Actualize

I was introduced to Actualize through the Women Who Code monthly newsletter. They were offering a diversity scholarship, and as a single mom and someone who had been interested in pursuing Software Engineering but did not have the funds to do so, I reached out and applied. The application process and interview were organized and thorough which gave me the sense that the program would be similar. I received the partial scholarship and Actualize worked with me so that I could pay off the remainder on a monthly basis so as to not break the bank before the classes begun.

The prep work in the month leading up to the course prepared me well for the first month of class. I was apprehensive about what the online environment would look like and whether it would be as structured as the in person environment that I had grown accustomed to in college. Utilizing Zoom software, it ended up being just like you were in class, except you could take class from the comfort of your own home and in your own pajamas.

Brian, our instructor, had a few rules. 1) Be on time - class started promptly at 6 pm CST. There are no exceptions to this, so if you take this course you need to make sure that you coodinate your schedule so that you can be on time and ready for class. I definitely had to do some work as my normal workday went until 5:30 pm CST - there were a few days where because of the weather and traffic I would have to leave work as much as two hours before class just to make sure I could get to class on time. 2) Try - there were a lot of situations where I hit a mental wall and wanted to be rescued. In those cases, I needed to take a break and look through my material and retrace my steps and once I did all of that, if I still couldn't find the answer, then and only then could I ask for help. This sounds harsh but it prepares you for what it will be like in the work environment. 

Overall, I feel like I learned a lot from the course and I feel that it gave me a solid foundation from which to go forward and build upon. In terms of what I would change - I definitely feel like there needs to be far more of "I do, We do, You do" instructional process. Often times, Brian would demo what we were about to do and then tell us to go do it, without supplemental documents. Then he would demo and at that point, I could do the work along with him to figure out where I went wrong. It would be more helpful, in my opinion, if he demoed first, then did the exercise with us and then gave us a similar exercise to practice on our own to reiterate what we just learned with supplemental documents to refer to along the way. Additionally, more supplemental documents- just like a textbook for a college course, it would be nice if we had documents that reemphasized our tutorials that we could refer to over time until we master the processes. 

I recommend this program highly. In terms of cost and content, this is a program that's overall value beats out most of the rest. Best of luck to you!

Great curriculmum and we moved at a good pace learning everything. The instructor brian did such a good job helping you understand how to solve problems rather then just giving you a simple answer to move past it. The TA's were great as well helping out as much as they could with our large online cohort. For anyone who is looking for an in class kind of setting with out having to meet at a central location this is the best option in my opinion. Classmates were super cool and we offered help to each other often. You can tell the company has "growth mindset" for their students at all times....thanks 

After spending a couple years in college, I found that the traditional way of learning material wasn't the best the fit for me. I was two years away from graduating in electrical engineering and minoir in computer programming. That's when I decided to make a switch to full time computer programming, figure out if I was wanted to spend 3-4 more years in college or to join an accelerated program that will teach me the tools to become successful in this caraer. Actualize was the first one on the list to check out and see if this was the place to do that. After seeing the place and going through the interview progress, I decide yes this is the place. It was a great place for people who had no programming background and people who had some background too. My bootcamp class size was 15 students, which I felt was the perfect size. The class wasn't big enough where it was impossible to get help from the instructor or the TA's nor to small where you felt secluded from learning this new material. After going through this bootcamp, I would recommend this bootcamp to anyone who is looking to get into web development.

My bootcamp experience was awesome. The class sizes are perfect, and you get the sense that the teachers genuinely care about the success of the students. The one month pre-work (at home) was a good introduction to the material, and you really hit the ground running once the night classes begin. The environment was friendly, and the exercises were challenging, and pushed me to become a better developer.

One of the more overlooked aspects of bootcamps is "job hacking" and I think this is really what sets Actualize apart. We took time every week to talk about how to get a job, and how to prepare for interviews. They had exercises in class that made us get over our fears of reaching out and meeting people in the industry. Having just presented my final project, I can honestly say I'd recommend this experience to anyone looking to start a bootcamp. Regardless of your level going in, you're going to get a lot out of this class!

I couldn't say enough good things about the program and more importantly the people here. The instructors at Actualize are educators first, programmers second which makes a big difference in the learning process. I feel confident in the skills I've gained from the bootcamp (Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, etc) and I'm looking forward to applying my knowledge on the road ahead.

One of the things I love about Actualize is the immediate feeling you get that the educators here are looking out for you, the student, and will guide you until you reach the goal set for yourself. The bootcamp environment quickly becomes a second home and the atmosphere is wonderful.

Don't hesitate to get in contact with Actualize, all of the people here are super down to earth. Suffice to say this bootcamp has exceeded my expectations and is well worth the cost!

The program was a great experience. I really enjoyed going to class and learning something new. The instructor was real awesome (Josh). He was very knowledgeable on each subject and made it fun as much as possible. Had so many great laughs while learning.  The TA's very awesome as well. Everyone was friendly and tried to help you out as much as possible so they can help you succeed in the course. I had very little experience when it came to coding but after this program, I feel confident in my skills to create a web app. If you are looking for a place to start your web development career then go with Actualize. It is worth the investment. Great environment, great people, and a great experience.

I applied for Actualize just coming out of college with a bachelor's in philosophy and a minor in computer science. After a few months of applying to software engineering jobs and getting nowhere, I was worried I was underqualified for a position in the industry but also felt like signing up for a bootcamp or going back to school for a Computer Science degree would be mostly redundant. I told all this to Jay, the CEO of Actualize, when he called me right after I submitted my application. He was personable and seemed to know exactly where I was coming from, and so I decided to follow through and join the online cohort.

Within a week or so of the class starting it was apparent that though the course starts assuming no knowledge of CS or programming, it's ultimately open-ended and allows for people with a variety of skill levels to feel challenged and rewarded for putting in the effort to learn something new to them. More than just learning the technology and programming languages, this course has made me feel way more confident in my ability to learn any concepts a new project might require. The best part is that this is the explicit purpose of Actualize's course, and something I think any bootcamp should emphasize in their curiculum.

Everyone I've interacted with at Actualize, from Jay to the my instructors are all great people who genuinely care about teaching you and giving you the opportunity to teach yourself. I highly recommend taking Actualize's course if you are someone who is passionate about learning new things and wants to break into the software industry!

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!

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.

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. 

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.

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!