Actualize

Coming from working a full time job and being a new parent I wanted to find something that would work well and actually get me the skills I needed to start a career in programming. Actualize is the place  you get the in class room setting and classmates which is needed to learn code trust me, I am so thankful for this bootcamp and cant believe how much the staff adn techers care about helping you to actually learn how to program and set you up for success in searching for a job. Dani was the day tiem Instructor I had and am so glad to have been a part of her class she works really well with all the students and finding the learning concepts that will click with them to move forawardand understand whats going on. So gratefull one of the best descions of my life!!!

I came to Actualize in Chicago as a recent college graduate from California. I had received my BA in psychology, but had since decided that I wanted to pursue a different career track, and I thought I'd try my hand at coding. I had originally planned to move to Chicago to attend Fullstack Academy, as per a suggestion I had received, but upon being accepted into and starting the beginning of their program, I didn't feel like the teaching style was right for me. In looking for other bootcamps in Chicago, I came across Actualize and was impressed by the description of their program and instruction techniques, particularly after they let me sit in on a class before finally making the decision to join.

As I am currently graduating from the program, I can say with confidence that this bootcamp was a LOT of fun. The pace was challenging, but not frantic, and all of the material we learned was taught in the perspective of its role in modern business practices, making lectures feel extremely relevant and keeping me motivated to attend closely to each new concept.

My instructor was Peter, and he was wonderful. He knows how to keep the tone in class light and friendly while also teaching efficiently and keeping students productive. He's very supportive, helpful, and responsive. I would highly recommend that interested parties attend this bootcamp, particularly if one is looking to attend a bootcamp with a less grueling pace than a full-time immersive program, but still learn a lot with the benefit of guided instruction and the company of one's cohort.

I chose Actualize because I wanted to attend a bootcamp that worked around my family's schedule.  I liked that Actualize was offered online but in a way that is like a regular classroom.  I could ask questions and get help as I was working.  

I learned so much.  It's amazing how much is covered in just a few months.  

I would recommend Actualize to anyone wanting to learn to code and needs to do it a way that is flexible but still wants the benefits of in-person course.  

I came into the online live boot camp with little experience in coding. The set up of the screen sharing from the instructor for demoing concepts followed by working on examples to practice the new concepts really helped me learn the material and retain the information.

I am extremely happy with my choice to make a career change and enroll in Actualize. The instructor and teaching assistant were very helpful promoted positive learning experiences. They tought not only the hard skills needed to code but also how to succeed in my future career.

I'm very happy that I decided to pursue the Actualize program!

I had looked into, and was accepted into, three different programs: Actualize, Northwestern and Fullstack Academy. Not only did Actualize have the best ratings (rightfully so), they also fit my budget and my schedule. 

Peter was a great instructor, combining his history of teaching and love of code to make lessons engaging, funny and informative. The program is challenging, but if you dedicate time and effort into improving, you will. The most important aspect of a bootcamp, and Actualize specifically, is that they teach you how to learn. I fiddled around with code for a few months by myself and got nowhere... it's so hard to know where to start! But with Actualize, they eased you into the program, and you were creating RESTful CRUD apps in week one. 

What you learn in a bootcamp is "tip of the iceberg", web development is ever changing and evolving, but I know I have the skills necessary to tackle any new programming language and framework I set my mind to learn. 

Thanks Peter, Jay, and Actualize!

Actualize was overall a great experience. The instructors and TA's very friendly and personable, and explained things in a clear and enaging way. It was difficult doing it while also working full-time, but also rewarding in the end. In the end I feel confident in writing Ruby, Javascript, HTML, CSS, building a Ruby on Rails application, using Vue.js, and understand a variety of other important concepts in the industry. They also just hired a career counselor for us so I'm excited to begin the job search.

The facility is also very nice with a ping-pong table, rooftop, vending machines, etc. 

I chose Actualize because:

• They emphasized the fact that the instructors are actual teachers
• I was intrigued by the post-bootcamp apprenticeship with nonprofits
• It was the cheapest, part-time & online

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I was nervous about the logistics of doing the class online (audio/video quality, screensharing, etc) but that worked perfectly for me the whole time. In fact, the ability to view the instructor's screen during the lessons & share my screen during exercises was extra helpful.

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Part-time was a great option for me. I would have burned out in a full-time program because of how intensive each session was.

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The content is not too hard for anyone. It’s the way the content is presented. There were a number of times when I would study, re-review materials, finally grasp a concept & then realize it could have been explained in much more clear/precise terms. This is the problem with the coding community as a whole but Actualize doesn’t do much better than average in this regard.

In addition, I was disappointed with the depth of content outside of Ruby on Rails. I feel like we flew by Javascript, SQL, Python, Heroku, etc. Maybe this is a tough balance for any bootcamp though?

Still, you are left with tons of great resources after the course is done!

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My instructor was Brian. He is an excellent teacher- super patient, knows lots of tricks for learning/teaching the content & tries his hardest to be sure no student is left behind. He did a great job of teaching me how to learn to code. More than anything I appreciated that Brian could put his ego aside & admit when he didn't know something or was wrong; it showed he was willing to learn too (which was encouraging). Brian does have kind of old-world/rigid ideas about punctuality & civil discourse. That was obnoxious but maybe others in my cohort didn't mind as much & he might have just been that way to protect his job, I dunno.

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Stories from my experience that might be useful:

• After I agreed to the course with the recruiter I was sent a bill for the wrong person, for the wrong amount (not cool)
• As my cohort was getting to the last few weeks of the bootcamp we were told the nonprofit apprenticeship was no longer going to happen (which was one of the primary reasons I selected Actualize)
• Also in the last few weeks we were informed we would have to present our capstone project on Youtube Live. That didn’t sit well with me; then, after Brian handled mediation between… me & Jay/Peter presumably… I was told I needed to record a presentation of my capstone if I wanted to graduate from the bootcamp & participate in the job coaching [which had replaced the apprenticeship]. The fact that they were making up program policies on the fly seemed a bit ridiculous to me.
  • Nothing in these bootcamps should be compulsory (particularly if you are not told what it is that will be required). You are paying money & everyone recognizes it is up to you to get what you can out of the program.

A friend of mine turned me onto Actualize after his brother-in-law Scott attended the program. I talked to Scott who gave me some positive feedback and informed me he had found some contract work and then a salaried job shortly after the program making around $80k/yr, which was more than he's ever made before. That was definitely enticing but I was more concerned with whether I would enjoy coding since I was looking to make a career change into a field I would find fulfilling, and with whether the program was well-structured.

I looked into other programs to see what the landscape looked like and asked other programmers what were the best languages to learn. Actualize seemed to teach "good" languages and frameworks (like Javascript, Ruby, and Ruby on Rails) some of which I later found out were actually pretty cutting-edge (we learned the Javascript framework Vue.js which is very new). I think it's pretty awesome and somewhat rare for the material in a structured program to be so current (think history classes that use textbooks from the pre-Obama years)! This tells me they’re always updating, improving, and refining the program. I was also impressed with the philosophy of the program which stressed that the instructors were teachers first, programmers second. Coming from an education background, I know how important it is for a teacher to BE ABLE TO TEACH what they know. Otherwise, though they may have superior skills, those skills would be useless to students in a classroom. Even though I appreciate the “teachers first” aspect, I have to say I was a little worried about the "coders second" part but having gone through the program, I can't imagine someone else being more knowledgeable than the instructor I had. I mean that very sincerely! Every question I had was answered thoroughly, and I was usually led to the answer rather than fed it directly, great in terms of learning!

I love the way they teach at Actualize. They teach all the background and don't teach you any shortcuts until you REALLY know what's going on under the hood so that when you DO learn the shortcuts (which they do eventually teach you) you understand what's really happening and are better equipped to troubleshoot if necessary. The structure and pace of the program are also fantastic. I was VERY impressed with the progression of exercises we were given- it was apparent that a LOT of thought and careful planning went into the curriculum. My only regret is that I was not always able to finish every exercise which made me feel like I was falling behind or missing out on learning experiences. However, everything is always available to the student whether saved on our own computers or saved online by the instructor in both file format and in videos of the lectures so we can review in our own time. And we have lifetime access to all these files. Despite my concern, by the end of the program I didn't feel as if I was missing anything- especially because most of the concepts we learn build on each other and thread into proceeding lessons and exercises. So despite not finishing every exercise, it can potentially be considered a good thing that we're never short on additional exercises or learning opportunities in or out of the classroom. And it’s definitely better than the alternative of not having ENOUGH to work on!

Also, it’s definitely worth mentioning that since securing a job in the field is a priority for most people going through a bootcamp like this, Actualize starts prepping you for what they call “Job Hacking” from DAY ONE. Your instructor will give you guidelines to help you optimize your online presence, they’ll help and guide you through networking, and they’ll help you prepare for interviews in the coding field. This support is threaded throughout the program.

By the end of the main program, I was able to build a great looking and functional app and I'm very excited to continue to learn, grow, and develop as a programmer in this new field. At the point of writing this I am on the verge of entering the apprenticeship that Actualize provides which is another structured program that provides support on individual side projects and the job search (or "job hacking") process. The apprenticeship as it's structured right now is two nights a week for the next four months or so (and it's optional, and included as part of the bootcamp - aka no additional cost). Additionally, we are not only offered but strongly encouraged to turn to Actualize and the founder himself for one-on-one support in finding work, preparing for interviews, or anything coding related throughout our ENTIRE careers! And I have zero doubts that this promise will be honored - Actualize founder Jay Wengrow and everyone he has hired onto the team are genuinely interested and invested in our growth and success.

If you can't tell already, I have zero regrets and wholly recommend this program to ANYONE with ANY background looking to make the jump into coding. Good luck and have fun!