Actualize

Choosing Actualize as my boot camp was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was brand new to the coding world and was only learning the very basics before I applied. Actualize emphasizes the importance of how languages and technologies should be approached. After finishing their course, not only do I know how to utilize Rails and React, but more importantly, have the knowledge to efficiently learn any language, framework, interface, structure, and many more. They also have many resources, including a career advisor, and an amazing alumni community to help land your first job. 

If you are committed to coding, love to learn, and put in the work, Actualize is the course for you.

I just finished my cohort and my first feeling is that it was a great program and I don't have any regrets. The pre-work was perfect for a total beginner and I felt comfortable when we started the live lessons. Starting with Ruby and its simple syntax helped gain confidence as we compiled more and more into the lessons. Outside practice is KEY for skill development. 

Where the course fell short for me was the introduction of ReactJS. So much time spent on Ruby and we flew through React and just kept barreling through. I understand we spent less time on React than Ruby but  I  feel that the lesson structure wasn't as strong as the beginning. My classmates and myself were completely lost at times. 

I started this cohort already having a sales position and was transitioning  to a tech position within the same company so I wasn't looking for a job. The job hacking had a lot of useful information and deff important topics to discuss. However I feel it took up too much time some weeks and we could have condensed a lot of it and used the extra time for more JS or SQL. 

We had a lot of independent study time in the beginning and that to me was a little bit of a waste. We barreled through so many topics on the back half of the cohort that we should have used the time together in class better. I can do independent study for free after class. I shouldn't be paying for it.

Overall I think my teacher Amanda was great. Super patient and always good for a laugh. I'm happy I picked Actualize and would recommend it to anyone interested in coding. I will add I think all bootcamps are a bit overpriced and this fits in that as well. 

I went into the bootcamp knowing only what I was able to teach myself a few weeks prior and I was a it intimidated by that fact. The pre-work they have for you before actual classes start was perfect to get me started and I never felt like I was drowning. Then the actual bootcamp was exactly what I wanted! I learned lots of really great skills but the most important skill I feel like I picked up was the ability to teach myself. Even before the end of the bootcamp I was able to start teaching myself another language and make an app with it. No regrets about my choice at all.

A very small class size for almost one-on-one teaching and collaborating gave me the ability to learn and understand very hard concepts relatively quickly. Most importantly I was trained in the art of learning. By the time the course was over I could teach myself skills and find the resources to expand my knowledge base. The course pre-work took me from knowing nothing about writing code to being able to write difficult code in less than a month. My instructor, Peter, is tremendously smart and engaging. All of the staff is incredibly personable and the job assistance is top notch. The course ends in 12 weeks, but you have indefinite access to everything you learned and all the resources within. Highly recommend bootcamp.

I really enjoyed my experience at Actualize. The instructors, TAs, and career advisors all care about your success and provide you with the opportunities and resources to succeed. The class is live and you are able to interact and ask questions on the spot whenever you are stuck. The curriculum is project based and gives you the opportunities to learn hands-on while building your portfolio and adding your own ideas to each project. I didn't have any coding experience when the class began but I walked away with the confidence and ability to learn new languages/frameworks on my own.  The resources provided to you don't just go way after the class, you are provided with resources to keep you motivated and working on projects as well as resources to help you in your job search and interview preparation. I can't recommend Actualize enough!

I really enjoyed my time here! Learned a lot about coding and there's a lot of help post graduation to keep you on task to improve your portfolio/skill while applying to jobs. Actualize provides A LOT of resources to help you with coding from mentorship, to mock technical interviews, mock behavioral interviews. And of course you can keep in contact with your cohort.  Class was M-F 9am-2pm, two 15 min breaks, one 30 min lunch. 

In order to maximize the course though I would suggest coding or studying during your free time. Course does a good job showing you the ropes and how to approach difficult problems. Only thing I wish was that we were taught Python into Ruby. I think it would be easy to pick up Ruby if Python is your first language. 

Instructor was excellent! She is knowledgeable, passionate, and had 0 issues explaining a pretty complicated subject in a very digestible way. Loved the emphasis on community and team building, as well as a lot of emphasis being on post-bootcamp, including their in-house support for graduates. It feels like a "whole picture" bootcamp rather than one that just leaves you overwhelmed right when you graduate. The "job-hacking" portion felt like it took a little too much time from what could have been used for more practice/instruction, but overall a great experience.

At first I was a little hesitant to sign up for a fully remote instructional program, but I quickly learned that I made a wise choice in going with Actualize's online program. The group is very organized and are more than willing to make sure you stay on track. You are online in live classes every weekday with the rest of your cohort and learn to function within a team while also honing your personal coding and soft skills. My instructor, Joey, kept things entertaining while passing onto us strong programming foundations and showing us not only what to learn, but HOW to learn things beyond the scope of the boot camp. As a graduate from the boot camp, I know I still have endless things to learn and am confident in my abilities to go about learning new technologies and concepts and that's thanks to the tools and knowledge Actualize instilled into us. Beyond the actual programming instruction, there is also a great support system with career counseling. I went from dreading the interview process to feeling confidently that I did well on my very first interview. I accepted a position before finishing the program and I owe a lot of credit to my instructor and the career counseling provided by Sarah. This boot camp has a plethora of very skilled, very enthusiastic people who want you to succeed and do everything in their power to see that happen. Highly recommended!!