Actualize

I attended Actualize Coding Bootcamp in Chicago in the evenings in 2018 while working full-time in a client facing role at a tech company during the day. I was hired as a software engineer apprentice at a great company 2.5 months after I graduated from bootcamp. I had 3 final round interviews.

My instructor Peter Jang was fantastic and he knew how to keep our class engaged and excited even when we were overwhelmed. He provided a "2-week" philosophy that showed us that even when we were learning something brand new in 2 weeks it would be second nature to us. We saw this become a reality and trusted the process. The class started with work the terminal and git. Moved to APIs, back-end development with Ruby on Rails. We then focused on vanilla javascript and then learned front-end frameworks. Our cohort focused specifically on Vue.js and then after the class a few of us got together to continue working on a React Native App.

The final project of the class was a capstone project of our choice. This is the type of project that can vary. If you chose to and have time outside of class you can make a complex app but if you wanted to stick to something smaller you can still show off you knowledge of modern programming technologies. I really enjoyed working on my app and it was a great conversation topic in interviews. I modeled my app after something already existed and ended up getting a final interview with the company that my app was based on!

On Sundays throughout the bootcamp there was a career curriculum. This helped us work on our resume and encouraged us to network with devs. I received 2 interviews as a direct result of networking meetings several weeks after the meetings occurred. They encouraged us to start networking early long before we were ready to interview so that when roles come up you already have had a conversation and be on people's minds. Networking is what you make it and you can do more or less depending on your personality. The bootcamp encouraged us to have confidence in this process but didn't directly help us make connections.

Before I decided to attend Actualize I highly considered General Assembly and Grace Hopper at Fullstack Academy. I was not in the position to be without a job and was thrilled when I found Actualize since it was evenings and weekends. I attended without knowing anyone who attended and just from reading reviews and shadowing a class. It took my 2 years from when I started thinking about it to actually enrolling but in that 2 years I did Fullstack Academy's prep in a month (highly encourage this) and I did many different free code academy courses, free code camp problems and watched a lot of Whatsdev videos on youtube.

Overall Actualize is amazing experience if you are someone who will put in the extra effort to network and tell your story. The career development can guide you but it's not going to get you a job. There are several people in my cohort who are still looking for jobs. The role I took was from applying online via LinkedIn and I did not have a connection. It's all random and there's no clear way to get a job. Being authentic and having a lot to talk about, even if it's about what you don't know is great.

Actualize was a life changing experience and I highly recommend it!

I choose Actualize because they not only focused on getting you to learn to code but also how to brand yourself within the job market for success. Actualize believes anyone can learn to code and with the help of the instructors(who are eager to help) I can verifiy that it's an accurate statement. I throughly enjoyed my experience during the bootcamp and it's experience I remember for the rest of my life and I do not regret my decision. After going through the bootcamp and arriving to where I am I would recommend this program to anyone that wants to learn to code. 

I definitely recommend the Actualize bootcamp for learning web development! We learned Ruby, Rails, Javascript, HTML, and CSS, and how to build both backend and frontend for a web app. The live online learning environment was really great - class time switched between lecture and hands-on coding exercises. Our instructor, Dani, was awesome! She is very enthusiastic and helpful, but also a real person with real world experience. I worked part time during the course and was very busy, but it is definitely possible to work and take this course too. This course was intense, but also really fun.

Overall, I had a great experience attending this bootcamp. I appreciated the four weeks of pre-work leading up to the course, as I had no previous development experience. That said, I do feel prework lacked some foundational information that may have helped ease the intensity of the first couple weeks of the course. Attending online was really great for my schedule and gave me the ability to feel comfortable in my own space and very focused on the task at hand. My instructor, Dani, pushed us in a very positive way. She understood that the material was difficult, but also expected that we used our brains to full capacity. I have finished the bootcamp able to do more than I could have ever expected and highly recommend this school for pure beginners. 

Before choosing Actualize I looked into other bootcamps such as Fullstack and I immediately had a negative experience with them. From that experience I started looking to other bootcamps and found Actualize. I read others experiences about attending the school and decided to take the plunge. To this day I am sure that I made the best decision and not once did I hate coming to school. Every instructor and ta is so willing to help. The space is awesome as well. My knowledge has increased tenfold from this experience alone. 

Before attending Actualize I was extremely skeptical about bootcamps. After talking with the instructors and previous graduates I realized that this bootcamp would be a perfect fit for myself.

Everybody on staff was very enthusiastic about their jobs which in turn made every aspect of the class enjoyable.  Over the course of 12 weeks I learned things that I though would take years to learn.

I would recommend Actualize not only to someone who is looking for that right bootcamps, but to anyone who has even the slightest interest in web development.

A friend of mine had just completed his actualize bootcamp, and he recommended that I do the same. We worked together at the same place for years and I decided that it was time to pursue a different path. He spoke very highly of the program and all of the staff and instructors there so I decided to check it out.I had an amazing time at Actualize. I met and got to know people who I will keep in touch with, hang out with, and code with for the rest of my life. the staff and instructors were some of the most helpful, friendly and supportive people i have ever encountered. By the end I was able to create an app that will go on into production and actually used by an organization I volunteer with. I feel that i got my moneys worth and a solid education with the building blocks necessary to continue learning and become an even better coder. I would recommend actualize to anyone looking to make a career shift, anyone who is interested in learning a new skill or looking for a challenge, or even someone looking to find a place for themselves in a new city. Actualize provided a fresh start, a warm, supportive environment, and the final payoff left me feeling accomplished and ready to take the next step in my career

Actualize gives you the support to learn to code and then gets you ready to apply to jobs with confidence.  That is exactly what I was looking for a change of career after being laid off as a screen printer.  Not only did I learn frontend and backend frameworks, they also make time to teach salary negotiation and networking strategies.  The course was challenging and that challenge made the entire experience rewarding.  Taking this course is easily the best decision I have made in the past decade.  They took me from minimum wage to negotiating for $50/hr, in a little over 12 weeks.

I felt the need to come back and review Actualize post-graduation, and postgraduate initiative! I'm glad that I stand by my initial 5-star review - Actualize was a great decision. I have some friends who have taken different programs and who are still looking for work, months after graduation. While it's not a quick process, nor is it easy, Actualize truly supports its students with resume review, LinkedIn profile review, job search, and moral support. During this time you also work on a project with fellow students to keep your skills sharp and add to your portfolio. If I could go back in time, I would make this same choice for school - and I don't say that often! I am two months into a job that I LOVE - Web Developer for a start-up in Chicago, and I couldn't be happier. Thanks Actualize! 

I took the Actualize course coming from a background in neurobiology and physiology with no background to speak of in coding. I had always dreamed of learning how to code and changing my career course but I was nervous about investing time and money in a bootcamp. I picked actualize because it covered not only the learning elements of web development but also how to get a job in this field that was foreign to me. 

My experience with the course was positive and challenging. I really enjoyed the teaching style and all of the material we learned. I like how we were constantly pushed out of our comfort zone and not babed along when we had trouble. The curriculum was challenging and diverse and covered heavily used frameworks and elements in web development today. My teacher was Brian and he did an excellent job pushing us and encouraging us. 

I had a wonderful time taking this course. I was able to learn so much more then I ever thought I would. Actualize has done a great job at setting up this curriculum. I took the online class, and it felt just like an in person class. I was able to ask as many questions as I needed to, and always got tremendous assistance when I got stuck. Brian Rice was my instructor and did a fantastic job teaching this cohort. Thank you Actualize for the amazing course. I am so grateful for the experience!