AI + Fullstack Engineering

What made Actualize stand out to me from other bootcamps were all the great reviews I read.

My experience at Actualize was really great. I decided to join a bootcamp because I felt I needed more structure. I definitely learned way more in the few months of this bootcamp, than I learned trying to self-teach myself for over a year. Brian was an awesome instructor and always available to help when I needed it.

I would recommend Actualize to anyone who is a complete beginner, or those who may have tried to self-teach themselves in hopes of making a career change and for those who are working full-time as well!

As a business professional (by trade I am MD, plastic surgeon, with extensive experience and involvement in RE investment industry as well) I do not make any decision lightly, without proper and diligent research on the subject.

When I decided it was time for me to get “literate” by the 21st century standards (meaning - it was time for me to learn to code), my first step was to indulge into deep, extensive search and research of all options.

Decision was placed on Actualize boot camp.  At that point I suspected they were probably good, but little did I know, that Actualize was the best. By far. And by all measures:

Extremely well-planned curriculum;
Founder, Jay Wengrow, not only expert in his filed, book author, educator, but also respected and thoughtful leader of his team;
Peter Jang, my instructor, outstanding engineer, with exceptional ability to convey knowledge no matter what level of coding student might be at, super fun too;
Lisa Tucker, patient and supportive guide for graduates on their path to get recognized by hiring companies as a signal, not a noise;
TAs, Jennifer, Bret and Mark: knowledgeable and well mannered;
Campus facilities modern, spacious, inviting, located at hip and convenient River North area of downtown Chicago. 

But there was one element where they impressed me, and where no competition will be able to come not even close, and that was a care for their alumni. So much sincere efforts, support and assistance for every graduate during their positioning to get a career and job of their dreams I haven't seen yet in my (long professional) career. And this human element is the final and the most critical reason why I think it will be almost impossible to beat them at the throne of being the best.

At first, I fell into the trap of, "I can do this by myself" - after all, I had taught myself HTML and CSS. However, when one decides on persuing programming as a vocation, it is important to due the proper due diligence and invest in the proper process in order to ensure success. Enter Actualize. During my time as an Actualize student, I have been able to go beyond my comfort zone in regard to my programming and "soft" (interpersonal) skills related to the job search process, allowing me to master new skills and confidently move forward with my goal of attain a job as a Software Developer. If you are feeling stuck in regard to mastering your programming skills, head to Actualize - you will be amazed at what you are abile to accomplish!

I chose Actualize because they focus one stack well, and they focus on the fundamentals, and teach us to learn other languages.
Peter the instructor really focusses on the students and really cares about them, and he makes sure that they are successful in what they do !!!    

I had an amazing experience at Actualize!

The format of actual lectures immediately followed by coding exercises was very effective for me. The pace is fast, but if you show up, and follow the instructor's recommendations you will exceed your expectations.

-Diana

Starting even from before the pre-work I never felt like I was alone. From the moment you are enrolled at Actualize to the moment you graduate and beyond you have that sense that you are part of a family. I was in Peter's class during the night class and I never felt like I was being neglected or ignored when I was struggling or had a question. With being new to software engineering I learned more than I could ever imagine in the 12 weeks of being enrolled and know that I will feel the same way post-graduation and I continue my job search. The staff at Actualize is absolutely fantastic all the way from the teachers assistant all the way to the CEO who is very hands on and always willing to help out each and every student no matter the time of day. I recommend Actualize to everyone I talk to if they are between choosing bootcamps because they truly make you part of the Actualize family. 

I choose Actualize after reviewing many other bootcamps, what stood out was their approach to teaching us. And that is the big focus actaully teaching and guiding you, by going through the material piece by piece in a way that helps understand the how and why things work. I would reccommend this school to anyone really, I would do it all over again!

I participated in the evening/weekend bootcamp taught by Peter. He's an excellent instructor, extremely committed, very supportive, very helpful. I learned so much over the course of 12 weeks, and the job hacking / support is thorough, helpful, and continues well beyond the time of the bootcamp. I'm so glad I decided to make this career transition with Actualize.

I chose Actualize because it was one of the few online courses that fit with my schedule. I did my research by reaching out to former students and combed through reviews. After much hesitation, I signed up. My biggest fear was attending a course too fast paced and end up falling behind. This course was perfectly paced. The introduction to new material, the lectures, the practice, and the questions were all very nicely layered. There were times that I felt overwhelmed, but times like that were anticipated. The instructor is very supportive of any questions, even at odd hours of the day outside of the class. Resource materials and consolidated cheat sheets are in abundance. Having a responsive instructor and access to many resources reinforced my confidence in the course when I felt overwhelmed. I would highly recommend this course to anyone shopping around for a bootcamp. Upon leaving this course, I feel very confident in my programming abilities and am eager to start looking for job opportunities. 

There are a lot of bootcamps out there, so it was hard to decide on one, but I did narrow it down eventually to Actualize and two others. I decided to go with Actualize because the classes are live, either in Chicago, or the one I attended which was done via live video online. The learning is fast-paced and they teach a lot in 12 weeks (plus 4 weeks prework), and by the end, I had built mulitple apps, all from the ground up. The instructor and TAs really care about students and do everything they can to help students grow and succeed. The job assistance is fantastic as well, ranging from technical interview prep, to resume-building, networking and how to search for jobs. They have a dedicated career counselor who meets with us on a regular basis and provides us job assistance as needed. I would recommend this bootcamp to anyone who wants to learn a new skill and possibly open the door to a new job field. I would also add that anyone can succeed in this program, so long as they are willing to put in the work. 

Actualize taught quality content, with an excellent (one of the best I've ever had) instructor in Josh. The first month was incredibly basic, and the last month was just working on a project, so considering the price you are really paying for a 2 month course. Just be aware of that.
I simply can NOT recommend them. I took out a loan through the school which ended up being predatory loan with outrageous rates and an unforgiving payment plan. Considering it was so difficult to find a job, the fact that this loan had no support, no income based repayment, and a completely unreasonable rate made my life extremely hard post completing the school. I contacted the school and they sent one email out to the loan company, which predictably did nothing. They offered no futher help, they had my money, and I was on my own.
Furthermore, compare to other boot camps that I have read about about the career support was also lacking. They had no connections to any companies, and the most career advice we got was learn how to brand yourself, and how to make a linkedin profile. I got much more career advice out of a google search.

Overall while I thought I learned a lot, I think for the price I can not reccomend Actualize.

This was a wonderful course and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to kickstart their programming careers.

I chose the daytime class because I knew if I wanted to become a developer, I would need to be fully committed and it would be to my benefit to have as much time as possible devoted to learning. If you have the opportunity, I can definitely recommend this timeslot. 

My lead instructor, Josh, is phenomenal and can answer most any question, or at least will problem-solve with you if it is not immediately clear to him. He is a natural teacher, so try to absorb as much of his knowledge as possible in this time. 

Good luck!

The online bootcamp was everything I wanted in a course that would provide me with the tools I need to start a new career in web development. My instructor Dani is always high energy, enthusiastic, and ready to teach us new concepts and coding skills every day, which made learning how to code more enjoyable. She truly is a great instructor and it would be a blessing for anyone to have her as a teacher. There is a lot of material to learn but completely manageable and the pacing is great. I have no complaints and the course was perfect and it was everything I could have asked for and more. 

First and foremost, I'd like to commend the teaching, job support, ad administrative staff on their dedication to making sure students succeed. They are all genuinely invested in making Actualize a successful platform for turning individuals with minimal or no coding experience into developers with the skillset to succeed in an entry-level developer position. In terms of content, the curriculum is predominantly focused on back-end technologies, particularly Rails. Please be advised of this if you are more interested in learning front-end. I feel fortunate to have experienced the program and wish you luck in your coding pursuits!

My experience at Actualize exceeded my expectations. When I began the boot camp I had very limited coding knowledge and upon exiting I feel extremely confident and well equipped with my skills. I chose Actualize over other boot camps because of the curriculum and support system that is available, which did not disappoint. I would recommend Actualize to anyone that is considering making the transition into the coding world!

After spending about a year not making much progress with books and tutorials, I was in need of a real teacher and mentor who could personally guide and teach me how to code. Actualize was a bootcamp that stood out the most, because of its teaching expertise. Once the bootcamp began I was constantly surprised how everything was already prepared and laid out in every step of the way conquer any challenge that I might face. All the concerns that I had before starting the bootcamp was already thought out and solved in advance by the designer of the curriculum. Also by the help of the amazing job hacking program, I am now interviewing for jobs that I could only dream about before. I truly thank Actrualize for opening the door to an exciting career in software engineering. 

I could not be more thankful for the experience I've had at Actualize. The support and encouragement from all of the instructors, the hands-on tutoring and instruction, and the valuable job search training are all reasons why I'm thankful that I chose Actualize above other boot camps. 

I would recommend this boot camp to anyone who is even considering learning to code. Although the course material is challenging, I never felt like I didn't have enough resources to get through tough projects or concepts. This boot camp gives you such a great conceptual understanding of programming that by the end of it, you will feel confident to take on any programming language.

Truly grateful to everyone at Actualize for my experience, and I'm happy to be a part of such a warm and encouraging community.

When I was deciding on a coding bootcamp to enroll in I really wanted to make sure that the online course I pick was personable and at a pace that I could handle. The reviews for Actualize really emphasized how it was a small group where there is a lot of one on one interaction with the instructor and TAs. Overall I definitely loved the pace and when I needed more clarification or help the instructor and TAs were phenomenal at making sure I grasp and understand the concept in a way that I could understand coding. I highly recommend taking this course if you are a frist time coder like me. 

My experience with the online bootcamp has been amazing. There were 10 people in my class and we all got along really well. The instructor, Dani, is a badass. She knows the material backwards and forwards. Every instructional section of the class is recorded and uploaded so we can review as often as we like. I always felt comfortable asking questions. The use of breakout rooms made one-on-one time with Dani or one of the TAs easy to arrange. I never felt like I was missing out on instructional time because the course was taught online.

Classes start on time, and there are generous breaks so the class time is manageable. The course can seem overwhelming at times, but the pace of instruction is well thoughout. The final capstone project brings everything together at the end. I almost wish the course was one week longer to give us more time to fine tune and adjust our project prior to the final presentation. Even though I only know the other students via Zoom, I feel like we got to know each other well and will definitely keep in touch with each other long after the course ends.

As someone transitioning from hospitality with minimal experience, I feel that what we covered was at an excellent pace despite the quick schedule. It felt swift but not rushed. The instructor was great, the career advisor is very helpful, and I couldn't have asked for more from it. I highly recommend this for whatever situation you're coming from.