Actualize

I made an extremely hard choice coming to Actualize. Leave my comfortable but ultimately dead-end job for something that I might hate? I tried learning how to code online and always ran into walls, ran out of motivation, just burnt out. Is this going to be super intense? What if I fail... how do I explain that to my family and friends?
I really wish I could go back in time and slap myself in the face and tell myself to just do it. I had no idea that I would actually have FUN with all this. The joy of learning new things and expanding my mind - it's something I haven't felt since I was a kid.
What separates Actualize from some other bootcamps (only from what I've heard, cannot give any first hand experience) is that this bootcamp is more about learning how to learn, not learning how to code. Don't worry, you'll learn so much your head will spin when you look back at it - but at the time it never felt daunting. Our instructor Peter did an incredible job of teaching the fundamentals of learning, because that's what we'll really be doing in our jobs. This isn't about passing and failing, weeding out people who aren't getting it - it's about making sure everyone is up to speed and fully understands what they're doing and why.
I feel confident now going into the world of software engineering. Do I know everything? Am I a master coder? Of course not, that's just impossible. But I'm quick to learn, and excited to learn. 
The fact that they hire people with actual teaching experience (not just programmers) to lead the classrooms is what pushed me over the edge, and I'm glad. As I mentioned, our instructor Peter was amazing, and probably the best teacher I've had.  Read less

I chose Actualize because I was in need of a career change and so I took to the web and looked for bootcamps and actualize stood out to me because of all the positive reviews I had seen even on reddit I had seen positive reviews... so I took a leap of faith and signed up and now finishing the course I can say that the reviews matched up Actualize was a very personal bootcamp I felt that my all my questions I ever had were answered and i feel that I am going to be as prepared as I ever could be for a job interview and I am excited to see what this next chapter holds for me! Read less

Coding Bootcamps seem to share a similar idea of getting students just the necessary knowledge for a fast turnaround into placing them at a new job. Actualize takes this idea and pushes it to the brink, with good results. The cohort is shorter than some bootcamps, but the fundamentals you learn are exceptional. As I came to realize, it really wasn't important which specific languages I learned while at Actualize, because the likelihood of finding a job using just those languages was very unlikely. Because of this, Actualize focuses on the concepts so that students can quickly learn whatever new languages, frameworks, etc they will need for a new job. As a former teacher, this approach is wise and beneficial for student learning.  Read less

Overall had a positive experience at Actualize. The curriculum and topics covered weren't necessarily the most popular current languages and frameworks, but the general idea was more to learn how to learn and teach yourself any framework or language you're interested in. Would've liked to have spent more time on JavaScript including some of the more advanced methods and functionality, but I feel I'm leaving the course with a solid understanding. I think I personally would've preferred to learn React instead of Vue, but that could be mostly a personal preference. Overall I had a good time, enjoyed my classmates, and feel I'm leaving with a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon.  Read less

Initially, I had set up interviews with several different coding schools/programs and after several weeks of researching and letdowns, I happened to come across Actualize. I made the assumption that this would be like the rest of them which felt more like a scam rather than an actual coding institution; I set up an interview with Rena, and she quickly put my fears to bed. After another interview and scrolling through page after page of reviews, I was glad I had made the decision to go with Actualize. 

I decided to switch career fields during the pandemic because I wanted something different and I wanted something better for myself. Choosing this school as a step towards my future was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was very fortunate to have Amanda as my instructor. From top to bottom, she succeeded my expectations and actually gave a shit about her students. She made sure we were all on the same page before moving on and made me feel valued as a student and human being. It's qualities like that that make this world not such a shitty place. 

The career counselors also don't just abandon you when you graduate. They are there to make sure your job search is going well and to offer advice. I'm very thankful for them and all of their help thus far. 

If you're on the fence about choosing a coding program like I once was, please please please for the love of god go with this one. 
It may sound trite and cliche but you won't regret it and one day my young padawan, you will be where I am, writing a review similar to this one. 


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Looking for a career change, I couldn't be happier to have chosen Actualize for my education over other bootcamps. From the very first steps toward applying I could truly tell that Actualize has honest intentions of educating their students and helping them become independent and valuable Software Developers. The environment for learning was optimal - a small class with great lessons and hands on practice to solidify the learning experience. Instructors and TA's were always readily available to make the process enjoyable, smooth and stress free. I recommend Actualize to anyone, regardless of experience that is interested in becoming a Software Developer. By the end of the bootcamp you will know, be able to, and already have made a full functioning web application using Ruby on Rails as a backend and Vue.js for the frontend. Read less

The course itself teaches you everything you need to know to become a full-stack web developer. The classes are fun and enjoyable but are packed with a lot of information. My instructor was absolutely amazing with previous teaching experience making the course feel like a very natural classroom setting even over Zoom. The career advisors, as well as the instructor, will help you build up your Linkedin, resume, as well as interviewing skills to prepare you for the job search. I am currently at the start of my job search and I am excited to see what the future holds.  Read less

I had an awesome time at Actualize. Amanda has been an amazing instructor. We covered both back-end and front-end development and complete really cool projects. The big deciding factor for me was the job-hacking or job assistance aspect of the bootcamp. You can tell they really want their students to succeed and provide ample resources (in perpetuity!) for finding work after the class is complete. Read less

Everything was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed my cohort. The staff and instructors are very helpful and kind. You 100% will be taught how to fully develop an app and feel comfortable making one. You also learn how to learn more which is very helpful. Job assistance is great, they spend a good amount of time helping you with your resume and your job search. I feel confident in my ability with a software career and believe everyone will be too with this course. Read less

Actualize was a phenomenal choice and experience for coding bootcamp. The course was part time in the evenings so I was able to keep my full time job.
What's great about Actualize is they teach how to learn and problem solve on your own which are important.
The instructor Brian is a great educator and always stayed after class to answer questions, or answered some questions during the day. All classes are taught live by the instructor and there's always a TA to help.
Actualize also has a "job hacking" segment that runs during the program and after you graduate. You get a career advisor that helps you from the beginning to create or update your resume for web development jobs and provide trainings on how to prepare for technical interviews.

In all, I'm glad I chose Actualize. It was a great experience and a great time Read less

i attended the 12 week online boot camp course from Actualize. This course was a tremendous help on getting my feet wet with the software development career. Teaching you the vitals of backend development and frontend. learning ruby on rails backend APi's was a learning curve but wasn't impossible. I enjoyed learning the fundamentals of creating frontend pages with Vue.js and various other frameworks and resources given to us. we moved at a quick but steady pace on learning what we did in our 12 weeks, including our 1 month of pre work before our course officially started. The general overall atmosphere was very nice to learn in, my instructor brian was a fantastic mentor. i enjoyed getting to connect with my fellow classmates. I'm very excited to get my career started in this new field of tech. Highly recommend this boot camp from Actualize. It was a great learning environment. Read less

Just finished my coding bootcamp course. I came into this coursework with absolutely zero knowledge about coding and I feel like through this I've gained a very solid foundation of a full-stack application. The instructors are all super engaging and my daytime instructor (Dani) was extremely supportive and enthusiastic about the curriculum so it was easy to learn. I highly recommend this bootcamp!  Read less

I loved the small class size, teachers who were all extremely available and willing to help, the program that was designed to teach you how to learn efficiently, and the fun projects to work on.

It is a lot of work, but an incredibly valuable experience

11/10 . . . would recommend to anyone looking to learn web development Read less

I found Actualize based on the Course Report reviews. The experience certainly met, if not exceeded, the expectations that I had upon entering. The curriculum gives you a good basis in languages that are applicable in the corporate world, but the most important aspect is on how you learn what you are learning. This focus gives you a good way to expand you base of knowledge outside of your class experience because of the emphasis on linear thinking and problem decomposition. Upon signing up, I was mildly skeptical about the overall length of the course, being that many are 6-8 months, but I found that to be unnecessary skepticism. The 12 week live portion plus the 5 week pre-work is the right amount of schooling to prepare you for the future. The daily schedule allows for flexibility to get out-of-class work done on your time, rather than keeping you in class 8-9 hours/day. Also, with a cohort size of < 15, you have the ability to connect with your instructor, TAs, and career advisory team frequently, without having to wait in a line of 50-100 other students with the same needs. Stellar program, 10/10 would recommend. Read less

This bootcamp was the best decision I ever made. After losing my job in March 2020, I tried teaching myself to code, but couldn't get past a certain point. I ended up doing serious research on different bootcamps, and ended up finding Actualize. 

What drew me to Actualize was the fact that they had been doing remote instruction before the pandemic, so I knew there wouldn't be a lot of roadblocks during the learning process, since their curriculum was designed for that format. Also, after talking to the admissions advisor, I really appreciated that they were honest about the entire process, and really letting me know that what I got out of the bootcamp was really up to me. I also was really pleased with the fact that instruction was 'face-to-face' so to speak, so classes were live. The instruction was great, since it didn't rely solely on copying the instructor's work (which a lot of online courses rely too heavily on), but on teaching you how to teach yourself, and really making sure you understand the material.

Class sizes are really small, and there is a great ratio of student's to either instructor or TA. My cohort was made up of 15 students, and we had 1 instructor and 3 TAs. This made it really easy to ask questions and make sure that no one was ever stuck on a problem for too long. 

Actualize offers career services, which helped with resume building, and really making sure your job search is as successful as possible. Before graduating from my cohort, I had already submitted a large number of applications and gotten interviews for a few jobs. While they don't guarantee that you will get a job (because they can't control the job market or the effort a student is willing to put in), they really do make it easier to put yourself out there to apply for jobs.

From a less technical standpoint, the cohort format is really great, and after just 12 weeks, everyone became very close, and it was really sad to be graduating. The instructor was absolutely incredible, and very knowledgeable about the source material. All instructors have worked within the industry, but dedicated to teaching full time, so you are truly getting their undivided attention.

If given the option to choose a different bootcamp, I definitely would not. This was absolutely the right decision for me. Read less

A little background about me before getting into this review.... 
I struggled with school settings all my life, I completed high school went on to study Fine Arts in College but dropped out after a year. I worked in coffee/restaurants for 10 years and have no tech background whatsoever. 
I swear, I never thought I would be able to complete, enjoy, and retain so much in a course like this. 
The instructors treat you like you are people. Like a person with a real life, real feelings, and real stress! This course makes the word 'bootcamp' real. It kicks your butt. But in the way you needed to. 
A friend of mine with a similar background to me suggested this program when I was coding school hunting and after chatting with the Actualize folks, I didn't look at anything else. 
Every single instructor I have met is full of life and keeps the students engaged even during lectures. 
If you're thinking about making a career change, this is the best program, the amount of perks associated with the actual getting that job in the end is just insane. I can't wait to see what's next for me.  Read less

I chose Actualize based on it's glowing reviews. Those reviews were not entirely accurate. My experience with Actualize surpassed the reviews i read. 

The smaller class size and live instruction worked so well. You can tell everyone on the Actualize team really cares about their students and the mission of teaching programming. Dani was easily in the top two or three instructors I've had in my educational career. I have learned so much in such a short time and feel well prepared for the next step. 

I would recommend Actualize to literally anyone with even the the slightest interest in coding.  Read less