Actualize

I applied to Actualize due to a friend's recommendation. I have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science that I received in 2016 and worked as a Unity3d developer for a year. After that I started playing video games professionally and took a huge break from coding. I signed up for the bootcamp to help me learn new aspects of coding and help me focus in on web development. The bootcamp pushed me to learn about full stack web development in a structured environment and taught you not just coding concepts, but overall important skills to help be successful in anything you do. It was a blast and I immensely enjoyed the experience!

I remember hearing about programming and then having the pleasure of seeing it up close with a family member of mine so, I decided to look on online for a Bootcamp that best fit my schedule whether it be day or night, with great values and just a overall great vibe. And that’s when i came across Actualize. My experience here has been nothing but fast, efficient, friendly and helpful beyond belief. They are attentive, caring and have a excellent curriculum. Thank you very much Actualize!!

Actualize has been more than I could have asked for when I started looking for coding bootcamps! 

What sets them apart is their commitment to you as an individual and their emphasis on teaching you HOW to learn. 
They're also very focused on the fact that most students are here to get a job in this industry. Their "job hacking" program keeps you accountable and is a great way to push through some of the harder moments of the job search. 

On top of that - Peter was just a flat out amazing teacher- I wish he taught me more subjects because at no point were we just "getting through" the material- he really taught it and found ways to relate to every student. I was blown away with their willingness to meet me where I was and be non judgmental throughout the whole process. 

If you're at all considering a coding bootcamp as a way to switch up your career, I could not recommend Actualize enough! 

My experience at Actualize was life changing.
It was such a stressful, arduous  process to find the right bootcamp for myself. I would even go as far as to say, that finding the right bootcamp was and will probably be the hardest part of my coding journey. I researched over 10 bootcamps, and I learned very quickly that most of them have the same business/education model. Which is either being scammy by not properly evaluating students for their program, because they just want your money— and then kick you out when you can’t keep up (Ii.e. App Academy, Coding Dojo), OR are 10-12 hrs a day, 6 days a week, with very little  instructional/teaching assistance and absolutely no mental health support. (I.e. Hack Reactor, Hackbright Academy) 
Being someone who has OCD, ADD, and Complex PTSD— I was freaking out about how I would be able to do a coding bootcamp.  All of these schools had educational models, that set up people like me to fail. I finally found Actualize when I decided to venture outside the west coast for schools. They have been running a remote program way before the pandemic. I was immediately struck by their curriculum, in that it’s 3 months long but half the hours of a traditional bootcamp (normally 12 hrs). After speaking with the school’s Dean Peter Jang— I was beyond inspired to attend this bootcamp. Their education model is revolutionary, in that they prioritize ‘learning how to learn’ first— and coding second. The school is filled with faculty that have educational and mental health backgrounds. And their emphasis is teaching you the skills to teach yourself, which is vital in the tech industry. 
Amanda was the AMAZING, and the best teacher I’ve ever had. I reached out to her pretty early on in the bootcamp, because I was really struggling— and we ended up meeting every single week to check in. She helped me outline study habits, concepts to focus on— and always always encouraged me to take care of myself first, not go into burnout, and prioritize my mental health (something you WILL NOT find at any other bootcamp). It was honestly very difficult to reprogram myself to work in this way, after being conditioned since childhood that the only way to succeed is to work 78372 hrs a day/ 213421 hrs a week, and be a slave to the miserable, endless grind to the top.   Far more valuable than the coding education I got, which was excellent— the most valuable things I learned from Amanda was: getting a framework for how to learn, realizing I can work in a way that supports my wellbeing and still be successful no matter how hard or ambitions the job, goal, or task is— and learning that I don’t have to do everything perfectly in order to accomplish my goal. This was life changing. 
I also want to take the time to mention the job support team at Actualize, which was OUTSTANDING. First of all, the career support was an active part of our curriculum from day one. This is very unusual, as ALL the other bootcamps I researched do not begin job counseling until the last 2 weeks of bootcamp, and in some cases after graduation— and it’s a short-lived process. Lisa and Sarah conducted class with us every week, working with us on everything from resumes, to our LinkedIn pages and personal summaries. They were also accessible throughout the bootcamp to meet one-on-one. I really utilized this resource with Sarah, who I met with frequently during the bootcamp. She went ABOVE & BEYOND to support me not only with my job search experience, but helped me to organize my time at bootcamp in a way that took care of my mental health. In fact, Sarah prioritized my mental health, and every solution we created started with this as a foundation. What’s remarkable is the job support hasn’t even ended… I’ve graduated bootcamp, but this week I begin 3 job hacking classes , and then 4 successive weeks of interview prep classes— all to support and gear me up to secure a job in the new year. In addition, Lisa and Sarah are also making themselves available again to meet one-on-one as needed.  This is the first time in my life that while feeling overwhelmed to begin this process, I feel fully comforted in the support I know I have— and will ultimately emerge successful in the job hunt process, because I have passionate, brilliant, caring people to help me through every aspect of it. 
The last thing I will say, and this is for anyone researching a bootcamp— the support I got from Actualize was fully contingent upon my ability to reach out, advocate for myself, and ask for help.  I’m sure that my experience would differ tremendously from a student who didn’t do this.  In my opinion, succeeding at Actualize requires a keen level of self-awareness, the ability to communicate that, and reaching out to faculty for help when needed. Do not expect to get this level of support from Actualize or any bootcamp for that matter, if you don’t ask for it. This is one of my biggest pieces of advice to anyone looking to do a coding bootcamp.
I could not recommend this school enough, I am so grateful I found Actualize— and believe will forever be reaping the benefits of this choice. 

I spent a fair amount of time researching coding bootcamps before I took the plunge with Actualize.  After all, the cost of these camps vary as much as the technologies offered.  I was certainly proficient with computers, but I had no coding background at all.  I didn't even know how to bring up the terminal.  Let me say, emphatically, this was the best decision I could have possibly made.  This course did not teach me syntax or how to build "X" (Well I mean of course they did, but read on...).  I practiced researching, learning, and apply information directly from documentation.  I learned how to fish in this bootcamp.  It's given me the confidence to build things we never learned in class, and tackle other technologies right out of a 4 month camp.  Don't waste anymore time thinking about all the things you have to do to start, just start and start here.

I knew I needed some structure when learning the fundamentals of software development, so I started taking a look at dozens of different bootcamps. So many of them taught similar languages and had multiple projects that you'd be able to produce. There was one however that stood out from all the others on a couple main aspects, and that was Actualize. Actualize has been one of the greatest learning experiences I have ever had. 

A lot of bootcamps only provide you with maybe an hour a day, 3-4x a week of actual instruction. The rest of the time that you are "in the bootcamp" you are just doing some self learning. Spending the amount of money that a bootcamp costs just to teach yourself isn't helpful. Actualize is devoted to having actual live instruction 5 days a week. You go through some material, watch the instructor code, and then have a challenge to do something similar yourself. It is incredibly effective and I was able to learn & retain so much information in a short period of time. Not to mention the instructors are incredible and very knowledgable - Brian was my cohort instructor and I cannot praise him enough for how well he goes through everything. 

You can also tell that everyone in the class genuinely cares and wants you to succeed. Actualize also has something called "career hacking" which meets every Sunday to go over things related to the job search. Lisa is amazing and helps you get prepared to start tackling interviews and applications pretty much halfway through. The best part - the job hacking is available UNTIL you get your first job. They genuinely care and want you to land that first role!

I can't say enough incredible things about this bootcamp - there isn't another one that compares whatsoever. 

From the beginning, I've pretty much only heard good things about Actualize. Originally, I made a post of LinkedIn asking what bootcamp people would recommend and for a good couple weeks to a month, the only people that replied, were people from Actualize. On top of that, one of the other major reasons I chose them was because of the smaller teacher to student ratio, I believe my class was just about the max at 13 to 2 (Teacher and TA - both specifically for this class). When I was doing my research about other bootcamps, I saw that they had 20:1 or 30:1 and other variations of that so when I saw that Actualize is a much closer/personal experience, that definitely stood out to me. The last thing that stood out to me was the fact that all their teachers were a teacher of some sort before, meaning that they aren't just people who know how to code, they are people who know how to teach and also know how to code.  

I transitioned into web development with zero prior experience, and after graduating, I rate my experience at Actualize to exceed my expectations. I expected a boot camp that would only teach me to code and throw me out into the wild. What makes Actualize an excellent program to me was the help in the transition every step of the way. Will they teach you everything there is to know? No. But I found it more valuable in their mission to teach students by letting them break code, learn from their mistakes, and build a solid foundation to go forward. The instructors and teaching assistants are there whenever you faced an obstacle every day during or after class for the students. They are always patient and willing to help you learn the material.
At Actualize, they understand that the main goal is to land a job in the industry. That's why the first week they introduced weekly job hacking lectures to help in your transition into the tech field. Even after graduating, you're able to still connect with your career advisors for any assistance on landing a job whether it be resume reviewing, announcing job posts, discussing application strategies, or even reviewing job descriptions and compensations. To reiterate, every step along the way, the staff at Actualize is there to help in your transition into the field. 
How well Actualize helps you transition into web development becomes a strong attraction to many others that also decide to make the jump. That means the cohort you meet in class comes from multiple backgrounds with little or no experience and that creates this bond with them knowing that all of you are in this together. As the lectures progress forward, you get the chance to talk and work together with cohorts that helps build a sense of camaraderie when code does or doesn't work. So I think the types of people that boot camps will attract make as much an impact on your experience as the quality of their instructor. I could not recommend a better boot camp after my experience at Actualize.