Actualize

I had the opportunity to recently attend the in person cohort for Actualize's Coding Bootcamp in Chicago. With no prior experience in coding, I wasn't sure what to fully expect. I appreciated the instructor being upfront and honest about what the class was going to provide in a 16 week period. We focused on the fundamentals and basics of coding while learning how to learn to code. I believe this is a huge factor in being successful in the software development industry. It is constantly changing and with the help of Actualize's program and curriculum, I honestly believe I have been set up the best way possible to be successful in my job search now and many years after. The instructor also made sure every student had the resources and time needed outside of class to learn and get the help they needed. 

I chose Actualize because it was a full-time, full-stack bootcamp that is about 5 months long. 5 weeks of pre-work, that is self-paced and 12 weeks of virtual class that you attend every day. I was drawn by the fact that in a very short time, you were able to learn these skills. I appreciate that everyone at Actualize makes you feel very welcomed and cared for and they want to make sure you have a positive experience. The mental toll the bootcamp will take is talked about immediately and I love that. I would recommend Actualize to anyone that is looking to fast track their career into coding, but make sure you are ready for a rollercoaster ride and you really dedicate yourself.

I chose Actualize because of their commitment to the human side of career transitioning, and it really went above and beyond! Instructors are contactable at (almost) any time, the job search assistance is stellar, there really isn't any more you can ask for in terms of learning a new skill and finding your way into its industry. 

They do a fantastic job of treating you as a person who deserves to succeed and take as many steps required to get you where you want to be.  The level of support you receive as a student both in and beyond the course really makes a huge difference in giving you the confidence to get out of your comfort zone and into the world! 

First off..If you read through these reviews you will see so much positive feedback that it makes you think that there is no way these are true. Well, I'm here to tell you...It's all true! From the first phone call with Ricky to my amazing instructor Dani..there are so many great people that just want to see you succeed. I loved the small class size and the fact that Dani always had time for me if I needed help or just wanted to chat. Their career support is incredible. Yes it's true they don't offer any type of career guarantee but honestly, why should they? It's up to you the student to use the tools and knowledge that they instill in you to make it happen. They have amazing job Hacking resources and the career counselors are so great at what they do. Sarah was amazing at helping me be prepared to tackle the job hunt and also always someone that I could talk to about any life stuff that was affecting my learning. Overall this was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone looking to jump into tech.. 10/10 would do it again!!

Changing careers can be terrifying, especially if you've been in one for a long time with an extensive formal education. I was feeling very unfulfilled in mine though, and I wanted to try something different. I didn't have the means to spend another 4 years in college though, so I was very excited that coding bootcamp was a thing, because programming is what I wanted to learn. Its an intimidating field to try to go into, but I really like how Actualize taught you how to learn other programming languages. The bootcamp made me feel like even though I still don't know much at all, I can learn it quickly and I know how to go about doing that. My instructor was so great. She was super high energy all the time and very positive, so class was always entertaining and it was easy to stay focused. Its very clear that she, along with the career counselors really do care about the students and how they do when they are done. I never felt like just another number they were trying to add on to their good stats. My prework instructor was equally helpful in the journey. They were both abundantly available when I needed extra help. At the end of this experience, I am impressed with what I have learned in just a few short months and the project I was able to turn out, and I dont think I could've have accomplished that at just any bootcamp. I feel like I have enough knowledge in each area of programming that I can easily go out and expand that knowledge to get the right career. I also am really impressed with the job assistance resources, and it was one of the main reasons I chose this bootcamp. They really do want to make sure that you take your new knowledge and get the coding job that you want. The counselors definitely know their stuff on everything from resumes to networking to interviews. I would highly recommend this bootcamp to anyone who thinks they would like to be a programmer. It was money and time very well spent!

Hello all, recent grad of Actualize here.
I was looking for a bootcamp to learn software development as I wanted to enter the tech world. After searching around online I found these exact reviews about Actualize. The positive reviews seemed too good to be true lol. A quick look on reddit told me they were not kidding and that this is one of the best bootcamps around. I reached out to the intake staff and immediately was struck by the personal attention of the staff! I had at least a 30 min conversation with the intake advisor who patiently answered all my question and tried to help me make an informed decision. She even offered to connect me to the teaching staff and past alums!

After starting the program, I felt taken care of by the entire Actualize staff. My class instructor, Amanda, is a rockstar teacher and went above and beyond to impart all the things we need to know to get a job in the tech world. She turned our cohort into a close group where we were all growing together. There is so much more to switching careers and learning software development than the hard technical skills. And that is where Actualize really shined! They were quick to support us in all ways besides actual code. Their job-hacking team, with Lisa and Sarah, helped us prepare for the tech world by training us on interviews, resumes, and networking/LinkedIn. The bootcamp also prepared us for whiteboarding and solving complex coding problems.

At other bootcamps you might be thrown into a class with 100s of people and then have TAs do the rest of the work or you will be stuck with an instructor who might be a great developer but a lousy teacher. At Actualize, instructors are developers who develop developers. Also, you will be in a more intimate cohort and really grow and gain together.

Lastly, the journey does not end upon completion of the bootcamp. It continues past that with constant reinforcement and training for both development and job-searching. There is a follow up course that is included that goes deeper into the problem solving and computer science. 

When in doubt choose Actualize.

I chose Actualize after a friend recommended it and after reading about the emphasis that Actualize puts on EDUCATION and putting understanding first. I wanted a personal touch and what I got was just that. My class was small and I got to talk 1 on 1 with career coaches, my instructor, my classmates, and even the dean of students, who personally called me when I was having second thoughts. Something I was really impressed by was the FORMAT of the class. We had several daily routines, lectures followed by exercises, and weekly job hacking sessions which really put me ahead when beginning to apply for jobs. We also had 2 Teaching Assistants, which meant office hours twice a week (super helpful and consistent) and at least one of them in class to help with questions every day. You begin with a month of pre-work which is at your own pace with a class once a week to go over that weeks assignments. It prepares you well for when you begin class full-time. My instructor Amanda cares about her students and even went out of her way one day to spend a full hour talking to me about her experience as a woman coming up in the industry. I was extremely grateful to have her as a role model both as a software engineer and as a woman in tech. I'm on my last day to class now, and I've accumulated: a great portfolio via GitHub, a personal website that I created myself, a fully loaded LinkedIn with over 600 connections, a professional resume, tons of resources, and a completed capstone project. Also the understanding of what those things even mean. I've already applied to 20 jobs and have 2 interviews lined up. 

I think the most important thing to me about Actualize is that you learn a lot but maintain great mental and work-life balance. A lot of code bootcamps have crazy hours per day but Actualize was consistently 11 am - 4 pm every day with an hour or two of homework per day--very manageable. As someone who struggles with mental health challenges, this was crucial to me. Amanda was a fantastic instructor and explained things well but also encouraged me to take breaks when I needed them. We learned primarily Ruby on Rails and VueJS, which I feel is a good foundation for full stack web dev.

I came to actualize looking to transition careers from a chemistry background to something in Web Development (I had no prior coding experience). I decided to go with actualize because I was able to still work full time and take their night class online. In 12 weeks I was able to learn how to build both a front end and back end for web apps. It takes a lot of work and you need to come to class wanting to learn. I had Brian as my instructor and he was amazing. I would recommend his to anyone he was the best.