Actualize

Actualize was an incredible experience. I was interested in switching careers and recalled Actualize from several years ago. The instruction is clear without too much hand holding. From week 1, we were writing code and learning more than we even realized at the time. The program definitely packs a lot into a short time period but I would highly recommend it to someone either looking to complement their current skill set or switch careers. Grads stick around and both the TAs and instructors are very approachable if you ever have any questions. Great experience and would highly recommend.

Actualize was a great experience and Brian was a phenomenal instructor. I loved it so much that I wish it went longer. 

I chose Actualize because it was the only bootcamp that offered an "online live" class. I was able to do the class at home or wherever I was and it was a real class with people and a teacher who actually knows how to teach. The experience overall was great. The teacher and the TAs were so helpful in breaking down concepts and Actualize has a month of prework to teach you the basics of development before you jump in and start learning frameworks. I'd recommend Actualize to anyone who wants to start a web development career.

The above bootcamp is an excellent coding bootcamp where you get the chance to learn and execute with the basic fundamentals of coding (software) and web (software) development. Its very intellectually based; be ready to work hard and schedule days around coding Rails and JS.

Once I decided to make a career change, I took my time trying to find a bootcamp that would really teach me how to code. I found Actualize and sat in on a class, Peter's energetic but relaxed and fun style was exactly what I was looking for. I cannot believe that, I, someone who did not know a line of code, was actually able to build an app from scratch. Peter and the Actualize team were absolutely amazing. I am so glad I found them and am looking forward to working as a web developer.

I am so happy to have found Actualize when I did! It allowed me to have the perfect balance of learning to become a developer while being able to keep my full time job. Coming from having zero experience, this bootcamp definitely understood how to cater to that and helping me feel comfortable learning something so new. The instructors and TAs are amazing and super personable. I would definitely recommend Actulalize to anyone who is interested in becoming a software developer!

Actualize was an amazing bootcamp to choose. People of all experience levels can join Actualize. Josh, my cohort's instructor, is not only an incredible teacher and extremely knowledgeable, but also has industry experience and is able to give great practical advice when it comes to a software engineering career search. 

Actualize also has a dedicated "job hacking" program which places emphasis on building habits to land your first coding job. Lisa, the program's head, is a great listener and is always willing to help in the job search process.

I would recommend Actualize to anyone considering joining a bootcamp.

I attended the 13 week course, it starts off a little overwhelming but as the weeks go on it became more fun to code and I am glad I  took the chance with Actualize.  

I went into this course with zero coding experience. I was a Film & Media arts student that was struggling to find a niche in my field, so I decided to try a career change, and I took a delve into Actualize. It was an amazing experience, as an individual with no coding experience I was very nervous about how I would keep up with some of the other students, but the first month was dedicated to prework. The prework caught me up to speed and I felt comfortable being in the coding environment afterwards. After that the class, I would say, was set at a great pace. You come to class and learn new things, apply them, then come back the next day and do it again! I don’t know if I have ever learned so much in a 3 month span. The environment was very comfortable as well, one of my favorite parts of the class was when we all split up to work on our capstones and everyone is working hard but we still get the opportunity to take short breaks and check on everyone else’s projects and see what they’re up to and encourage them. To say I only learned from the instructor would be false, I continued to learn from the TAs as well as learned loads just from the other students taking the class. All-in-all I would definitely recommend Actualize to someone that has never coded before, or has little experience in coding. Someone that had a good baseline of coding knowledge would definitely learn a lot on how to implement that knowledge as well!

What's up fellow Course Reporters!

I am here to tell you about my experience at Actualize. In short, fantastic. Great teacher, assistants, and overall community environment. Would recommend 10/10.

I will mention however, if you are not determined and completely focused on these 12 weeks of your life then it will be a waist. Coming into this program I new that I would be sacrificing a social life, sleep, and many other things get the most out of this class. I took on this challenge while maintaining my full-time job. I am not saying this to gas myself up by anymeans, but to ensure you that it can be done. This balance was not easy and I was dreaming in code almost everynight, but that is not a bad thing by any means. I would also like to take the time to review my instructor Peter Jang. MAJOR SHOUTS OUT. Absolute animal behind the computer. I learned more in his lectures than any single lecture i suffered through at a university. He makes learning easy, insteresting, and fun. He is the driving force behind my incredible experience at Actualize.

Hopefully this review helps!

I graduated from Actualize in Chicago in December 2018. My experience was excellent. The course was structured very thoughtfully and thoroughly. The head instructor was my teacher and he was excellent. He always made the material interesting and interactive. It is a bootcamp. The hours are long and you must put in the work to achieve what you want out of it, but Actualize is totally worth it if you as an individual are willing to put the time in.

I would highly recommend anyone to commit to an Actualize course who has a goal of becoming a full-stack software engineer. After researching several different bootcamps I made the decision to attend the Actualize bootcamp and it was absolutely the right decision for me. The instructors are excellent educators. Their teaching methods, support, and guidance are superior and allow students to be successful throughout the entire course. This course is not only phenomenal for the skills that are developed in programming but the career advice and support that leads students to being successful in finding a job. 

When I made the decision to pursue a path in coding, I did extensive research on which program would be the best fit for me.  Actualize checked all the boxes in that it was part-time (I couldn't commit to a full-time program) and because the program focuses on teaching first - this was different than any other program I was considering.

From prework through the intensive 12-weeks of live class, I felt supported by my instructors throughout.  I can't say enough great things about Brian and how patient and supportive he was with me and my classmates when there were concepts we didn't fully understand.

This experience has taught me a lot about myself and I am amazed with how much I have learned and have achieved.  I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in tech. 

Great instrutors that are incredibly knowledgeable, a very cool space to work and learn, and job support beyond the instruction. There is not much more I could have wanted out of a bootcamp and believe taking this class was one of the best decisions I've made.

There were some nights I had to keep a bottle of Excedrin within reach due to the bombardment of information, but it was all worth it. It's hard to realize how much you learned until you think back to how long things used to take you, and suddenly you can whip through them without a second thought. Very glad I took this class!

Actualize drew me in because of the technologies they were teaching and the hours the course takes place.

I kept a full time job and attended the online bootcamp during nights and weekends.

The 'online' portion of the class is well done (everyone jumps in a teleconference meeting with webcams and screen sharing).

I chose to go to Actualize because I wanted to get a job as a programmer. My instructor (Peter Jang) was super knowledgable and actually has a background in teaching! I went from knowing nothing about code to being able to build my own working app from scratch! Everything taught during the course is highly applicable and is taught in a way that is easy to digest. It was also part-time, so I was able to keep working full-time to support myself. I would definitely recommend Actualize to anyone interested in trying to become a programmer. I really believe that programming is the future and this is a great way to break into the field. 

I had an awesome experience at Actualize. I had a very little experience coming into the Bootcamp.  I had a very helpful instructor and help me through the Bootcamp and helped me become a very skilled developer.

Joining Actualize was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had very limited experience with coding going into the bootcamp but still felt like I could keep up with the class. I had Peter Jang as my instructor, he was awesome! He was great at explaining difficult concepts and kept the classroom vibe fun and casual. Super patient and knowledgeable, all around a great teacher.

One thing I think is worth mentioning is the job hacking aspect of this bootcamp. I've talked to people that have done other bootcamps and none of them seem to have went through the same training in terms of preparing you for the job hunt. They had us practice whiteboarding and gave us great tips on how to network and spruce up our LinkedIn profiles. Very helpful and it shows that they actually care about your professional growth as a developer. 

I could not recommend Actualize enough. Great instructors, great people. It was very challenging, but the curriculum is well rounded and rewarding.

I took an AP computer science class back in high school and then an introductory programming class in community college but I never looked into coding as a career. I attempted every coding resource possible from Code Academy, FreeCodeCamp, Udacity, EDX and Udemy. Ultimately I knew that the only way that I would obtain the required skills for a junior web developer role would be to attend a bootcamp.

I definitely enjoyed the overall course. It's a very different experience to share the same frustrations with your peer classmates. The ciriculum is full-stack and covers Ruby on Rails, Javascript, Vue.js, CSS and HTML. 

Full disclosure: I just completed the first half of the program and currently do not have a job in the tech industry at this time. I have met plenty of past graduates from the program who are in developer or engineering roles. 

If you are attempting to compare coding bootcamps I suggest that you go to LinkedIn and then search for the name of the coding bootcamp that you are interested in attending. When I looked up Actualize I found dozens and dozens of profiles who were employed as software engineers or software developers.