AI + Fullstack Engineering

Before choosing Actualize I looked into other bootcamps such as Fullstack and I immediately had a negative experience with them. From that experience I started looking to other bootcamps and found Actualize. I read others experiences about attending the school and decided to take the plunge. To this day I am sure that I made the best decision and not once did I hate coming to school. Every instructor and ta is so willing to help. The space is awesome as well. My knowledge has increased tenfold from this experience alone. 

I just graduated from the first daytime cohort at Actualize and highly recommend it for anyone looking to make a career change. I had researched all of the coding bootamps located in Chicago and decided on Actualize after the positive reviews I read. The environment is welcoming and the instructors make coding fun. I had no previous coding experience and am amazed by how much we learned in 12 weeks.

 Five stars all the way -- this program is intense but worth every moment. Actualize supports and encourages each one of their students, regardless of experience level. This coding bootcamp gently nudges you to push yourself and surpasses all expecations of what you knew (or didn't know) about coding and the tech industry.

Coming from a place of little knowledge about code, I dived head first into this program, unsure of what to expect. But after 12 intense and life changing weeks, I've learned more than what I could have taught myself, built webapps from scratch with other my other fellow developer classmates, and completed a capstone project on my own using the skills taught by Actualize.

Before attending Actualize I was extremely skeptical about bootcamps. After talking with the instructors and previous graduates I realized that this bootcamp would be a perfect fit for myself.

Everybody on staff was very enthusiastic about their jobs which in turn made every aspect of the class enjoyable.  Over the course of 12 weeks I learned things that I though would take years to learn.

I would recommend Actualize not only to someone who is looking for that right bootcamps, but to anyone who has even the slightest interest in web development.

The course is intense, but can be done. You must be fully committed to the cause in order to make this work. The instructors were always available to answer your questions, not matter how many times you asked them, or if you repeatedly asked the same question. The job assitance that comes with the course is also great!  Lisa Tucker does a phenomenal job of making time to see you and assist you. I did the fulltime cohort, so I can only speak on behald of that. I have no regrets, I am glad I did this. 

A friend of mine had just completed his actualize bootcamp, and he recommended that I do the same. We worked together at the same place for years and I decided that it was time to pursue a different path. He spoke very highly of the program and all of the staff and instructors there so I decided to check it out.I had an amazing time at Actualize. I met and got to know people who I will keep in touch with, hang out with, and code with for the rest of my life. the staff and instructors were some of the most helpful, friendly and supportive people i have ever encountered. By the end I was able to create an app that will go on into production and actually used by an organization I volunteer with. I feel that i got my moneys worth and a solid education with the building blocks necessary to continue learning and become an even better coder. I would recommend actualize to anyone looking to make a career shift, anyone who is interested in learning a new skill or looking for a challenge, or even someone looking to find a place for themselves in a new city. Actualize provided a fresh start, a warm, supportive environment, and the final payoff left me feeling accomplished and ready to take the next step in my career

Actualize gives you the support to learn to code and then gets you ready to apply to jobs with confidence.  That is exactly what I was looking for a change of career after being laid off as a screen printer.  Not only did I learn frontend and backend frameworks, they also make time to teach salary negotiation and networking strategies.  The course was challenging and that challenge made the entire experience rewarding.  Taking this course is easily the best decision I have made in the past decade.  They took me from minimum wage to negotiating for $50/hr, in a little over 12 weeks.

I felt the need to come back and review Actualize post-graduation, and postgraduate initiative! I'm glad that I stand by my initial 5-star review - Actualize was a great decision. I have some friends who have taken different programs and who are still looking for work, months after graduation. While it's not a quick process, nor is it easy, Actualize truly supports its students with resume review, LinkedIn profile review, job search, and moral support. During this time you also work on a project with fellow students to keep your skills sharp and add to your portfolio. If I could go back in time, I would make this same choice for school - and I don't say that often! I am two months into a job that I LOVE - Web Developer for a start-up in Chicago, and I couldn't be happier. Thanks Actualize! 

I did my rounds on the review sites, talked with admissions people from other fulllstack bootcamps, and networked with other bootcamp grads before deciding on Actualize. What drew me in was the flexibility of taking the class remotely in the evening hours (I have a day job), and getting a full stack education in only 16 weeks. How did they do this? Not by cutting corners, or by hiring unskilled instructors! It is in their teaching methodology and philosophy. What I learned was not just how to build a fullstack app/site. I did learn that, but what I also learned was far more valuable. I learned how to learn to code. Yes, the teach how to learn to code. That makes the skills you learn at Actualize applicable to any language and framework from HTML to JS, and SQL that you want or need to learn. Oh and the kicker...due to their efficient teaching methodology, they do this at half the price of other bootcamps. 

My experience at Actualize has been fantastic. The curriculum is excellent, the instructors are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. I came into this program with very little coding experience and I learned more than could've imagined in just a short amount of time. I would not hesitate to recommend Actualize to everyone!

What an experience. I am a recent grad of Actualize and I have nothing but good words to say. I was apart of the online evening/weekend course with six other students. The level of support I received from the instructor, TA and classmates were unbelievable. Everyone wants to see you win and start a career as a web developer. 

My background is in social work and I never thought I could become a web developer. It takes a lot of patience and determination to finish this course, but if you're truely passionate about learning how to build web apps and challenging yourself, then I say go for it. I have no regrets whatsoever. 

About me: I have just finished my capstone project after attending Actualize for months. I am in the IT field already (sys admin, wifi design, network infranstrure) and took a couple of years of C++ in college a long long time ago. I hated code at the time because of the haphazard and antiquated learning patterns of my university (having to write C++ functions in pencil!).

Before choosing a bootcamp, I interview many people in the field to get their experiences. Actualize came up repeatidly for both in-person and online. 

I attended Actualize online after work. Despite my hesitations about a online class I really felt supported and empored at Actualize. With a 11 hour work day (with commute) they were still able to keep me engaged and motivated with a perfectly balanced curriculum and amazing teachers/TA. I always felt like I had someone I can reach out to, and that my fellow peers were friends and part of a community.

I will whole heartidly recommend again and again.

I took the Actualize course coming from a background in neurobiology and physiology with no background to speak of in coding. I had always dreamed of learning how to code and changing my career course but I was nervous about investing time and money in a bootcamp. I picked actualize because it covered not only the learning elements of web development but also how to get a job in this field that was foreign to me. 

My experience with the course was positive and challenging. I really enjoyed the teaching style and all of the material we learned. I like how we were constantly pushed out of our comfort zone and not babed along when we had trouble. The curriculum was challenging and diverse and covered heavily used frameworks and elements in web development today. My teacher was Brian and he did an excellent job pushing us and encouraging us. 

I attended the 13 week course, it starts off a little overwhelming but as the weeks go on it became more fun to code and I am glad I  took the chance with Actualize.  

I had a wonderful time taking this course. I was able to learn so much more then I ever thought I would. Actualize has done a great job at setting up this curriculum. I took the online class, and it felt just like an in person class. I was able to ask as many questions as I needed to, and always got tremendous assistance when I got stuck. Brian Rice was my instructor and did a fantastic job teaching this cohort. Thank you Actualize for the amazing course. I am so grateful for the experience! 

I went into this course with zero coding experience. I was a Film & Media arts student that was struggling to find a niche in my field, so I decided to try a career change, and I took a delve into Actualize. It was an amazing experience, as an individual with no coding experience I was very nervous about how I would keep up with some of the other students, but the first month was dedicated to prework. The prework caught me up to speed and I felt comfortable being in the coding environment afterwards. After that the class, I would say, was set at a great pace. You come to class and learn new things, apply them, then come back the next day and do it again! I don’t know if I have ever learned so much in a 3 month span. The environment was very comfortable as well, one of my favorite parts of the class was when we all split up to work on our capstones and everyone is working hard but we still get the opportunity to take short breaks and check on everyone else’s projects and see what they’re up to and encourage them. To say I only learned from the instructor would be false, I continued to learn from the TAs as well as learned loads just from the other students taking the class. All-in-all I would definitely recommend Actualize to someone that has never coded before, or has little experience in coding. Someone that had a good baseline of coding knowledge would definitely learn a lot on how to implement that knowledge as well!

What's up fellow Course Reporters!

I am here to tell you about my experience at Actualize. In short, fantastic. Great teacher, assistants, and overall community environment. Would recommend 10/10.

I will mention however, if you are not determined and completely focused on these 12 weeks of your life then it will be a waist. Coming into this program I new that I would be sacrificing a social life, sleep, and many other things get the most out of this class. I took on this challenge while maintaining my full-time job. I am not saying this to gas myself up by anymeans, but to ensure you that it can be done. This balance was not easy and I was dreaming in code almost everynight, but that is not a bad thing by any means. I would also like to take the time to review my instructor Peter Jang. MAJOR SHOUTS OUT. Absolute animal behind the computer. I learned more in his lectures than any single lecture i suffered through at a university. He makes learning easy, insteresting, and fun. He is the driving force behind my incredible experience at Actualize.

Hopefully this review helps!

I graduated from Actualize in Chicago in December 2018. My experience was excellent. The course was structured very thoughtfully and thoroughly. The head instructor was my teacher and he was excellent. He always made the material interesting and interactive. It is a bootcamp. The hours are long and you must put in the work to achieve what you want out of it, but Actualize is totally worth it if you as an individual are willing to put the time in.

As a graduate with a undergranduate degree in computer science, I felt I was lacking the skills needed to do web development. I tried to learn on my own with codeacademy and codewars. Those can only take you so far. I did further research and came upon coding bootcamps like Actualize and Fullstack Academy. What drew me to Actualize was the curriculum and the flexible schedule (Weeknights and Sundays)

Actualize is perfect for those who want a carrer change or for those who want to obtain the skills to make an app. The first part of the experience requires diligence and perservance. You will only get what you put in. The other half is the interaction between your peers, the instructor, the TAs, and you. It will surprise you to see how close you get when going through the same struggles. At the end of the course you end up with a new family.

Josh, Addie, Brittany, Natale, and Jen helped push me past my comfort zone when it came to my capstone project. They let you come up with the idea and then give you advice on how to improve it. You then realize that you now have a new mindset on what makes an app. You feel their passion in web development and for your success which made my whole experience enjoyable.

I was looking for a challenge and found it. Actualize provided me with a strong foundation to build on. 

At every step along the way I was surrounded by supportive peer group. We learned with each other, as well as from each other. 

My instructor Josh was knowledgeable - both in the material he shared, as well as effective teaching strategies he utilized. He took a mindful approach to delivering an overwhelming (at times) amount of information in an accessible way. From observing other cohorts and infrastructures peripherally I'm confident the who staff shares many of these characteristics. 

The TAs were immensely knowledgeable. There were all successful alumni of the program, and provided expert helpalong the way. They also acted as mentors, helping prepare students for the world post-graduation. 

Day to day class is a good mix of instruction, individual instruction, and paring with peers.

Languages learned included: Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, VueJS, HTML, CSS, SQL, and Git.
I was exposed to back end development by utilizing and creating APIs, delving into database design, and working with Ruby on Rails.
I also explored front-end development using JavaScript and VueJS.

At the conclusion of this experience I feel as if I've learned how to learn, and I'm excited to start building.