Actualize

I was in the midst of a medical career that had nothing to do with coding. My only experience with coding prior to Actualize was trying out a few online tutorials. Like anyone who has ever considered a career change, I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. Sure, there were other bootcamps to choose from, but Actualize set itself apart with some major perks.

There was an emphasis on keeping the teaching level at a high quality. The instructors had degrees and professional experience in software engineering AND teaching. My instructor, Peter Jang, kept the environment fun and relaxed, and was great at explaining difficult concepts in ways that students could easily understand. The instructor, the TAs, and even the CEO, were always ready to assist if any student needed it. With a small class size of 17, one-on-one interaction with an instructor or TA was easily accessible.

Upon completing the bootcamp, students are not just kicked to the curb to fend for themselves. Actualize gives an amazing opportunity to enter into The Difference Engine, an apprenticeship that allows students to create apps for actual clients. It is very similar to a junior engineer role, and it prepared me immensely for my first engineering job, which I landed at the conclusion of the apprenticeship. The career advisor at Actualize did a great job at providing connections to companies in the area that often led to many onsite interviews.

At Actualize, I got more than just an exciting new job as a software engineer. I also made several friends who are now following a similar journey starting their coding careers. I now have a network of people I can reach out to at anytime. I also gained the skills to persevere through any new challenge. If you want to switch careers into a well-paying field and have a memorable experience, Actualize is the best program for it!

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Bootcamp is great. Instructors are very helpful and are willing to help students. The CEO also really cares about the business and the students within it. He definitley goes the extra mile to help students as much as he can. Quality education and touches on a lot of subjects that help students dive right in to the web development world. Coming in with previous development experience, Actualize helped solidify my knowledge and made me a much more confident programmer. I actually scored a job a couple weeks after graduation and I probably wouldn't have landed the job without the skills and confidence that I had received from Actualize.

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This truly is an amazing program. Starting with the pre-work, the instructors go in-depth and are able to explain the fundamentals of coding. During the in-class course, the instructors are able to walk us through the lesson topics and help us understand it. There was also a section where the instructors, and Jay (the CEO/ founder) came in to help us improve our resume, expand our network, spruce up our LinkedIn profile, along with many other things.Personally, the instructors at Actualize are what made Actualize the best decision I have made in a long time. They really do care with how you do before, during, and after the course. I even had a few "Touch Base" e-mails just to see how I was doing. They invest so much in all of their students, which makes the experience much more personable and unique to an individual. Which was everything I could have asked for and more in a coding bootcamp. 

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Like many bootcamp graduates, I began my coding journey in the world of online learning (via Codecademy and Treehouse), and was immediately hooked. While these online resources proved to be excellent introductions into the world of software and web development, and served to affirm my interest in potentially pursuing my new passion as a career, their medium was inherently limiting. I realized after a short while of online tutorials that I would have to look more seriously into a comprehensive learning platform that would provide the tools for me to become a developer. After an extensive search and application process to many “bootcamps” throughout the US, I decided to attend Actualize, and couldn’t be happier with my decision.

 

What sets Actualize apart is their commitment to teaching excellence, and, as a corollary, the curriculum that emphasizes deep conceptual learning of web development topics.  While many bootcamps promote their teaching, Actualize sets the standard in pedagogy with its instructors, all of whom have backgrounds in both education and computer science. The instructors are, accordingly, excellent: Peter Jang made learning web development engaging and fun, and his teaching style provided clarity and insight on difficult concepts and topics. The curriculum, which comprehensively covers and introduces an invaluable set of topics- data structures and algorithms, APIs, databases, web frameworks, authentication and authorization, to name a few- prepared me extremely well for my new career as developer. If you have made the decision to attend a bootcamp and understand what it takes to become a successful developer, then I recommend Actualize without hesitation.

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Great curriculum and instructors!  I really enjoyed my experience, and have been able to successfully switch careers in less than 6 months.

I had been considering doing a coding bootcamp for about a year, but had never pulled the trigger because it seemed like such a large and overwhelming decision.  I decided to take the plunge with Actualize because it was a part-time program, so I was able to keep my job while taking the course in the evenings. 

I also liked that they placed a strong emphasis on hiring instructors and TAs with a teaching background, so I wasn't worried about not being able to understand the concepts.  The instructor (Peter) taught the course in a very easy to digest manner, and each new concept built on what we'd learned previously.  He also took the time to meet with students before class if they needed extra help understanding the concepts we learned in class.  By the end of the program, I was able to build a fully-functioning web app, read and understand code that others have written, and apply my knowledge to learn new concepts with ease. 

There was also a "job-hacking" portion of the curriculum in which we learned how to network our way into a job offer.  Additionally, we had a career advisor, Taylor, who was available to answer any job-related questions we had.  With his help (and the help of all the job-hacking skills Jay taught us), I was able to secure a job offer about a month after finishing the program.  I highly recommend Actualize to anyone interested in switching to a career in software development!   

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I started to play with coding a little bit a few years back, and about 6 months ago I had a moment of inspiration to jump into it full time. After researching every bootcamp in Chicago, I determined Actualize was the right choice for me.

WOW sooooooooo much information to learn to get started in this field, so so much information and yet Josh taught it to us in such a way that I was able to retain it, and reimplement everything when I needed to. I highly recommend anyone to at a minimum come and check it out and meet everyone so you can get a good feel for if this is the right school for you.

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I am a graduate of the first online cohort at Actualize. What's unique about their online course is that it is actually live. I had the full live experience from the comfort of my home (read garage), complete with pair programming and team collaboration. The tech team had it all running smoothly with screen sharing and video all seamlessly recreating the in-classroom experience.

One reason I chose Actualize was because their instuctors, besides being experienced engineers, are also experienced teachers. My instructor Brian was great. He understood what the students were confused about and really knew how to explain things. He also pushed us to debug our code on our own and discover thing ourselves which is half of what being a developer is about.

Overall my experience was great and anyone looking for a real live class with quality instruction but doesn't want to spend an hour and a half traveling downtown in name-your-city should certainly check out Actualize.

Originally, leaving my review right after I completed the course, I didn't give Actualize five stars for Job assistance. However, I landed a paying internship less than a week after graduating and as I continued searching for a regular entry level position I was really impressed with how the team at actualize made themselves available with help in improving my personal brand and navigating different situations that came up whether it was dealing with recruiters or how to prepare for an interview with a particular company. I think they deserve an A+ for job assistance and that's even for a student like me who took the online course and is easy to forget about after the course is over.

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Prior to attending Actualize, I was a project manager in the construction management industry, with no coding experience. While my job was stable, I was feeling stuck because I have a heart for technology and I yearned for a chance to get my foot in the door to the tech world. If you are working full-time, cannot afford to quit your job to attend classes, and like me, have a heart for technology and want to make a change in your life, I would absolutely recommend Actualize without reservation.

At Actualize, in addition to teaching you the core skills to become a full stack web developer, they made coding fun! Attending coding bootcamp is no magic pill of transformation, you have to stay committed and constently put in the work and research. It could easily become overwhelming and intimidating. Jay, Josh, and the TAs, are coding professionals who are empathic, funny, and engaging, and are on a mission to help you understand and to discover the most of your learning potential! These four months of classes has been the most challenging yet rewarding learning experience of my life, and I am very thankful for it. 

As a recent graduate (July of 2017), I'd recommend Actualize to anyone who is thinking about atttending coding bootcamp. 

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I attended Actualize in 2017. Where I was taught about CSS, HTML, terminal, GIT, Ruby, Rails, Rspec, Javascript, Vue, node, SQL (postgreSQL), and Heroku. It went by so fast but I feel so much more confident in myself and my capabilities moving forward. Which is very important since the knowledge of programming is so vast and I have so much more to learn beyond this course. That alone will surely push further. 

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I became interested on coding back in middle school on a TI-85. It wasn't until I met Jay and Peter almost 20 years later the I realized that I could and would make programming my career. Jay, Peter, and Josh have constructed a great program here in Chicago and I wouldn't be where I am today without the deconstruction of explanation of web app frameworks that I recieved. I cannot express enough how much this program and the support within has meant to changing my life. 

If you spend your days tinkering and surfing online coding resources, please look into one of Jay's tutorials at 1871 here in Chicago

I know it sounds lame, but you can do this. If you just need the classroom experience to kick it into full gear, please investigate this program. 
 

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I just finished the Actualize bootcamp and it was absolutely amazing. If you're lucky enough to get Leon as an instructor he is such a great, patient, and understanding teacher who really wants you to understand the material thoroughly. You can tell that every single day that he truly cares about you and you're learning journey, and I'm so grateful for all the knowledge he bestowed onto me about being a SWE. Thank you Leon!!!

The focus of the class is to teach you to "learn how to learn" which was super important to me when I was doing my bootcamp research. Obviously, it's impossible to learn everything there is to know about software engineering in 6 months, but what I love about this program is that they don't pretend to have all the answers to becoming a SWE (or to getting into tech in general). But what they do know is HOW to teach you the skills to be a life-long learner who can adapt to any future technological advancements and changes. I loved this course so so much and it changed my life in so many positive ways.

If you're on the fence about the commitment to a bootcamp, choose Actualize. You will learn so much that you didn't even think was possible and you will come out on the other side better for it. Also, shoutout to Rena Wengrow because she was the only bootcamp recruiter I reached out who didn't make me feel likeI as a customer. She was super kind and helpful in the whole process and that is so so important when you're the first point-of-contact for a company.

Again - thank you to everyone at Actualize and to Jay Wengrow for putting together such an awesome program. I'll recommend it for life Read less

My experience at Actualize was exceptional, largely due to my instructor Leon. He demonstrated deep technical expertise and a clear, structured approach to teaching complex concepts. Leon consistently provided actionable feedback, encouraged critical thinking, and emphasized best practices in both coding and problem-solving. His professionalism, responsiveness, and commitment to student success made the learning experience highly effective. I graduated with a strong technical foundation, practical project experience, and the confidence to excel in a development role. Read less

I had a fantastic experience at Actualize. My instructor, Peter, was a standout—positive, engaging, thoughtful, and deeply responsive. He struck the perfect balance of professional and personable, and genuinely cared about our growth and success.

The instruction itself was clear, well-structured, and thoughtfully delivered. It’s obvious that a lot of intention went into the curriculum—not just what we learned, but how we learned it.

Actualize truly delivers on its promise to teach you how to learn. One of the best aspects of the experience was being encouraged to ask questions freely, without hesitation or judgment. That level of access and support is rare.

Career support was adequate. I received actionable, timely feedback on my resume, LinkedIn, and portfolio, along with strategic advice for the job search. That said, Actualize doesn’t offer formal industry partnerships or hiring pipelines—something to keep in mind if that’s a priority for you. And with small cohort sizes, networking is more intimate than expansive.

If you value a small class environment, lots of instructor interaction, and professional teachers (not just engineers moonlighting as instructors), I highly recommend Actualize. It’s a great launchpad for motivated learners ready to dive into software engineering. Read less

I did length research on coding bootcamps, and I was calling other bootcamps for weeks before I eventually made my way to Actualize. I was sold on Actualize due to the live classes that we had Monday through Thursday, with our weekend homework. My instructor, Brian, was exceptional at teaching us the fundamentals in web development and taught it in a way where I was not just sitting here watching a PowerPoint the entire time. At least half of class time was always spent on actual practical application, putting what we learned into code and seeing it work. If there were any issues, Brian was there to guide us and show us where we were wrong. I have a Bachelor's in IT with a minor in software development, and if I had to do it again, I'd go with actualize the first time around. I would highly recommend this bootcamp if you can allot the time for it, are serious about learning, and can push yourself to go beyond the bare minimum. This bootcamp is perfect for someone who likes to have structure when learning something new and might have trouble setting goals for learning new things. Read less

Actualize gets you from zero to coding in 17 weeks. There's a little over a month of pre-work which is paced well, so that you're familiar with the Ruby language and core concepts on day one of in-person (online) classes. The pre-work is self guided, so video tutorials with accompanying assignments which are submitted daily. Once class begins, the pace escalates quickly. By week 12 you are building full-stack applications on your own. That said, you will get out of it what you put in, and realistically your journey in coding is really just beginning upon graduation. I was an extreme beginner, and extremely skeptical that I could learn to code in only a few months. I can say with confidence that they truly foster all skill levels and have laid out a course that accommodates beginners. Actualize offers a legit course with legit teachers who have a curriculum designed to get you started, setting the foundation for you to have success in software development, but you will have to continue to do the work, both in coding and in what Actualize terms "Job Hacking" after you graduate. I'll see how I feel in 6 months. A lot of work ahead but I do feel good about what I need to do to land a gig as a software developer. I'll say what anyone scanning these ratings wants to see: Actualize is NOT A SCAM. It's a legitimate school with a solid curriculum and a clever way of distillating a lot of information into compact course, with a decent amount of career services, mentorship and technical resources to get you hired.  Read less

Whether you are beginner or intermediate, you will learn a ton and solidify any previous coding experience you have. If you are a beginner, you will build a solid foundation. The curriculum and instruction is excellent. They really did take the time to figure out the best way to teach the material and it was not casually compiled together like a lot of online courses. I have seen beginner coders in my class succeed but having some coding experience before you join will enrich your learning. Read less

I had an amazing experience at Actualize Bootcamp! It was a fun and challenging program that constantly pushed me to grow. I highly recommend taking the course with Peter Jang – he's an excellent instructor. What stood out the most was how I saw my skills sharpen throughout the program. Not only did I learn to code, but I also learned how to learn, which is invaluable. The curriculum kept me engaged, and I always felt like I was progressing. Overall, it’s a great bootcamp that offers a fantastic learning environment! Read less

Before joining Actualize I did some serious searching in order to find the right situation for programming bootcamp. The usual suspects popped up and I was inundated with phone call after phone call after just asking for an information packet. Actualize took a different approach, inviting me to a class and sending information without requiring enrollment, which really jived with me. That and they set realistic expectations from the get go about the experience, which was a breath of fresh air. 
My classmates, instructor and TAs were fantastic. Always helpful and willing to take the time to engage when problems existed. Career development is also at the forefront of their program which is a really important distinction from a lot of other programs. While other programs have useful alumni networks and some general guidance, the program is interwoven into the curriculum at Actualize. If you follow their guides and instruction, you will see results in the job market.  
Personally, I could not recommend the program enough for those wanting to make the transition to tech. While your first foray into the tech industry may not be fully in development, you will still have a massive leg up coming through this program. If you make the commitment, good luck and happy coding!  Read less

If you’re new to coding and unsure about the best path to take, Actualize is the perfect solution. This bootcamp is top-notch, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. My experience was fantastic, and it has thoroughly prepared me for a career as a software developer/engineer. Their application process was simple, and they were very clear about their curriculum. The pre-course work with Kevin was essential for building a strong foundation in coding, and the live course with Brian surpassed all my expectations. Brian structured the class content exceptionally well and paid close attention to each student’s needs. He guided my cohort from writing loops in Ruby to creating full-stack web applications, and I now feel confident using Rails and React to develop web apps. Ryan, the career advisor for my cohort was also super helpful for preparing you get a job post bootcamp.


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