AI + Fullstack Engineering

I chose Actualize Coding Bootcamp after reading reviews from this very website and thought I would bring it full circle. It was a phenomenal experience and I am so happy I chose correct. I felt that I not only learned the languages that they taught me but that I am now able to teach myself. If you are reading this review and are considering attending a coding bootcamp do yourself a favor and give Actualize a call. I was able to create my capstone app in a language and framework that hadn't been taught in the course, because Actualize gave me the fundamentals I needed to be successful. If you're looking for a personalized experience and a great curriculum, shoutout to Peter Jang, then do yourself a favor and call today. 

My experience at Actualize was amazing. My instructor was extremely knowledgeable but kept the classes entertaining and interesting. He really drove home the point of if you don’t know something right now it’s okay as long as you keep trying to improve on it. I would recommend Actualize to anyone who wants a job as a software developer or anyone who wants to learn how to code. More than that the thing they do the best is teach you how to learn on your own and be self sufficient over the course of the program you can go from a complete beginner with no experience to having a full plan and being ready for your first software developer job. 

Signed up for Actualize after my partner did it a year ago and I was motivated to switch careers. After sitting in on a few classes, I chose the evening course led by instructor Peter - who also is the Dean - and it shows, best decision ever! The overall curriculum is well thought out and the resource material is abundant - but not in an overwhelming way. Every step of the way, you feel supported and that the bootcamp is invested not just in your learning but in your ultimate success of landing a dev job. I can't rave enough about Peter. If you can make it work, I highly recommend taking his evening class. Peter's background as a teacher, funny personality and clear communication made the most complex material digestable. By the end of the 12 wks, you walk away with a dozen or so new skills and several languages under your belt ... *but the true gift this bootcamp gives you is the ability and structure to continue learning on your own - which is critical since a dev NEVER STOPS LEARNING! Actualize also just rolled out a new program that will specifically help train you for job interviews - both behavioral and tech - with an emphasis on diving deeper into data structures & algos ... an invaluable boost for all us new devs trying to make our mark in this growing market. Whether you've taken some computer science courses already or have zero knowledge of coding (that's me), I highly recommend this bootcamp!

I literally found a family in Actualize. Peter was my lead instructor and he is so so so passionate about teaching code. He's a Chicago native like myself. The whole team including Kevin our TA was just phenomenal in my education. I came into this program with zero knowledge of coding. I went from knowing absolutely nothing to having a solid foundation to work with. Leaving this bootcamp it doesn't mean i'm suddenly a master at code. If you're a fan of Naruto I'm probably a Chunin or a high level Genin after going thru this bootcamp. Which speaks volumes at just how this program is structured. I took the evening course because I have a 9-5 but part of the reason why I did this bootcamp was so I can leave my 9-5 that is a dead-end job, for something more meaningful like the world of software engineering offers. If you're looking to go from knowing absolutely nothing to becoming a ready to work entry level developer, I highly encourage you to check this bootcamp out. 

I chose Actualize because of word of mouth, and it was not a disappointment. This program is completely supportive both in the boot camp as well as after the program. As someone who came in with a minimum coding background, I felt like I grew so much in terms of skills. The content that you are taught and how you are taught is makes the experience enjoyable and sets you up to teach yourself post boot camp. This is a decision that I will never regret making.

Warning: small novel ahead...Like you, I was doing as much research on bootcamps that I could. There are so many out there now. How do I choose the right one? How will I know if I’ve learned enough? Does the bootcamp care about me or are they just trying to raise their statistics? I’m writing this review as I would’ve liked to see in my bootcamp search months ago. I’m going to go into a lot of detail about what the course looks like, and hopefully help you decide if Actualize is right or wrong for you, and why. Here we go:
My background: I’ve worked in retail basically my entire life since I was 16. I’m 35 now. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life and never knew how to find the direction I wanted to take. My brother and friend did a bootcamp about 5 years ago that really opened my eyes to other possibilities outside of retail. But the biggest thorn in my side of making the leap was: can I really do this? Me, of such a lowly work background, with no real programming skills to speak of and a college degree that is pretty much meaningless? Actualize has shown me that the answer is yes.About the bootcamp: In about 17 weeks (including prework) I’ve gone from barely knowing how to open a file on a mac to being able to create my own full fledged application that I feel pretty confident about putting in my portfolio. You spend the first 5 weeks learning pure Ruby language mostly at your own pace - this is called the prework. Each week you are required to complete a number of small exercises (that become bigger as the weeks go on) which are then graded by a pre-work instructor. Two times a week the instructor will hold an office-hours zoom call to ask questions, and you can reach out to your instructor pretty much anytime through Slack (a messaging program used by people in tech). This part, for me, was the very beginning of things feeling real. But not fully real yet because this is done, more or less, at your own pace.In-class portion:It is about 12 weeks of daily class where you will be in your virtual classroom with your teacher and a TA. You pick up where you left off in some of the pre-work, then you start learning about the Ruby on Rails framework along with all the applications you’ll be using to be successful in the class. Every day, there is homework regarding the lecture of the day that is due before class begins the next day. Class is generally a small mini lecture on something new (you watch your instructor do an example), then you follow up doing it on your own. The beautiful thing about doing this kind of class over zoom is the ability to share screens. During the exercises, all students share their screens and the instructor and TA can “watch over the shoulder” of all students in the class. I really liked this feature. The culmination of the 12 weeks live instruction is a Capstone Project that you begin planning on week 5. This is meant to be a portfolio piece that you can show off to future employers. It incorporates everything you’ve learned. You spend a lot of time working on this (basically a month-ish of class time).During the 12 weeks, every Monday there is job-related work that is incorporated. From here, with the help of the job-hacking team, you will build up your LinkedIn, perfect your resume and start applying to jobs and asking for informational interviews. After the 12 weeks, there is one more week of classes dedicated to job searching. From there, you are mostly on your own, though you do have a community of people to fall back on for questions and advice.Languages/Skills Learned:Actualize teaches you a Ruby on Rails backend with a VueJS frontend. From what I’ve gathered from numerous small interviews I’ve done, these are not the most in-demand languages or frameworks. That isn’t to say that there are no jobs in this niche, but there are just less of them. The nice thing about Ruby and Rails are their overall simplicity to teaching and learning. It’s clear that these are picked to be taught because they are the easiest to digest in the short time that we have. However, I believe a lot of critics would say focusing on these particular languages isn’t the best use of your time due to their lack of popularity, and that is a fair argument. Actualize believes that once you pick up these languages, you can teach yourself almost any language. After 17 weeks, I would agree with that sentiment.Why pick Actualize?I picked Actualize because I felt they were the most welcoming and the most comforting bootcamp I talked to. I truly feel that my instructor, my TA, and the job-hacking team are all people that legitimately care about me and my success and want to help me get there. It feels warm. To me, that is a big deal. The sense of community and camaraderie I felt among people in my cohort is huge, and though most bootcamps will give you this feeling, Actualize gives it to you just a little bit more. Another benefit is that there is a lot of discussion about not only the technical challenges we all will be facing leaving the bootcamp, but also the mental challenges. I appreciate these lectures and discussions because mental pressure in web development is a real thing and I feel the precursor we received to these issues will help me deal with it. Closing:In short, I felt my time and money was well spent enrolling in this bootcamp. I feel I have the initial skills needed to begin working in a completely new field. I have a large network of top-quality people and friends to support me. These are all of the things I didn’t have before, and for that, this guy from the retail world is grateful. 
TL;DR: Actualize cares about you and your success and treat you like family. You get a lot of resources and support throughout the bootcamp. Though the languages might not be the most relevant, you’ll still be equipped to start applying to jobs.

I chose Actualize because of their education first, coding second approach to bootcamp. As someone who has been out of school for a while, it was important to me that a lot of thought was put into the way these complicated concepts were taught in a way in which I could actually take in the information being given. After officially completing and graduating from the program, I can honestly say, I made the absolute best decision. I don’t consider myself a super quick learner and I also have ADHD, however, I was able to grasp the concepts and felt cared for by my Instructor and TA (shout out to Amanda and Erik!!) along with the entire Actualize team throughout the entire experience.I got scammy vibes from a lot of other bootcamps out there. Especially those that offer that “Pay nothing until you get a job” thing, where they take money out of your paycheck for like 4 years (and most of the time, you end up paying far more than the upfront tuition). Not saying that all of them are, I just do not agree with the practice. Actualize not only does not engage in that practice and they have affordable/realistic payment plan options instead. I research things pretty intensely, and did not deviate from that when making this important decision. Believe me when I say this, Actualize is the real deal and in the top 3 best decisions I’ve made in my entire life. DO IT!

When I decided to enroll in a coding bootcamp, I did a ton of research to figure out which would be the right fit. I am so glad I chose Actualize - it really lived up to my expectations. The focus on education and on teaching students to teach themselves was especially effective and valuable. I worried that as I moved through the course and piled more and more information on top of what I had already learned, I might get overwhelmed, but on the contrary, I found my learning accelerated because there was constant reinforcement and practice, and I became more comfortable with self-teaching as we went along. My teacher and TA were engaging and helpful, the rest of the Actualize staff was fully dedicated to each student's success, and I really enjoyed my cohort and the sense of community and camaraderie. I also really appreciated the online format - it was seamless, convenient, effective, and in these pandemic times, safe. As with anything, you will get out what you put into it. If you are serious about becoming a developer and have the willingness and ability to put in the work, Actualize can get you there.

I applied to Actualize to broaden my coding knowledge and keep me moving towards my interests while I was in a gap year that I took from college during the coronavirus pandemic. I wasn't entering it to get a job, I wasn't even entering the bootcamp to learn skills directly for the career I want. Actualize is mainly a web development bootcamp. I want to be a game developer. While I knew that it probably wouldn't work directly towards my goals, it was close enough in the vein of what I wanted for me to apply. I wasn't sure how much I would genuinely enjoy the curriculum or how well it would be able to tie into my future. However, Actualize blew me away. I loved every second of being in the bootcamp, due to my excellent instructor, TA, and the well thought out curriculum, not only do I have a better grasp on coding, I also have a better grasp on the structure of most applications, I have a better grasp on how to teach myself new skills, I have a better grasp on how to get a job, I have a deeper interest in websites and their development, I have made about 15 new and hopefully longstanding friends. The curriculum at actualize will help you understand how, and why to do certain things, and the faculty will guide you along the way and help you when you feel like you're stumbling. Another incredible piece of this bootcamp is the "job hacking" curriculum, I am in a unique position where I am not sure whether I will be seeking a job after I finish the camp. Despite this, the career support curriculum felt relevant and helpful and has deepened my understanding of how to market myself even in situations that might not be directly related to a job search. If you are interested at all in coding, I doubt there is any place better to at least get a start, and maybe even more, than actualize.

I chose Actualize because they promised an educational approach to learning how to code.  They delivered on that and so much more.  To the excellent teaching staff who always made sure you were keeping up and never hesitated to answer any questions.  The awesome career counselors, who were able to make the seemingly scary adventure of job hunting less scary and more of an adventure to get you to the place you want to be. I loved my time at Actualize and if you are on the fence, I say , just do it.

Coming from a background in hospitality, I didn't know much about coding, but something I thought would be fun to learn.  Coming into the bootcamp, I barely knew how to navigate a terminal, and now at the end of it, I build and designed my own web app.  The course moves at a nice pace and there are so many resources to help you.  You learn just as much as you have fun!!!

This is a Awesome bootcamp, I was a beginner entering the course and now I feel more confident with my coding skills. You really have to put in the work. It's not easy but at the same time it is not out of this world. They have an excellent curriculum and great Instructors and T.A's.

My time in Actualize was an amazing experience. I learned more than I thought would. It was a rigorous course.  It opened my mind to a new way of thinking and I feel that I have the tools to not only join the job force but learn new programming languages on my own. I highly recommend joining this program if you want to start a career in software development.

I debated between big, well-known bootcamps and ultimately committed to Actualize. The main reason, and I can say this even more as a grad, is the unmatched community and support. You get weekly checkins and support from career advisors, an instructor and a TA who will go above and beyond to aid you on this journey, and classmates who will become your new, trusted friends. Material is taught in a way that gets you to truly understand the material and teaches you the skills beyond the bootcamp to learn a new language all on your own. So give this bootcamp a chance because it was an irreplaceable experience for me.

I entered Actualize completely new to programming and right from the very start I feel like they made all the information super clear and easy to follow along. They also are super helpful with continuous learning, alway supplying the documents you would need to delve deeper into specific concept. I found the instructors and staff all super accommodating and very helpful and motivating. I truly feel like I'm their top priority!

I am a researcher when it comes to any decision, but especially when it comes to a big life decision. After deciding to change careers to coding, I did hours of research, review reading, and talking to different programs to figure out which would be the best option.  I work full-time, so having a night option was important. An important piece was to avoid a program that consisted of mostly pre-recorded videos where students are left to their own devices. I wanted a class setting where you can learn and grow with other students and have a teacher/program that actually cares about your success. That is exactly what I found at Actualize. From the start of pre-work and continuing after you finish the course, you are supported. Brian is an amazing teacher and mentor! The course is challenging but still fun and very rewarding. Honestly, the whole Actualize team is amazing, shout out to Kevin, Lisa, Alex, Lauryn, Bart,  and Jay!

After ten years of working in hospitality, I felt like I wanted to develop new skills and change my line of work. This brought me to decide on attending the Actualize coding Bootcamp. Being part of this Bootcamp was an extremely positive experience. I barely had any familiarity with programming and even before finishing the course, I felt like had learned and developed several skills and strategies. Now that I've graduated I feel like I've opened a door to a learning environment where I can constantly keep on growing and build on what I've learned.The Actualize team was very flexible and helpful in many ways from the very beginning. Which was something that I really appreciated. Making this investment in myself is something I would do again mainly due to the experience I had with the Actualize team. Everyone, including the pre-work instructor, the TA's, the lead instructors, and career support assistants are all very helpful and believe that the students are fully capable of managing the material and tools that are provided.I would definitely encourage anyone to enroll in their program. Especially if you have very little knowledge of coding or programming. Like I mentioned I had almost no experience in this field and graduating with a new skill set will only help me find a job as well as opportunities! and continue to build new skills in the future.

I looked into several different bootcamps and ending up choosing Actualize. I am so glad I did! Actualize feels like a family and they truly want you to succeed. I was in the evening/online cohort with Brian, who I would highly recommend. Not only does he know his stuff, he is an amazing teacher with a great sense of humor. He is easily approachable and was always willing to help us out, while at the same time challenging us and preparing us for our new career. The job hunting guidance they provide us with is excellent. Lisa and Alex are amazing and work hard to help us find a great job, I wish I would have had that when I graduated from college! I would highly recommend Actualize to anyone who is motivated to learn how to code. 

I was looking to switch careers and became very interested in coding. Having a good friend graduate from Actualize made me want to see what it was all about. Seeing all the great reviews and actually knowing someone who had gone through the course and land a great job make it an easy decision to join.What makes Actualize great is the teachers. Not only do they know what they are doing, they know how to teach it and make you understand the content.  They are very helpful and want you to succeed. I was never afraid to ask for help if I needed it. Starting from knowing very little to creating apps in 4 months showed me that once you know the fundamentals, you are capable of learning anything you want. Another thing that I love is the Job Hacking. Actualize works with you throughout the course to create a fantastic personal website and resume to start your job search. Once you are done with the course, they will continue to support you on your job hunt. All in all, I am completely happy with my decision to join Actualize. From pre-work to capstones, I enjoyed it every step of the way. It is sad that it is over but it made me excited to see what happens going forward!

The whole experience was great! Our instructor Brian Rice was a fantastic teacher and personable individual with exceptional dad jokes. I feel very prepared and ready to learn and take on any technical challenge I set before myself. A couple of criticisms that might help. 1. The 5 week pre-work phase could use a few days of working with an instructor to help with the introduction to theses concepts. I felt very much in doubt of myself and my capacity to learn when it was just me and a teachers aid for an hour on Saturday mornings. 2. The job hacking portion of the course is great and I believe it is a fantastic accompaniment  to the technical aspect. Although I do think that is a little much to mix in with the 12 week live class portion and would've felt better served if It were taught for a week or two after the 12 week portion so that I could focus on it completely as opposed to heaped on top of all the very hard work and material that the technical portion requires.