Actualize

Before I joined Actualize I probably read every single review written about them. This review might seem similar becuase Actualize is truly amazing and joining was the best decision I made! I would do it all over again. I chose this bootcamp in particular because the instuctors have software engineering experience and teaching experience and I can honestly tell you that they set you up for success. My Instuctor was Peter Jang and I cannot say enough good things about him. I really feel that I could not have asked for better elsewhere. Their teaching philosophy and approach to programming is very effective. After completing the program I feel very confindent that I have the both the technical skills and the job hunting skills to land a software developer position.

Like most people reading this, I had no programming experience prior to attending Actualize. While working through Codecademy exercises,  I began researching bootcamps and was nervous to take the plunge. Without question, Actualize is an incredible educational experience suitable for all backgrounds. Cohorts are small, allowing for more instructor attention. The instructors (who are FANTASTIC!!) have backgrounds in both software development and education. They really take the time to make sure you understand the material. You can ask for help and actually get an answer that makes sense. Most bootcamps are not like this.

In addition to modern web development tools, Actualize shows you how to not only build full-stack web applications (Ruby, Rails, VueJS), but feel comfortable reading documentation, learn new technologies, and take on your first developer job. Attending Actualize is without question one of the best decisions I have ever made and my only regret is not signing up earlier. If you're someone looking to learn to code and pursue a software developer career, Actualize will get you there. Go get it!

I chose actualize because their emphasis on teaching. There are many bootcamps available who do not stress this enough. I would recommend Actualize to anyone who is willing to put forth the effort to learn how to code. While they do teach you, you must put in the work if you want to succeed.  I would also recommend exhausting free online exercises before enrolling in the class because it does move quickly, and having a base to build off is something to help cement your understanding.

And just as a side note, Peter led my cohort, and I would gladly recommend his teaching style and general demeanor regarding learning to program to anyone who is considering the course. 

**Job assistance rating is left as NA as I am a recent graduate at the time of this review, and have not attended any job assistance meetings at this time.

Cannot begin to describe how worthwhile this whole process has been.

Having just completed the curriculum I feel very confident about jumping into the industry of web development and landing my first job in a field I thought previously I had no shot at. The curriculum is definitley no walk in the park but it was very fun to overcome the challenges and obstacles that you face when you jump headfirst into learning something as complicated as web development. Although you're technically in a class, it doesn't really ever feel like a school and the small size of the cohorts allows you to have a lot of one on one interaction with the instructors and TA's which is very beneficial when you run into small problems, and is one of the reasons I chose Actualize over a bigger bootcamp. Since Josh, the lead instructor, also attended a bootcamp he knew exactly the types of problems and pitfalls students like us with no CS degree would face, and helped us circumnavigate those as much as possible while still allowing us to fail lightly in order to really learn (which I believe is very neccesary). And despite being relativley self-taught himself he was insanely knowedgeable on the topics and technologies and did an excellent job explaining complex things in the simplest way possible.

 If I could do it all over again the only thing I would change is to do it sooner.

(have not started the job hacking portion yet, will update this after completing) 

I came in knowing minamal HTML, and CSS, but came out learning so much.  I had a great time, all the teachers and students were great.  I honestly didn't expect to learn so much in such a short period of time.  Really exceeded my expectations and I'm glad I came here. Another plus was that they help after the main course, they don't just throw you out and say good luck finding a job.  We have a job counselor to help us prepare our resumes, go in prepared to our interviews etc.  If you're on the line of coming here don't be you'll learn a lot and be able to move forward in your coding journey. 

This was an intense curriculum that is designed to prepare you into the real world of coding.  It was an intense challenging  and sometimes brutal experience, but you will learn how to operate as a coder.  It does become a skill, just like any other one, but much more precious.  After graduating there was a great apprenticeship where the Jay (CEO) is a fundamental part of, helps you prepare for job hacking / interviews that proved extremely valuable to get me the job in the field I wanted.  I have friends who have C.S. degrees, who where shocked as to the level of knowledge I was able to acquire in a short period.  

Just got done presenting my final project to a bunch of strangers and realized just how much I have learned through this bootcamp. The initial reason for me choosing to enroll in a bootcamp was because of my past experience in insurance sales and not just how much it sucked, but also how much that industry needed to invest in software engineering and web development. This led to experimenting with websites like Wix or Wordpress and eventually trying to code on my own.

I started out learning to code on my own through freeCodeCamp, CodeAcademy, Watch and Code, and basically every other free course out there. But after 6 months I just felt like I keep relearning the same things at a very slow pace. I looked into coding bootcamps because well, they are advertised every time I was watching coding videos and initially found FullStack. I applied and was accepted but only if I completed their pre-work. I didn't finish it so I went looking for other bootcamps and found Actualize. It worked out because it ended up being a lot cheaper, part-time, and found out it started in Chicago, which was something I thought would be an advantage.

Now that we are done with the class portion, I'm excited to start the apprenticeship and learning the job-hacking skills. I can honestly say a lot of what I learned could definitely be learned on your own. I had already made apps on my own and the first couple weeks were review for me. But that changed pretty quickly as we started to build way more complex applications than what I had been creating through the free online tutorials. We also learned a lot of skills that I couldn't have learned on my own. Like GitHub is something you definitely need to learn but to have to create branches off the project and collaborate with others was not only challenging but a lot of fun.

Ultimately, I'm very satisfied with attending Actualize. I got a better job just for attending it and using it as leverage for the position which is already paying off. Also, looking at the cost dollar per hour, it is still cheaper than most college courses. I would still like to learn more about computer science but that can be learned through a textbook or YouTube videos, which I plan to do.

For anyone looking into bootcamps, I would recommend doing some tutorials first and seeing how much you like debugging your code and if you can sit for hours in front of a computer. Don't worry if you're math-strong but I think logic definitely helps. Also, a lot of people have questions about financing and one piece of advice I can offer, is to ask your current credit card company for a promotional rate. Discover did this for me so I didn't have to open a ton of credit cards like what others suggested to get the promotional APR to pay for it.

I chose Actualize because of the ability to take the course online and be taught how to become a computer programmer. It's a very intensive program that took up most of my time which I was warned about before taking the class. I think it teaches the fundamentals of programming using Ruby and Vue JS. I learned a lot in a short period of time. The teacher Brian Rice is great. He explains things and demonstrated the exercise in a way that can be followed. The TA's Mitch, Michael, and Jaime all were very helpful in working on my Capstone project. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to get started in computer programming. Just know you won't have much of a life until the course is over.

I am a UX designer with a background in front-end development and design, and I have always wanted to learn to program. I chose Actualize after researching a lot of bootcamps, adn talked to graduates. An acquaintance of mine went to Actualize a few years ago, and had an incredibly positive experience.

Excellent pedagogy to me is the make-or-break of a learning experience. Peter Jang and Jay Wengrow have somehow managed to put together the all-star package: a rigorous, exhaustive curriculum that actually teaches students the fundamentals of programming, while also giving them a complete grounding in the latest technologies. I struggled to learn C++ and Java in high school, and nothing stuck. By the end of this program, I can read code in multiple high-use languages and really understand what is going on, and pick up the syntax. I haven't just learned Ruby, or a Javascript framework. I have learned how to think like a programmer.

Most importantly, Peter and Jay model for the students something truly profound: a relaxed, curious, diligent and humble approach to programming and learning that will impact each and every one of us in our professional careers in a positive way. Tech has a lot of challenges facing its role in our world today, and I feel more positive about my ability to be a positive force in shaping how we use these tools. I know for a fact this is not the sort of pedagogical modeling other programs can offer.

For people working full-time: this program is a challenge. I work 40-60 hours weeks at times as a consultant, and there were weeks where I felt concerned about my ability to keep up. But something Peter said has really stuck with me: "You can't always tell what you're getting used to, what's actually sticking." I stuck with it - even if I couldn't always finish all the exercises, and kept studying and working whenever I could. I am surprised at everything I was able to learn and apply in my capstone project, and am very excited by the growth I've witnessed in my cohort as a whole.

I am looking forward to the apprenticeship and working more closely with Jay after 4 months of Peter's excellent instruction. This experience has been life-changing and given me new sources of confidence and a sense of workability.