Actualize

Actualize boasts that it’s a part-time bootcamp with an apprenticeship. It is part time, but compared to other part-time bootcamps, the curriculum is light. It’s hard work, if you’re working full time. A lot of students quit their jobs, or are working part-time. There aren’t any tests, and no one gets kicked out, which is nice. The apprenticeship is misleading. It’s also part-time, and isn’t very well run. Some of the projects are iffy and are never actually used, the team leads only have a few years experience and receive no direction, and the product owner is part-time and shared amongst all teams. Morale ends up very low, because you’re with other graduates and you compare who got jobs and who didn’t, how long it takes to get a job, how hard it is to get that first job, and how low the starting salaries are. And that’s the apprenticeship. So I wouldn’t consider the apprenticeship as a differentiator from other bootcamps. The job assistance isn’t very helpful. 

After researching and speaking with a few different bootcamps I decided to enroll at Actualize because of the way they were set up and because of what they offer. The classes were conducted online via zoom chat, which to be honest, was a bit disappointing to me when I first found out. However, even after the first class I realized that I would not be missing out on anything that I might have gained from an in-person-type class.

I found the structure of the classes very helpful.. the lead instructor and the TA's were very intentional in what they taught and how they taught it. It wasn't just about heavy loading us with a bunch of material, but the instructors made sure to explain why something was important and how it was applicable in other instances. Also, in situations where we might've been confused or had questions, rather than simply giving us direct answers, they would coach us in problem solving for ourselves. In my opinion, the best thing that Actualize does is that it creates an enviornment that promotes growth above all else.

When I decided to sign up for Actualize I had two primary concerns:

1. Will the skills I learn be outdated in a year?

2. Will I actually learn what it takes to start a new career in a more technical field?

Actualize was able to qualm these fears by doing one thing that I believe is the greatest part about Actualize: teaching you how to think like a developer. Now I am a fairly skeptical person so if someone told this to me I would laugh and say thank you for your time. After all, I would never accept such a vague statement about a program that is supposed to teach a technical field. In the spirit of computer science logic, I will provide a few examples to support this claim:

1. While the curriculum gave a strong foundation in Ruby, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, Vue.js, SQL, etc., the course open the floodgates and exposed me to thousands of concepts that I didn’t even know existed. The point here is that, and let’s be real for a second, the most knowledgeable people are the ones that know about (may not be experts in but are familiar with) all the concepts that surround a field. While I may not be an expert in calculating time complexity of various algorithms, I sure know that that is a concept and can tell you why it is very important. Further, while I am not an expert in front-end development, I can tell you that it is very easy to quickly set up a demo and I know where I can turn to do this. The primary take-away here is that I feel that I can speak with an experienced developer and not get completely blown out of the water.

2. I finished my Capstone a tad early and Brian (the teacher) suggested I scan the internet and find some additional functionality that could be cool. I started looking around GitHub, reading some documentation, finding some samples of the function and it hit me! I was learning about all these new things I had never heard about and wasn’t really struggling to understand. I feel like that last sentence doesn’t really portray the message here: I READ A DEVELOPER’S DOCUMENTATION AND UNDERSTOOD IT. Further, I implemented it!

Whatever your reason is for looking into the world of development and development bootcamps, Actualize can make a massive difference. Actualize taught me that development is not just about computer languages and scary sounding frameworks but is a thought process and a way of learning. I am not concerned that Rails may one day be obsolete, I no longer scrounge the internet looking for an article that will tell me what the most popular language in 3-5 years will be, I no longer worry that the way we look at Web Development today will be completely different in 5 years. Actualize made me excited for these changes and gave me the skills to succeed when everything inevitable changes. I am very excited for my future and can attribute a lot to Actualize (and Brian!).

I'm just finishing up the online class portion of my time with Actualize and getting ready to start my apprenticeship with the school and as many before me has said, this really was a life-changing experience that went beyond learning how to become a software developer.

The Classroom Environment:

One of the main reasons I chose Actualize is because of the live teaching envrironment. For me, this was key. I have worked with other bootcamps that didn't offer any kind of teaching and a minimal amount of recorded videos, and I truly do not know how I could properly learn software development without an actual teacher. I can wholeheartedly say that a full program without actual instruction doesn't even compare to a day of online classroom experience with Actualize. Additionally, our class might have been spread throughout the country, but we were still able to become a close-knit group and everyday I looked forward to meeting and working with all of them.

Instruction: 

Our class had Brian as an instructor and he was beyond awesome. He always came to class prepared, full of information, an ability to constantly answer questions that were thrown at him, and patience for when we struggled. I've had college professors that couldn't offer this level of professionalism and assistance.  He was also able to make what could be a dry subject one that was interesting and an atmosphere that welcoming, lively and fun.

The Education:

We covered A LOT in 12 weeks. From Ruby to building an actual app. This isn't a course to half-ass through. You need to be aware that you're learning a lot in a certain amount of time and you HAVE to stay on top of things. Studying outside of class is a must. If you really enjoy programming, this level of work and committment won't be painful and totally worth it. I do, however, wish we had more time to go further in-depth and focus on some of the concepts. 

Career Assistance:

We had days devoted to working on "career-hacking" and developing skills to assist with finding work. This included creating a personal website, networking, blogging, and even white-boarding. All of which were helpful. We're going to continue focusing on career development during our apprenticeship too, which I'm looking forward to. 

We are about to head into the apprenticeship portion of our time with Actualize and although I can't review it yet, it sounds like a further extension of our learning experience, but with the ability to put everything we have learned into actual hands-on experience. 

Last, If you're willing to put in the time and effort, Actualize gives you the information and skills you need to become a full-stack developer. I completely recommend this program.

After deciding I wanted to learn to code and reviewing the options of coding bootcamps in Chicago, I am so happy that Actualize Coding Bootcamp had everything to offer that would fit my life.  I loved the availability of a part-time bootcamp held during evening hours.  I don't know of any other bootcamp that has this schedule. Even though it's part-time, the option is there to come in early and spend more time working if needed. 

I also loved the fact that the instructors are skilled teachers and know teaching methods and how people think while learning.  You will learn a lot during your 12-weeks here.  As a beginner with no experience, it seemed overwhelming at times, but, it all falls into place eventually.  Just take a few deep breaths and all will be good!  All classes are recorded, so, if you missed anything or are unsure, you have the availability to review the screencasts at anytime at your own pace.  These are lifesavers!  

I truly enjoyed my experience here at Actualize and am so glad I took the leap and followed through on the program!  If you are unsure, do not hesitate to enroll!