Actualize

I attended the Actualize coding bootcamp in early 2017.  The part time structure made it perfect for me as I worked a full time job during the course of the bootcamp.  After sitting in on a class and meeting an instructor it was an easy decision to apply to Actualize.  The instructor did a great job keeping us engaged even late into the evening after a long week.  Actualize really gives you the tools to continue your education after you have completed the course.  We learned a variety of languages and frameworks, but were also encouraged to pursure our own interests and incorporate them into our personal projects, even if those technologies weren't part of the curriculum.  The job assistance is also top notch.  Several interviews were set up immediately after the end of the course and I received an employment offer within 6 weeks.  I would highly recommend Actualize to anyone looking to attend a bootcamp, regardless of skill level.

Before coming to Actualize, I studied Psychology and Spanish in San Diego State University, and I was on track for a career as a social service professional. I also have a knack for implementing new ideas, and startups fascinated me during that time. I didn't pay attention to it much as I was busy pursuing my degrees then. I held a Public Relations Manager position at a startup during my last semester in college, but left because I was moving back to San Francisco Bay Area. 

After moving back, I was blessed with the opportunity to work as a Behavioral Therapist for children who had autism and developmental disabilities. It was a greatly rewarding job and this is where I nurtured my passion to helping others. 
In addition, I did a lot of volunteer work for nonprofit organizations in San Francisco and was able to collaborate with seasoned professionals in strategizing how to outreach to corporations and get them involved. This eventually lead me to change jobs and work closely with nonprofit organizations and the clients they serve. 

I was then working as a bilingual case manager/social worker. I provided intense case management for 35-40 homelessness families per caseload and helped them achieve their goals of self-sufficiency, family well-being and independence. We provided resources for shelters, employment, education, health services, childcare, transitional and permanent housing. 

This position encouraged me to have a broader impact on underprivileged populations outside of the system -- to create something that can be used as a tool for social service agencies and the community in general. I wanted to create applications that accomplished this goal, which lead me to apply to Actualize.

I actually made the decision to apply right away. It was a Saturday morning, and I was looking through different bootcamps to enroll into. Actualize was the only part-time bootcamp that was being offered in San Francisco then. Because I was still working full-time and did not want to leave my job yet, I thought it was a great fit.

Actualize had a life-changing impact. Learning through Actualize helped me reach a goal: to learn how to code. With that simple accomplishment, I feel a lot more flexibility now with my career path. I see technology as a tool that you can pair with anything that you're interested in: from nonprofits, to startups, to medical, etc. I feel empowered learning these new skills.

When considering the specific features of Actualize I liked most, I definitely like that it was part-time. It gave people the opportunity to transition careers without having to lose their means of living. I also liked that our cohort had a small-size class. It really allowed the instructors and TA's to pay closer attention to your learning. Actualize can improve their program by implementing a strong career support team around the cohorts. They should also provide interview support where students can practice white boarding, technical questions, etc.

In regards to choosing Actualize over other bootcamps, when I saw the screencasts filled with humor, that jumped to me. As an educator in therapy, it was important to me that students love to learn. I felt that the founder of Actualize had the passion for teaching and giving space for fun while learning. That was key. I also checked reviews from their former students and they gave great reviews. They spoke about their values. A bootcamp with values is also very important. 

I believe that every bootcamp is different and yes -- everyone has a different learning style. If you have a full-time job and need to keep it while you're transitioning careers, I would definitely recommend Actualize. If you are well supported and want to learn to code, I'd still recommend Actualize along with other options.

 I was a newspaper designer. I had studied journalism and in grad school focused on the design aspect of journalism. During college, however, I started learning HTML and CSS by taking an intro class and ended up designing sites as a hobby, so I had some experience coding and learning things by myself.   Actualize (or Anyone Can Learn to Code, as it was called), allowed me to change my career for the better. There is no way I would have been able to learn all I did at ACLTC on my own and get a job in this field. I also developed (see what I did there?) some wonderful friendships. I had done a lot of research into what bootcamp I would go to (including considering online bootcamps).  The fact that the instructors were programmers but also had a background in teaching is what ultimately swayed me. Peter is an amazing instructor.   The part-time aspect ended up working for me as well -- I didn't have a job at the time but was freelancing, so that allowed me some flexibility. Judging from my cohort-mates' experiences, having a job and going to the part-time bootcamp was a really tough challenge. So either make sure you have a really good support system at home, or see if you can work part-time.   Having the apprenticeship (I think the format changed since I graduated -- I forget what it's like now) was really useful. It allowed me to get a little bit of experience in a work-like setting.   I got a job offer about a month after graduating. Part of it is because of my experience in design. People are also going to look at attitude and how well you work with others, etc.    Overall, would heartily recommend Actualize. However, I would not recommend any kind of web dev bootcamp to someone who's never coded before or has never before shown interest in it but wants to do it because it's the "in" thing to do. 

I went to college at Indiana University for a double major in Telecommunications and Communications & Culture (basically film and media studies). After graduating, I got hired at GP Strategies, a learning solutions provider. They make training materials for other companies. I was a Content Developer, which involved a lot of proofreading and organizing content from clients into specific templates and formats. I started teaching myself to code through online tutorials about a year before the first day of Actualize.

  When considering joining Actualize, the biggest hesitations were money and location - I moved up to Chicago to take the class. I chose Actualize over other bootcamps because it gave me the ability to attend and while still keeping my day job.   I loved the way the classes were taught. There was a lot thrown at us constantly, but it was structured in a way that you would learn something new, learn a few variations of it, and then be set loose on your own to solve problems. It was a very effective way of teaching. If students ever had questions or concerns, our instructor was also great at helping you on a one-on-one level. Since taking the class, I am happier with my job, making more, and am excited to be a part of the industry. I would absolutely recommend Actualize. The classes are great, the people are cool, and you are given a ton of support and resources.   The only thing I would add is that you shouldn't think of the course as something where you waltz in, spend some time in a classroom, and then are immediately offered a job as soon as you graduate. There is a great deal of information that is given to you at a high level, but when looking for jobs, my experience was employers were looking for those deeper levels. So to succeed and actually get a job in this field, it takes a lot of additional time on your own.   

I chose Actualize becasue of their focus on teaching.  Peter, my instructor, was passionate about teaching, extremely knowledgeable, and always happy to answer all my questions.  The class being part time didn't bother me because I'd usually spend 4 to 5 extra hours each day studying on my own anyway.  And when you have 3 hours of intense lecture everyday, you can't absorbe anymore, it's just too much information.  

Overall I was completely satisfied with my experience at Actualize.  I actually had a job offer three weeks after graduating!!  The company that hired me specificly wanted someone a little older, I'm 36, and from a coding bootcamp.  They recently had a couple bad experiences hiring kids straight out of college with CS degrees.  

Good luck out there!

1. What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
   
   I graduated college with a degree in Computer Science and worked temp jobs in IT and call centers while searching for development position.
    
2. What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize?
   
   My main hesitations were if the bootcamp was going to be worth the time and money. I had a Computer Science degree and didn’t manage to get anything development related. So I was a little skeptical.
    
3. What impact did Actualize have on your life?
   
   I would say it had a huge impact on my life. Actualize has provided me with the experience necessary to move forward to a development position.
    
4. What specific feature did you like most about Actualize?
   
   The apprenticeship was the selling point for me. It provided real world experience building websites for non-profits.
    
5. What made you choose Actualize over other bootcamps?
   
   I would definitely say that the apprenticeship was what made me choose Actualize.
    
6. Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why?
   
   Yes I would recommend Actualize. What you learn throughout the course will shape your way of thinking and the experience that you get from the apprenticeship is indispensable. Having any experience with developing real world projects is necessary to get a job.
    
7. Is there anything else you would like to add?
   
   The instructors are great and make sure you have a firm grasp of the material they teach. Job placement isn’t guaranteed, but if you take advantage of the resources Actualize offers the chances improve greatly.

What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)

  Went to college at SIU and graduated with a degree in Mass Communications/Media Arts, specializing in Music Business and Audio Engineering. I have an informal background of internet marketing and SEO, working for a family business about 5 years before coming to Actualize.     What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize?   Mainly cost and location.     What impact did Actualize have on your life?   It has paved the way for the career change I had been looking for. My work/programming life was much more confined and personal than it is today. The biggest impact is that I now have a network of like-minded individuals that I socialize with, work with and go out of my way for as an extension of my business/career objectives.     What specific feature did you like most about Actualize?   The emphasis on creating your own, personal capstone projects. I also really liked the class structure (amount of students per teacher plus some TAs).     What made you choose Actualize over other bootcamps?   It was part-time and taught creating back-end applications and APIs. A lot of the other bootcamps were too front-end design oriented.     Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why?   Yes, I would recommend it to anyone seriously considering programming as a career. It is much more effective at training individuals in coding for real life situations compared to something like a CS degree. I would recommend it over the other bootcamps because of the staff. Everyone that works there is nice and want each other to succeed.

PROs: The instructors and part-time schedule was key. It was important for me that the teachers were not only experts in their field, but that they had the best teaching skills around (Shout out to the Chicago staff!). I also needed to work during the day to be able to pay off my loans. The Apprenticeship and Job Placement program directly after bootcamp were also very important to me. Attending a bootcamp was the most rewarding challenge I ever took, and while I'm still learning about the many languages a programmer can study, Actualize gave me the supportive community and healthy learning environment I needed. I made friends with my peers, and together I learned so much more than I could ever accomplish alone. I didn't feel alone, and had lots of opportunities to pair-program. I had been trying to self-study for years and visited several bootcamps before choosing Actualize. 

CONs: Financially, enrolling put a huge dent in my savings and the time commitment affected my social/family life. Also, there were only two females including myself in my class, but I eventually met plenty of inspiring female coders that graduated from other cohorts.

Attending Actualize was a truly life changing experience... in all the right ways! After a good amount of research, I realized that Actualize was the right bootcamp for me, moved cross-country to attend, and haven't looked back since.  Before joining the coding world, I imagined programmers to be quiet, introverted, and the types of people who only worked alone.. oh, how wrong I was!  Right from the first day of class collaboration was not only allowed, but encouraged.  I enjoyed the classroom setting, where "lectures" truly felt more like a conversation between students and instructor.  The in-class exercises were a stellar reinforcement of the material taught, and the weekly blogs, capstone project, as well as apprenticeship helped me stand out to employers (interviews are much easier when you have experience to share!).  Being new to Chicago, I met most of my closest friends here as a result of Actualize.  I also am part of an ever-growing network of awesome alumni, and I love my new career!  Absolutely recommend!

1. I have a degree in acting and my only experience in coding was SQL for a job. 2. The cost for sure and the time.  3. I felt like a learned a lot and met and worked with great people. 4. I really enjoyed working on my own project for the capstone. 5. It was part time with an apprenticeship. 6. Yes absolutely. I would say that if you want to get into this field it is a great tool to help you. 7. !Strange is the best cohort. 

What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
I had worked in Web Traffic Management right out of High School for a few years. I then went to Art School for Video Game Design, but I realized I wasn't actually interested in making video games, just playing them, so I never actually completed my degree. I then moved to working in Email Marketing and Design which pushed me into Basic Website Maintenance (HTML and a little CSS).


What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize?
My only hesitation was would I be able to comprehend and keep up with so much information coming at me all at once.


What impact did Actualize have on your life?
It made me realize that I can listen and retain a lot of information at once. I didn't always remember everything I learned from the previous day, or even week, but I remembered the basics which helped me narrow down the problems to find the correct solutions.
I use this on a daily basis in my current job as a Web Developer.


What specific feature did you like most about Actualize?
The fact that it was part time. I had a number of friends who went to Dev Boot Camp, but I couldn't commit to 9 hours a day, 6 days a week. Actualize allowed me to learn and build my skills while still being able to work without ever feeling overwhelmed.


Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why?
I would. The way that the program is run is very good. Explain the language with examples, and then complete excercises. It just makes sense. You can also go back and review the video of the class on your own time which helped out immensely.


Is there anything else you would like to add?
I really enjoyed my time in class, but the Apprenticeship afterwards is invaluable. You work on real projects in a real team with a Mentor. This will prepare you for what you can expect during your first Developer job.