AI + Fullstack Engineering

This is probably one of the best bootcamps out there. They provide you everything you need to succeed and also has as strong job placement program. 

It is amazing how much you will learn in 12 weeks. I can say that this has build a great foundation for me to pursue my career. 

I heard about Actualize through google and sites like this one. Really wonderful experience! Great pace, really responsive staff, always ready to help you through any questions you have. At the end, you'll have a project you have built that you can add to your portfolio, as well as skills to start the inevitable job hunt. The main course focus is on programming fundamentals using Ruby, back-end API development using Ruby on Rails, front end with Vue.js as well as some quick detours here and there. Not sure what any of that means? No problem! Through the course pre-work and first couple weeks of the camp, Actualize will get you up to speed. You'll leave with skills to help you feel confident as you enter the workforce. They teach you the building blocks of coding, as well as how to apply those building blocks to new languages, which is invaluable. I would recommend Actualize to coding newbies and intermediate coders. I will say, if you're advanced (in web-development) and looking to brush up or learn a new language in a structured environment, you will certainly be able to do that here, it will just be at a pace that is slower than what you'd probably want.

Before enrolling into Actualize, I researched so many different coding bootcamps, but Actualize was the one that stood out the most to me. I had no prior coding experience, though it was tough, I gained so much insight and made my very own app! Everyone here is great, supportive, and understandable. That's something I truly enjoyed the most, that they understood this isn't going to be easy, but made sure I pulled through. I highly recommend Actualize to anyone who's experienced or not. Great way to take the first step into Software Development.

Course work was unbelievably challenging and the pace was dizzying, but the online course was easily as rewarding as any class I've taken in person. Brian and his TA Josh went above and beyond in being engaging, present, and accessible. There is a delicate balance between teaching someone and giving them the answer, especially when the pace of learning is so accelerated. The instructors walked that line delicately. My only complaint was that there wasn't more time to learn.

I chose Actualize because I was actually recommended to come here from an alumni. However, after researching Actualize and reviews; I really liked how I could attend my full time job and aferwards attend a part time coding bootcamp class. That was really hard to find, along with good reviews. I like how Actualize has a structured class room setting, which really helped me understand the basics throughly as opposed to other coding bootcamps I've heard of. I like that they take the time to lecture you and then you are able to apply in class. Not only is there an instructor teaching you, but there are TA's to assist you with any questions you may have during the lecture. Also, it is awesome how we do career hacking for an hour or two every Sunday class.  I can go on and on why Actualize was the best decision I've made, but you will not regret it. I came from a Finance background, no knowledge in coding just basic HTML/CSS, and I was able to learn all the coding basic in 15 weeks and build a pretty cool app. Thank you Actualize, and specifically Peter who was my instructor. 

Once I decided to make a career change, I took my time trying to find a bootcamp that would really teach me how to code. I found Actualize and sat in on a class, Peter's energetic but relaxed and fun style was exactly what I was looking for. I cannot believe that, I, someone who did not know a line of code, was actually able to build an app from scratch. Peter and the Actualize team were absolutely amazing. I am so glad I found them and am looking forward to working as a web developer.

I am so happy to have found Actualize when I did! It allowed me to have the perfect balance of learning to become a developer while being able to keep my full time job. Coming from having zero experience, this bootcamp definitely understood how to cater to that and helping me feel comfortable learning something so new. The instructors and TAs are amazing and super personable. I would definitely recommend Actulalize to anyone who is interested in becoming a software developer!

I just graduated from a night time cohort at Actualize and I highly recommend the program if you are interested in coding.  I had no coding experience beforehand, and by the end I was able to make an app with multiple languages and APIs.  They do a great job at teaching you how to learn languages, so that after the bootcamp you can go on to learn another language on your own.  They also have a "job hacking" program with an advisor that helps with resume, job search,etc. I highly recommend this program.

I chose Actualize based on the night program that allowed me to keep my job during the day. Also the location was great as I already worked downtown. The experience was great I learned a TON. I really needed a classroom setting with an instructor to take the next step in my development and Actualize provided just that. I would recommend this Bootcamp to anyone interested in web development or looking to sharpen their skills as a web developer. It is a great place to learn no matter what your background is. The instructors and everyone involved were awesome. 

I chose Actualize among all the other bootcamp alternatives because they seemed to focus a lot on pedagogy, the process of teaching and learning. I knew that technical expertise wouldn't mean much if the instructors didn't know how to convey that expertise in a way that helped students grow. And boy, did Actualize deliver. Every step of the way, I felt challenged but always supported. I was given the gift of learning *how to be a programmer*, not how to memorize a specific syntax. I know, going forward, that I can fill in the gaps of what I don't know, and continue to grow as a developer becuase of the skills I learned here. It's the best decision I've ever made from a professional/education standpoint, and I would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who is seeking to become a programmer.

Peter Jang lead an intesne 12 week bootcamp where I got to learn the fundamentals of coding and how to think like a developer. I would recommend Actualize highly to anyone who is looking to enter the coding world or improve their skills. Not only is the curriculum well planned, but their job assistance that comes with the bootcamp is wonderful. 

I attended Actualize Coding Bootcamp in Chicago in the evenings in 2018 while working full-time in a client facing role at a tech company during the day. I was hired as a software engineer apprentice at a great company 2.5 months after I graduated from bootcamp. I had 3 final round interviews.

My instructor Peter Jang was fantastic and he knew how to keep our class engaged and excited even when we were overwhelmed. He provided a "2-week" philosophy that showed us that even when we were learning something brand new in 2 weeks it would be second nature to us. We saw this become a reality and trusted the process. The class started with work the terminal and git. Moved to APIs, back-end development with Ruby on Rails. We then focused on vanilla javascript and then learned front-end frameworks. Our cohort focused specifically on Vue.js and then after the class a few of us got together to continue working on a React Native App.

The final project of the class was a capstone project of our choice. This is the type of project that can vary. If you chose to and have time outside of class you can make a complex app but if you wanted to stick to something smaller you can still show off you knowledge of modern programming technologies. I really enjoyed working on my app and it was a great conversation topic in interviews. I modeled my app after something already existed and ended up getting a final interview with the company that my app was based on!

On Sundays throughout the bootcamp there was a career curriculum. This helped us work on our resume and encouraged us to network with devs. I received 2 interviews as a direct result of networking meetings several weeks after the meetings occurred. They encouraged us to start networking early long before we were ready to interview so that when roles come up you already have had a conversation and be on people's minds. Networking is what you make it and you can do more or less depending on your personality. The bootcamp encouraged us to have confidence in this process but didn't directly help us make connections.

Before I decided to attend Actualize I highly considered General Assembly and Grace Hopper at Fullstack Academy. I was not in the position to be without a job and was thrilled when I found Actualize since it was evenings and weekends. I attended without knowing anyone who attended and just from reading reviews and shadowing a class. It took my 2 years from when I started thinking about it to actually enrolling but in that 2 years I did Fullstack Academy's prep in a month (highly encourage this) and I did many different free code academy courses, free code camp problems and watched a lot of Whatsdev videos on youtube.

Overall Actualize is amazing experience if you are someone who will put in the extra effort to network and tell your story. The career development can guide you but it's not going to get you a job. There are several people in my cohort who are still looking for jobs. The role I took was from applying online via LinkedIn and I did not have a connection. It's all random and there's no clear way to get a job. Being authentic and having a lot to talk about, even if it's about what you don't know is great.

Actualize was a life changing experience and I highly recommend it!

I choose Actualize because they not only focused on getting you to learn to code but also how to brand yourself within the job market for success. Actualize believes anyone can learn to code and with the help of the instructors(who are eager to help) I can verifiy that it's an accurate statement. I throughly enjoyed my experience during the bootcamp and it's experience I remember for the rest of my life and I do not regret my decision. After going through the bootcamp and arriving to where I am I would recommend this program to anyone that wants to learn to code. 

Let's see... to start I was a bit skeptical as I'm sure you will be also starting something new. I knew what it was I wanted to do (learn to develop my own websites so I could stop paying thousands of dollars for a finished project nothing as I wanted) but wasn't sure which would be the best avenue to pursue. I thought about attending a JC and obtaining a CS degree but quickly found out how much I can't stand an instructor who is as dry (no pun intended) as boiled sand and speaks like Bill Stein.
 I needed something that was in line with my character and learning style. I checked out a few bootcamps, which all claimed to be the best (marketing tool), yet the only beacon in the dark was Actualize. The emphasized teaching over learning to code and how their instructors were educators of some form or another so I gave it a shot. The pre-work was pretty easy as I had just completed a pre-bootcamp course prior. Also, it gave me a chance to compare the teaching styles of the two different bootcamps. Actualize immediately stood out as the place I wanted to be. Although my cohort mates were from all walks of life and backgrounds, we seemed to mesh almost instantly like a family. It could have been the common desire of wanting to learn code, but whatever it was, it made life so much easier. My experience learning with another bootcamp also yielded high learning in a short amount of time, but the stress factor was through the roof. Knowing if I failed a few tests I'd be kicked out of the bootcamp is something I did not want looming over my head while trying to learn something completely new. 
All in all, my experience with Actualize is one I will always remember and can look back on in a few years and say that's where I got my start at and that's the reason this great site I built exists today.

I definitely recommend the Actualize bootcamp for learning web development! We learned Ruby, Rails, Javascript, HTML, and CSS, and how to build both backend and frontend for a web app. The live online learning environment was really great - class time switched between lecture and hands-on coding exercises. Our instructor, Dani, was awesome! She is very enthusiastic and helpful, but also a real person with real world experience. I worked part time during the course and was very busy, but it is definitely possible to work and take this course too. This course was intense, but also really fun.

I can't stress enough how much one-on-one access you have with your instructor and ta's. It is a bootcamp and things come at you hard and fast. You'll get some things, not get others, and that one-on-one time will be invaluable. This will be the basis from where you'll begin your journey to learn other languages and decide where to focus as you move forward. You'll get out as much as you put in, and you'll be amazed at what you can build.

Start practicing your algorithms now..you'll thank me!

Good luck!

Overall, I had a great experience attending this bootcamp. I appreciated the four weeks of pre-work leading up to the course, as I had no previous development experience. That said, I do feel prework lacked some foundational information that may have helped ease the intensity of the first couple weeks of the course. Attending online was really great for my schedule and gave me the ability to feel comfortable in my own space and very focused on the task at hand. My instructor, Dani, pushed us in a very positive way. She understood that the material was difficult, but also expected that we used our brains to full capacity. I have finished the bootcamp able to do more than I could have ever expected and highly recommend this school for pure beginners. 

Really amazing course that covers everything you'll need to know to form a foundation for software engineering. Almost all of the prework and the first half of the course is spent doing backend work, which I think is the best way to learn coding and train yourself how to solve problems like a programmer. The course covers multiple languages and frameworks, but it doesn't overload you by trying to have you learn too many at once. The instructor and the TAs are extremely knowledgeable as well as flexible with their time. Definitely recommend - it's worth the cost!

My expectations were high and Actualize still managed to exceed them by a long shot.

When I was originally doing research to find a bootcamp that met my needs, Actualize stood out compared to other cohorts such as Fullstack. The only thing that was kind of spooky to me was how unanimously positive almost all of the reviews for Actualize were. An average of 4.1 out of 5 almost always feels more genuine than a 5 out of 5. Actualize is a massive exception to that rule. I'm not sure what it's average rating is, but it must be close to a perfect 5/5. Until I went through this, I really didn't believe it could be THAT good.  
What can I say that hasn't been said in any of the previous reviews? I was part of the first full-time cohort (as opposed to the part-time night cohorts that were previously the only option) and as a result, got to pour my entire life into it. 5 weeks of remote prework followed by 12 weeks of intense, non-stop learning and application. I won't sugar coat it, it's hard as hell, if you don't cry at least once, you're either already way too advanced to be considering the program or you're not paying attention. In spite of how difficult it can be, there is so much support here from all the staff. There's a palpable sense of emotional intelligence that takes into consideration the stress one goes through when learning as much as you do in such a short amount of time while unemployed and living off of savings for 4 months. It's scary, but so incredibly gratifying by the time you make it through. Out of the 14 members of my cohort, every single one of us finished even when almost all of us, at one point or another, felt like quitting from the pressure. If there is another bootcamp out there that does what Actualize does, I've yet to hear about it. 
I hope my review helps to sway anyone on the fence or currently in the process of doing research towards a bootcamp experience. 

Actualize was an amazing bootcamp to choose. People of all experience levels can join Actualize. Josh, my cohort's instructor, is not only an incredible teacher and extremely knowledgeable, but also has industry experience and is able to give great practical advice when it comes to a software engineering career search. 

Actualize also has a dedicated "job hacking" program which places emphasis on building habits to land your first coding job. Lisa, the program's head, is a great listener and is always willing to help in the job search process.

I would recommend Actualize to anyone considering joining a bootcamp.