about what my life would be like when the bootcamp ended, and I feel very prepared to continue on in my journey into the tech world. I'll never stop learning, and I'll always keep working on new and interesting ideas. -
Jeff S. Verified via LinkedIn
Never could have done this on my own!
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tldr; sign up for Actualize, they are absolutely everything they claim to be. You will graduate with a solid foundation to start your career in development!
I've taken pride at being self-taught at many things. But I struggled to teach myself programming beyond a basic level for quite a while. I spent more time trying to decide which language to learn than on just picking one (spoiler alert: it doesn't matter, just pick one and move on!). I'd skip over the fundamentals just to hack together code on a deadline for small parts of my job without understanding what I was doing at all. But the program at Actualize was completely worthwhile and feel like it has prepared me for a life of learning in Web Development.
Actualize started with the fundamentals without ever feeling simplistic. The pre-work was engaging and well structured. The live instruction was phenomenal and was a great balance of technical instruction, career coaching, habit forming and developing strong problem solving skills. It moved at a great pace and jumped between instruction and exercises but constantly pushed (forced?) me to keep learning, something that is hard to maintain on your own. The curriculum was well rounded and the group work was a great way to practice collaborative project-based coding. The capstone project was where everything we were taught came together and I was astounded at how much I had actually learned and was able to pull off. It also taught me how to focus under pressure, search out resources, pick my priorities and work up against a hard development deadline.
I was hesitant to pay for a coding bootcamp and thought "I can just teach myself with some online courses". But the reality is there's no way I could have learned this much material and covered such a broad array of coding and computer science concepts in any coherent way on my own. Not to mention you have little to no support when going the self-teaching route. But at Actualize during exercises I received help on things that could have taken me hours or days to figure out on my own - leaving time to reinforce the skills I was building while still exploring more advanced concepts. The deadlines and group projects were very effective at cementing my knowledge and forcing me to learn and think on the fly.
Overall a phenomenal experience and I would highly recommend you sign up right now or visit one of their classes to see what its like for yourself. But save some time, quit debating and just sign up for Actualize. There will be plenty of time for self teaching after you graduate but at least you'll be able to start off on a solid foundation with a network of resources to take with you, and that's a huge advantage. -
John Verified via GitHub
Personalized Deep Resource
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Realized halfway through that the founder's partner was the admissions coordinator who helped me sign up, My instructor was actually also the dean, and I was lucky enough to present my code to the founder for my final. Instructors were available for advice well past class class time, with the aforementioned dean pulling very late nights to be ready for finals week. TA's and pre-work instructors were incredibly helpful and friendly. I took the whole class online and hope to meet up with classmates and Instructors soon. -
Josh Verified via GitHub
Excellent Program
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The number one reason I picked Actualize was because of what I had heard about their career support. I am writing this review on my last day of class and I already have a job, but even if I didn't, the career support is phenomenal and continues long after graduation.
Our instructor, Peter, was great. Before I started this class, I had never written a line of code in my life, but I now feel prepared to enter the profession. -
Randy R Verified via GitHub
Great Program!
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If you are looking to start your career in Web Development (Full Stack) this is a great school to learn from! I had Peter Jang as an instructor and he was great! Lisa the Career development instructor was super SUPER beneficial. Everyone at Actualize was very knowledgable and patient with me. I also really appreciated the online part-time course because it was Live on camera where you can actually speak to the instructor and ask questions.
Definitely recommend. -
Mark Francisco Verified via LinkedIn
Actualize - Online Daytime Program
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When i was a prospective student looking coding bootcamps, reading the reviews was a big help in the decision-making process. I just completed the Actualize program recently, so here are some thoughts and opinions based on my own experience:
Pros:
-i feel that the teachers, TAs, and career advisors have been really supportive. it's easy to get in touch with someone if you have questions. the cohorts are smaller and the career support team works with you to understand your personalized goals. My class was 14 students from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests. The lectures are held live and recorded in case you need to reference back to something later.
-our instructor did a really good job of creating an engaging and fun classroom environment. it made it easy to get to know the other people in the class. there's a lot of group collaboration and pair programming. of course the bootcamp was a grind at times, but going to class was always something i looked forward to.
-the online daytime class is 5 hours/day M-F with a few breaks. this is less classroom time than some other bootcamps. This ended up being a plus for me, since it helped me avoid the sense of burnout that can come with being in a classroom environment all day. I liked having the live class time, taking a break, then reinforcing concepts and diving into the homework at night.
-Ruby on Rails and Vue were good languages to learn and be introduced to first.
Cons:
-expensive. there are for sure cheaper ways you could go about learning web development fundamentals. For me personally though, the structure and the support of a group learning environment was really valuable and really helped me build on my skills.
-fast-paced: it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes to understand all the concepts coming at you rapid fire. i'd recommend you try to dive into some basic programming concepts if you can before you start the program.
-just know that you're not going to learn everything you need to know in the 12 weeks. you're going to have to keep learning and building on the foundation of knowledge that you gain in the class.
TLDR: recent student. would recommend. 5 ruby gems / 5. -
Lil Verified via LinkedIn
Supportive, Well-rounded Program.
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Short version: Balanced, well-paced curriculum with a HUGE focus on supporting students on their learning path AND beyond.
If you're looking to learn programming languages remotely and aren't sure if you'd be missing out on some part of the in class experience, Actualize has figured it out. They had zoom classes pre-pandemic and it really shows, it doesn't feel like a rushed transfer from in-person learning like some classes might. The classes are small (mine had 14 students for 1 instructor and 2 TAs), the exercises make use of the online component of the class (you are learning a computing language after all), and you will leave feeling a real comradery with a new community.
I have friends who went through other classes at the same time as I did and while they had problems feeling like they were lost in the sea of new material, Actualize never made me feel overwhelmed. You do learn A LOT, but its not just thrown at you. Our instructors and career supervisors were overwhelming supportive and provide plenty of tools to help students along their path. The class is 5 hours (with an hour of breaks throughout) and THERE IS homework but not so much as to eat up all your time. I can only speak for myself but most assignments took about 20-30 minutes to complete. Its well paced, with plenty of time to grasp the new subjects-- to the point I'm shocked at how much I actually learned.
The main reason I joined a bootcamp was that I kept getting stuck, bored, or frustrated with learning independently and I wanted to speak to an actual human person about it. Instead, I got to talk to qualified instructors AND a dozen new friends going through the same experience. My class was about half women, including the teacher (something I was worried going in as a lady-in-tech) but obviously that will depend on the year. But the social aspect was everything it could be in a class, and that was a delight.
I wholeheartedly recommend Actualize! -
Daniel Verified via LinkedIn
This is the one for Full-Stack Web Dev!
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If you are BRAND-NEW to programming, then this must be at the top of your list. 5hrs a day + hw is much more manageable than other bootcamps that have you going 8hrs a day + hw + projects. How can you truly learn while being overwhelmed for 4 straight months? With Actualize, it is undoubtedly very challenging, but it never felt overwhelming, and I felt I learned way more this way.
The faculty, teachers and TA's are all genuine people that actually care about you. My cohort were also very kind and accepting people. As someone who actually has some programming experience going into it, I was blown away with how much I learned and the connections I made along the way. Plus the price is unbeatable for the quality of education you're getting.
I JUST graduated, and I feel so much more confident now to enter the work force. Seriously, this is the one! Your mental health and wallet will thank you! -
James Boyette Verified via LinkedIn
Great *teachers* !
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The bottom line: if every new experience, risk, and attempt to learn were this good … I'd probably go outside a lot more. Seriously. I had all of (what I imagine are) the standards questions and fears: is coding too hard in general? Will this company take my money and run? What am I getting myself in to? I googled, read two articles on "what to know if you wanna do a bootcamp," found course report, and starting reading reviews. Actualize's reviewers said:
1) they'd worried about these things too, BUT had read the reviewers before them and been assured, "It's definitely the right choice,"
2) they listened, took the bootcamp, and were back to confidently report, "Yes - it actually deserves its hype" … and why?3) This bootcamp cares about you. And more importantly, the amazing people that work here care about *teaching*. Honest, No kidding - "We're former M.A.'s and Dr.'s in education" teaching. As a former teacher myself, I was definitely in "ok - prove it!" mode when I signed up. … that lasted ?two days? Everyone's kind, the staff are hilarious, and the lessons just make sense. My list is frankly too long - I can't say enough good things! But Seth D. (review: "Worth It!" from 5/7/2021) and Eric Lee ("Reviews don't lie" - also 5/7/2021) sum it up well. Go ahead and enroll. Or keep reading a few more of these to see what we all think as alumnus. And, if you end up needing a final push like I did: get in touch with them. After I talked to a rep, a teacher, and a career advisor … the two days was excessive! -
Eric Lee Verified via GitHub
Reviews don't lie
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Choosing the right coding bootcamp can be very challenging as there are so many now. I watched, read, researched all the curriculums and reviews and Actualize did not disappoint.
The most common reviews on typical coding bootcamps are that the instructors are recent graduates and cannot teach nor code. They basically just read the powerpoint slides and you have to do your own research.
The instructors at Actualize are highly skilled coders and they all have teaching backgrounds. It does come with a hefty price for an online bootcamp but you get what you pay for. Get loans just like I did. Actualize coding bootcamp had the best score overall and it lives up to it.
What you'll get out of this camp:
-Capstone Project as your portfolio.
-A solid coding foundation.
-Knowing where to find answers and skills to teach yourself.
What you shouldn't expect:
-Guaranteed high paying first job.
-Become an expert coder when you finish the bootcamp.
At the end, you get what you put into it.
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Seth D Verified via GitHub
Worth It!
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Trust what you've been reading. As an educator, I was looking for a place that knew what they were doing, not a training program, but a program that would teach. Brian, a former high school educator himself, did just that. The program is designed with a perfect balance of independent-based inquiry and direct instruction -- all of which is very intentional and proven to work. I've learned more, and have been given that challenge that I was seeking, in these 12 weeks than I have in a really really long time.
Mixed in with the excellent instruction are intentional moments of reflection designed to let you soak in the vast amount of skills you have attained in such a short period of time. This made the experience much more valuable and sustainable -- helping you realize that no matter how difficult development is, you're learning a ton along the way.
For those of you, like I was, looking at multiple camps and researching the perks and price of each -- pick this one. Seriously. -
Austin Shields Verified via LinkedIn
An honestly phenomenal course
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The people at Actualize are friendly, fun, knowledgeable, extremely helpful, and just good at teaching. They don't only teach you how to code - they teach you how to learn, and then extensively help you through the process of actually finding a job. They won't sugarcoat the difficulties of software engineering and the industry as a whole, and will instead work with you to get through those difficulties. -
Brad Edmonds Verified via LinkedIn
I couldn't have made it this far without it
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I felt the bootcamp was well-rounded, but more importantly challenged students in the right ways - from a skills level and a personal level. Looking back, there were definitely times that I can pinpoint where I would have given up if I were trying to learn on my own instead. Without the structure and support of the bootcamp and the instructors, I wouldn't have made it, and the best part now that I've completed the program is I feel like I want to, and most importantly CAN, keep going on my own - that's perhaps the most valuable part of all. -
David Calhoun Verified via LinkedIn
I <3 Actualize
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I chose Actualize after reviewing many different bootcamps. Actualize enticed me most because they have had a remote program for years and the programs weren't 9-5pm, like most bootcamps. As someone who had little programming experience I knew I didn't want to spend all day in class and all evening reviewing the material I learned.
I attended Actualize's day time cohort which was Monday-Friday 9am-2pm pst. The pace of learning was quick. In class it switches from lecture to an exercise where you apply what you just learned. After class you have homework that you again apply what you learned that day. Homework ranged from 1-2 hours. Monday and Thursday Actualize has after hours where you can ask the TA questions about coursework.
Dani, my lead instructor, emphasized a growth mindset during the program. Adult learning can be challenging but remembering you CAN do it by thinking in a growth mindset is everything. Dani is such an incredible instructor and I am thankful for her during this process. She shows up everyday with an uplifting energy that helps you stay engaged and motivated.
The experience was more stressful than I thought it would be for me. There is so much to learn in the duration of the course I felt overwhelmed at times. So for those of you thinking of attending a bootcamp consider how you will handle stress and continue moving forward in your learning. For me this meant exercising more often, mindful meditation, and talking with my partner about my stress. With that being said I felt supported by Dani, the TA's, and the career advisor's. Everyone was there to help me succeed and there to talk to if I needed. I would 100% say Actualize cares about you as a human, not just another student that passes through their program.
The amount of resources you are provided with is incredible. You have access to all lectures, cheat sheets, and instructors indefinitely. Actualize does a fabulous job at setting you up for the job search. Job Hacking as they call it. I feel super prepared with my materials as I'm currently applying to jobs.
Upon finishing the program I feel confident in my skills as a developer. I have learned so much over the past months and it feels amazing to have these skills. I am making a career transition into tech from being a professional dancer. For those coming from an art background I encourage you to attend Actualize. It truly is an amazing program. -
Christopher Rezac Verified via GitHub
The Greatest Learning Experience I've Ever Had
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Actualize was by far the most in depth learning experience that I have ever had. I went into Actualize with zero coding experience and I am graduating knowing how to create a website (frontend and backend). I feel very comfortable entering the job market and am just thrilled to start my career in tech.
My instructor, Dani Zaghian was brilliant. She has an incredible understanding of everything she teaches and was very open to going over things again if someone didn't understand it at first. The TA's, Winston, James, and Katrina were also instrumental in helping me grasp the concepts and syntax being taught in the class. My cohort of 12 were all friendly people and I loved seeing their final Capstone projects after getting to know them throughout the whole process.
I typically don't write reviews, but Actualize really was the best learning experience I have ever had and I wanted to encourage others to look more into it. -
Nix Genco-Kamin Verified via LinkedIn
Actualize has changed my life for the better (with a minor caveat)
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I am incredibly grateful to Actualize, and my life has definitely been changed for the better. I went from various small side projects with no real direction to feeling like I understand my life path, with newfound confidence that I can work on larger projects and succeed as a developer. I have a strong sense of backend development, and arguably more importantly was taught how to effectively learn new skills, even outside the confines of a classroom. Structured job support through the Job Hacking part of the bootcamp was great, and really helped me find my footing entering into a new field. The one area I feel Actualize fell a little short was the frontend and design elements. There was enough focus that I can still call myself Full-Stack, but I definitely feel shakier with frontend work, and wish at least a few days had been allocated to focus a little more on design principles. However, I still 110% recommend this course, and can't begin to state how grateful I am to Actualize for providing me the skills I need to begin my career in a field I love (with post-bootcamp support for technical interviewing and working on projects with other alums to boost skills) -
Casee Amores Verified via LinkedIn
Everything I was looking for in a bootcamp
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When I was comparing different coding bootcamps, I saw a lot of schools that focused on cramming a ton of languages into your resume. But knowing how quickly languages fall in and out of popularity, I cared more about learning the fundamentals of programming. That is definitely what you get at Actualize. We learned enough languages to build a full-stack application, but the focus was always on the concepts and knowing how something works no matter which language is used to build it.
The classroom experience was great, and learning software development is definitely something that works well in an online environment. We had a small class of 12 students, with 3 TA's and a lead instructor. Dani is both a skilled developer and teacher, and all the lectures were clear and engaging. It was a joy to go to class and see my classmates every day, as everyone was friendly and came from different walks of life. I definitely feel like I've learned and accomplished what I set out to, and I know I have a good support system as I enter into the job hunting phase. -
Sarah R. Verified via LinkedIn
Life Changing
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I just graduated from my cohort today and I can honestly say enrolling with Actualize has been the best learning experience I've ever had. My previous "traditional college experience" does not compare at all to everything you'll get out of this bootcamp. I've absorbed so much knowledge, not just in tech but also valuable life lessons that I will take with me. I was extremely intimidated upon the first day of class, but my lead instructor (THANK YOU DANI), T.A.'s, and classmates created such a safe environment for all of us to feel comfortable and to accept that it is OKAY to not know everything or anything at all. I came into this with zero experience and now just a few months later I've built a functioning website on my own! Now we're entering the technical interviewing program which will help hone our interviewing skills and get us even more prepared to land a job in the field. Overall ACTUALIZE ROCKS! If you're thinking about applying, DO IT you will not regret it. -
Charlotte Moche Verified via LinkedIn
Worth Every Penny!
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I can't say enough good things about my experience at Actualize! I come from a fine arts background, and I was a bit nervous about shifting careers. I chose Actualize because it was geared towards beginners, and I believe that holds true to my experience. I felt very comfortable from beginning to end with the pacing, support, and general energy of the course.
My instructor was Dani Zaghian, and she was always enthusiastic, helpful, and very clearly passionate about her job and the advancement of the students. She was great at pushing each of us based on where we were at skill-wise, and she took particular notice of where we had strengths to play up.
I would highly recommend Actualize to anyone interested in learning more about web development, whether you have experience or not. Thank you for an amazing couple of months! I feel confident in where I am headed because of the program. -
Joseph Tastet Verified via LinkedIn
Graduate
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I chose Actualize Coding Bootcamp after reading reviews from this very website and thought I would bring it full circle. It was a phenomenal experience and I am so happy I chose correct. I felt that I not only learned the languages that they taught me but that I am now able to teach myself. If you are reading this review and are considering attending a coding bootcamp do yourself a favor and give Actualize a call. I was able to create my capstone app in a language and framework that hadn't been taught in the course, because Actualize gave me the fundamentals I needed to be successful. If you're looking for a personalized experience and a great curriculum, shoutout to Peter Jang, then do yourself a favor and call today. -
Ben Benedict ( yes that is my real name) Verified via LinkedIn
Continuing Support, Learning how to Learn
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I need to start off this by saying there is no magic bullet for, take this bootcamp and you'll get a job guaranteed. Ultimately you will have to work for it, but what I loved most about actualized is they will show you how to work for it and how to structure your time. Other bootcamps will kick people out before graduation if they think someone won't get a job to bost their job placement numbers, but Actualized is small enough that they will continue to assist you in your job search after graduating.
When I first started the pre-work i was totally overwhelmed but they gave me the confidence to keep going. You're never going to know it all, but through the process they taught me how to divide my goals into small process oriented ones and keep getting better.
I had Peter Jang as my Instructor and you can tell he loves teaching. Very passionate and excited when you learn new things. I'm excited for my career as a Developer and I really really encourage people, if you are going to take a bootcamp, take this one, dedicate yourself, and keep going and keep applying to jobs. -
Emanuel Verified via LinkedIn
The best decision I have made for my career and education
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My experience at Actualize was amazing. My instructor was extremely knowledgeable but kept the classes entertaining and interesting. He really drove home the point of if you don’t know something right now it’s okay as long as you keep trying to improve on it. I would recommend Actualize to anyone who wants a job as a software developer or anyone who wants to learn how to code. More than that the thing they do the best is teach you how to learn on your own and be self sufficient over the course of the program you can go from a complete beginner with no experience to having a full plan and being ready for your first software developer job. -
Anna Wong Verified via LinkedIn
Learn How To Learn Forever
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Signed up for Actualize after my partner did it a year ago and I was motivated to switch careers. After sitting in on a few classes, I chose the evening course led by instructor Peter - who also is the Dean - and it shows, best decision ever! The overall curriculum is well thought out and the resource material is abundant - but not in an overwhelming way. Every step of the way, you feel supported and that the bootcamp is invested not just in your learning but in your ultimate success of landing a dev job. I can't rave enough about Peter. If you can make it work, I highly recommend taking his evening class. Peter's background as a teacher, funny personality and clear communication made the most complex material digestable. By the end of the 12 wks, you walk away with a dozen or so new skills and several languages under your belt ... *but the true gift this bootcamp gives you is the ability and structure to continue learning on your own - which is critical since a dev NEVER STOPS LEARNING! Actualize also just rolled out a new program that will specifically help train you for job interviews - both behavioral and tech - with an emphasis on diving deeper into data structures & algos ... an invaluable boost for all us new devs trying to make our mark in this growing market. Whether you've taken some computer science courses already or have zero knowledge of coding (that's me), I highly recommend this bootcamp! -
Owen Verified via LinkedIn
Actualize - My honest review
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I literally found a family in Actualize. Peter was my lead instructor and he is so so so passionate about teaching code. He's a Chicago native like myself. The whole team including Kevin our TA was just phenomenal in my education. I came into this program with zero knowledge of coding. I went from knowing absolutely nothing to having a solid foundation to work with. Leaving this bootcamp it doesn't mean i'm suddenly a master at code. If you're a fan of Naruto I'm probably a Chunin or a high level Genin after going thru this bootcamp. Which speaks volumes at just how this program is structured. I took the evening course because I have a 9-5 but part of the reason why I did this bootcamp was so I can leave my 9-5 that is a dead-end job, for something more meaningful like the world of software engineering offers. If you're looking to go from knowing absolutely nothing to becoming a ready to work entry level developer, I highly encourage you to check this bootcamp out. -
Ryan Verified via LinkedIn
A long review of Actualize for those wanting all the details
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Warning: small novel ahead...
Like you, I was doing as much research on bootcamps that I could. There are so many out there now. How do I choose the right one? How will I know if I’ve learned enough? Does the bootcamp care about me or are they just trying to raise their statistics? I’m writing this review as I would’ve liked to see in my bootcamp search months ago. I’m going to go into a lot of detail about what the course looks like, and hopefully help you decide if Actualize is right or wrong for you, and why. Here we go:
My background:
I’ve worked in retail basically my entire life since I was 16. I’m 35 now. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life and never knew how to find the direction I wanted to take. My brother and friend did a bootcamp about 5 years ago that really opened my eyes to other possibilities outside of retail. But the biggest thorn in my side of making the leap was: can I really do this? Me, of such a lowly work background, with no real programming skills to speak of and a college degree that is pretty much meaningless? Actualize has shown me that the answer is yes.
About the bootcamp:
In about 17 weeks (including prework) I’ve gone from barely knowing how to open a file on a mac to being able to create my own full fledged application that I feel pretty confident about putting in my portfolio. You spend the first 5 weeks learning pure Ruby language mostly at your own pace - this is called the prework. Each week you are required to complete a number of small exercises (that become bigger as the weeks go on) which are then graded by a pre-work instructor. Two times a week the instructor will hold an office-hours zoom call to ask questions, and you can reach out to your instructor pretty much anytime through Slack (a messaging program used by people in tech). This part, for me, was the very beginning of things feeling real. But not fully real yet because this is done, more or less, at your own pace.
In-class portion:
It is about 12 weeks of daily class where you will be in your virtual classroom with your teacher and a TA. You pick up where you left off in some of the pre-work, then you start learning about the Ruby on Rails framework along with all the applications you’ll be using to be successful in the class. Every day, there is homework regarding the lecture of the day that is due before class begins the next day. Class is generally a small mini lecture on something new (you watch your instructor do an example), then you follow up doing it on your own. The beautiful thing about doing this kind of class over zoom is the ability to share screens. During the exercises, all students share their screens and the instructor and TA can “watch over the shoulder” of all students in the class. I really liked this feature.
The culmination of the 12 weeks live instruction is a Capstone Project that you begin planning on week 5. This is meant to be a portfolio piece that you can show off to future employers. It incorporates everything you’ve learned. You spend a lot of time working on this (basically a month-ish of class time).
During the 12 weeks, every Monday there is job-related work that is incorporated. From here, with the help of the job-hacking team, you will build up your LinkedIn, perfect your resume and start applying to jobs and asking for informational interviews. After the 12 weeks, there is one more week of classes dedicated to job searching. From there, you are mostly on your own, though you do have a community of people to fall back on for questions and advice.
Languages/Skills Learned:
Actualize teaches you a Ruby on Rails backend with a VueJS frontend. From what I’ve gathered from numerous small interviews I’ve done, these are not the most in-demand languages or frameworks. That isn’t to say that there are no jobs in this niche, but there are just less of them. The nice thing about Ruby and Rails are their overall simplicity to teaching and learning. It’s clear that these are picked to be taught because they are the easiest to digest in the short time that we have. However, I believe a lot of critics would say focusing on these particular languages isn’t the best use of your time due to their lack of popularity, and that is a fair argument. Actualize believes that once you pick up these languages, you can teach yourself almost any language. After 17 weeks, I would agree with that sentiment.
Why pick Actualize?
I picked Actualize because I felt they were the most welcoming and the most comforting bootcamp I talked to. I truly feel that my instructor, my TA, and the job-hacking team are all people that legitimately care about me and my success and want to help me get there. It feels warm. To me, that is a big deal. The sense of community and camaraderie I felt among people in my cohort is huge, and though most bootcamps will give you this feeling, Actualize gives it to you just a little bit more.
Another benefit is that there is a lot of discussion about not only the technical challenges we all will be facing leaving the bootcamp, but also the mental challenges. I appreciate these lectures and discussions because mental pressure in web development is a real thing and I feel the precursor we received to these issues will help me deal with it.
Closing:
In short, I felt my time and money was well spent enrolling in this bootcamp. I feel I have the initial skills needed to begin working in a completely new field. I have a large network of top-quality people and friends to support me. These are all of the things I didn’t have before, and for that, this guy from the retail world is grateful.
TL;DR: Actualize cares about you and your success and treat you like family. You get a lot of resources and support throughout the bootcamp. Though the languages might not be the most relevant, you’ll still be equipped to start applying to jobs. -
Wendy Verified via GitHub
Actualize is a great investment in your technical skills
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When I decided to enroll in a coding bootcamp, I did a ton of research to figure out which would be the right fit. I am so glad I chose Actualize - it really lived up to my expectations. The focus on education and on teaching students to teach themselves was especially effective and valuable. I worried that as I moved through the course and piled more and more information on top of what I had already learned, I might get overwhelmed, but on the contrary, I found my learning accelerated because there was constant reinforcement and practice, and I became more comfortable with self-teaching as we went along. My teacher and TA were engaging and helpful, the rest of the Actualize staff was fully dedicated to each student's success, and I really enjoyed my cohort and the sense of community and camaraderie. I also really appreciated the online format - it was seamless, convenient, effective, and in these pandemic times, safe. As with anything, you will get out what you put into it. If you are serious about becoming a developer and have the willingness and ability to put in the work, Actualize can get you there. -
Arthur Peterson-Veatch Verified via LinkedIn
Fantastic, even for someone who isn't sure if they want a job in the field yet.
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I applied to Actualize to broaden my coding knowledge and keep me moving towards my interests while I was in a gap year that I took from college during the coronavirus pandemic. I wasn't entering it to get a job, I wasn't even entering the bootcamp to learn skills directly for the career I want. Actualize is mainly a web development bootcamp. I want to be a game developer. While I knew that it probably wouldn't work directly towards my goals, it was close enough in the vein of what I wanted for me to apply. I wasn't sure how much I would genuinely enjoy the curriculum or how well it would be able to tie into my future.
However, Actualize blew me away. I loved every second of being in the bootcamp, due to my excellent instructor, TA, and the well thought out curriculum, not only do I have a better grasp on coding, I also have a better grasp on the structure of most applications, I have a better grasp on how to teach myself new skills, I have a better grasp on how to get a job, I have a deeper interest in websites and their development, I have made about 15 new and hopefully longstanding friends. The curriculum at actualize will help you understand how, and why to do certain things, and the faculty will guide you along the way and help you when you feel like you're stumbling. Another incredible piece of this bootcamp is the "job hacking" curriculum, I am in a unique position where I am not sure whether I will be seeking a job after I finish the camp. Despite this, the career support curriculum felt relevant and helpful and has deepened my understanding of how to market myself even in situations that might not be directly related to a job search. If you are interested at all in coding, I doubt there is any place better to at least get a start, and maybe even more, than actualize.
