Actualize

Cannot begin to describe how worthwhile this whole process has been.

Having just completed the curriculum I feel very confident about jumping into the industry of web development and landing my first job in a field I thought previously I had no shot at. The curriculum is definitley no walk in the park but it was very fun to overcome the challenges and obstacles that you face when you jump headfirst into learning something as complicated as web development. Although you're technically in a class, it doesn't really ever feel like a school and the small size of the cohorts allows you to have a lot of one on one interaction with the instructors and TA's which is very beneficial when you run into small problems, and is one of the reasons I chose Actualize over a bigger bootcamp. Since Josh, the lead instructor, also attended a bootcamp he knew exactly the types of problems and pitfalls students like us with no CS degree would face, and helped us circumnavigate those as much as possible while still allowing us to fail lightly in order to really learn (which I believe is very neccesary). And despite being relativley self-taught himself he was insanely knowedgeable on the topics and technologies and did an excellent job explaining complex things in the simplest way possible.

 If I could do it all over again the only thing I would change is to do it sooner.

(have not started the job hacking portion yet, will update this after completing) 

I came in knowing minamal HTML, and CSS, but came out learning so much.  I had a great time, all the teachers and students were great.  I honestly didn't expect to learn so much in such a short period of time.  Really exceeded my expectations and I'm glad I came here. Another plus was that they help after the main course, they don't just throw you out and say good luck finding a job.  We have a job counselor to help us prepare our resumes, go in prepared to our interviews etc.  If you're on the line of coming here don't be you'll learn a lot and be able to move forward in your coding journey. 

This was an intense curriculum that is designed to prepare you into the real world of coding.  It was an intense challenging  and sometimes brutal experience, but you will learn how to operate as a coder.  It does become a skill, just like any other one, but much more precious.  After graduating there was a great apprenticeship where the Jay (CEO) is a fundamental part of, helps you prepare for job hacking / interviews that proved extremely valuable to get me the job in the field I wanted.  I have friends who have C.S. degrees, who where shocked as to the level of knowledge I was able to acquire in a short period.  

Just got done presenting my final project to a bunch of strangers and realized just how much I have learned through this bootcamp. The initial reason for me choosing to enroll in a bootcamp was because of my past experience in insurance sales and not just how much it sucked, but also how much that industry needed to invest in software engineering and web development. This led to experimenting with websites like Wix or Wordpress and eventually trying to code on my own.

I started out learning to code on my own through freeCodeCamp, CodeAcademy, Watch and Code, and basically every other free course out there. But after 6 months I just felt like I keep relearning the same things at a very slow pace. I looked into coding bootcamps because well, they are advertised every time I was watching coding videos and initially found FullStack. I applied and was accepted but only if I completed their pre-work. I didn't finish it so I went looking for other bootcamps and found Actualize. It worked out because it ended up being a lot cheaper, part-time, and found out it started in Chicago, which was something I thought would be an advantage.

Now that we are done with the class portion, I'm excited to start the apprenticeship and learning the job-hacking skills. I can honestly say a lot of what I learned could definitely be learned on your own. I had already made apps on my own and the first couple weeks were review for me. But that changed pretty quickly as we started to build way more complex applications than what I had been creating through the free online tutorials. We also learned a lot of skills that I couldn't have learned on my own. Like GitHub is something you definitely need to learn but to have to create branches off the project and collaborate with others was not only challenging but a lot of fun.

Ultimately, I'm very satisfied with attending Actualize. I got a better job just for attending it and using it as leverage for the position which is already paying off. Also, looking at the cost dollar per hour, it is still cheaper than most college courses. I would still like to learn more about computer science but that can be learned through a textbook or YouTube videos, which I plan to do.

For anyone looking into bootcamps, I would recommend doing some tutorials first and seeing how much you like debugging your code and if you can sit for hours in front of a computer. Don't worry if you're math-strong but I think logic definitely helps. Also, a lot of people have questions about financing and one piece of advice I can offer, is to ask your current credit card company for a promotional rate. Discover did this for me so I didn't have to open a ton of credit cards like what others suggested to get the promotional APR to pay for it.

I chose Actualize because of the ability to take the course online and be taught how to become a computer programmer. It's a very intensive program that took up most of my time which I was warned about before taking the class. I think it teaches the fundamentals of programming using Ruby and Vue JS. I learned a lot in a short period of time. The teacher Brian Rice is great. He explains things and demonstrated the exercise in a way that can be followed. The TA's Mitch, Michael, and Jaime all were very helpful in working on my Capstone project. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to get started in computer programming. Just know you won't have much of a life until the course is over.

I am a UX designer with a background in front-end development and design, and I have always wanted to learn to program. I chose Actualize after researching a lot of bootcamps, adn talked to graduates. An acquaintance of mine went to Actualize a few years ago, and had an incredibly positive experience.

Excellent pedagogy to me is the make-or-break of a learning experience. Peter Jang and Jay Wengrow have somehow managed to put together the all-star package: a rigorous, exhaustive curriculum that actually teaches students the fundamentals of programming, while also giving them a complete grounding in the latest technologies. I struggled to learn C++ and Java in high school, and nothing stuck. By the end of this program, I can read code in multiple high-use languages and really understand what is going on, and pick up the syntax. I haven't just learned Ruby, or a Javascript framework. I have learned how to think like a programmer.

Most importantly, Peter and Jay model for the students something truly profound: a relaxed, curious, diligent and humble approach to programming and learning that will impact each and every one of us in our professional careers in a positive way. Tech has a lot of challenges facing its role in our world today, and I feel more positive about my ability to be a positive force in shaping how we use these tools. I know for a fact this is not the sort of pedagogical modeling other programs can offer.

For people working full-time: this program is a challenge. I work 40-60 hours weeks at times as a consultant, and there were weeks where I felt concerned about my ability to keep up. But something Peter said has really stuck with me: "You can't always tell what you're getting used to, what's actually sticking." I stuck with it - even if I couldn't always finish all the exercises, and kept studying and working whenever I could. I am surprised at everything I was able to learn and apply in my capstone project, and am very excited by the growth I've witnessed in my cohort as a whole.

I am looking forward to the apprenticeship and working more closely with Jay after 4 months of Peter's excellent instruction. This experience has been life-changing and given me new sources of confidence and a sense of workability.

After finishing my undergraduate degree and moving to the Chicago area, I had a strong desire to get into the tech field.  I began researching coding bootcamps in the area and even visited a few, including Actualize.  When I came to Actualize for the first time, it was clear that they were very interested in applicants that actually wanted to find/switch their career as a developer following the bootcamp.  Actualize worked well with my schedule and was in-person, which was important to me.  The experience was good and I learned the fundamentals of web development, but overall I learned how to code and the skills needed to dive deeper or learn more languages moving forward.  I would recommend Actualize to someone who is looking to get their foot into the tech field and has a strong interest in computers/programming/web development.  There are so many routes that one can take following the bootcamp and Actualize will make sure you know how to make needed connections in order to (hopefully) find a position following the program.  The faculty there really care about the students and are always available to help out with anything.

I started looking at bootcamps after deciding to make a career transition, and picked Actualize because the evening schedule would allow me to keep my current job. I had been working with tutorials in a handful of languages for some time, but the instruction at Actualize outpaced everything I had picked up within a couple of weeks. In addition to the tech itself, the focus on problem-solving, project management, and working with a team have had immediately noticeable effects on my professional life. I'm looking forward to continuing into the apprenticeship program!

Doing the Actualize Coding bootcamp was one of the most rewarding experiences of my adult life. If I could go back, 100/100 times I would choose to do it again, even if a career as a developer were to never end up panning out. Over the course of the last 3 months, I learned a great deal about myself, my ability to grapple with and ultimately learn varied new subjects, and the factors that help me boost my productivity. Of course, as you might expect, I also learned a tremendous deal about web development.

A bit of background about myself: I had some previous knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before going into the program, as well as a few years of experience in the general tech field. Originally, I had tried to teach myself web development, but had only gotten so far. I found that my primary hold-up was the time lost researching the next step and getting the fundamentals of web architecture down (web requests, APIs, communication between front-end and back-end technology, etc.). Because of this, after having spent a year trying to teach myself web dev, I could only really construct attractive static pages with minimal JS interactivity.

Actualize changed that for me. After learning more about the technologies defined above, I am now able to craft a fully-fledged web application that can pull in dynamic database data or data from external sources by making API calls. That leap in knowledge cannot be underestimated.

I also feel that, although I would not be considered an expert in any languages or frameworks, I now possess the skills to learn other languages and frameworks. In other words, I have learned a great deal about the fundamentals that permeate the field in general, despite knowing the absolute specifics. That knowledge is enough to get me the rest of the way.

I really cannot say enough good things about this program. From the course curriculum to the structured classes, you can tell that everyone involved in this program legitimately cares about the students. The CEO of Actualize actually interfaced with us a few times throughout the course, and was present when we all presented our final capstone projects. He also provided helpful job placement advice and expertise, and it is clear that the man does his research on topics that will help you get placed. That investment and presence from someone as busy and accomplished as Jay Wengrow really meant a lot to me and made it clear that Actualize was not just in it for the money or to kick students to the curb as soon as they graduated. In fact, an optional 17-month internship helps develop skills and build portfolio pieces even after the course has finished.

The quality of care does not stop there; it flows from the top down. The main instructor for our class, Brian Rice, was truly excellent. He never let us sleep on our exercises or on our faith in ourselves. He was bluntly honest about the sort of trials and tribulations we would experience as fledgling developers, and was there to help push us past those feelings of uncertainty to achieve greater levels of learning. He never held our hand or fed us answers, but was there to provide support if we felt like we were drowning in code or concepts. He expected a great amount from us, but we often rose to meet his expectations, surprising even ourselves. He was incredibly approachable and available, and he and the TAs really made an effort to assist students in their journey through the course. Brian was also able to explain complex topics in relatable ways and help us break down daunting errors bit by bit. Finally, he listened to student feedback and shifted the course accordingly, which really indicated a desire on his part to learn, grow, and meet the students’ needs.

The topics covered spanned a large part of the field of web dev, and seemed to be in alignment with the important topics I’ve researched on my own. We started from the basics of command line, HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript, eventually moving our way up to RESTful architecture, Rails backend API calls, Relational Database structure, SQL queries, Git commands, and modern JavaScript frameworks (VueJS in our instance).

By the end of the course, our capstone projects had us building apps using a frontend Framework (VueJS), a backend framework (Rails), a database (Postgres), and (in my case) several API requests and Javascript plugins. This is something that would have taken me a long time to achieve on my own path of self-learning.

All in all, I am incredibly grateful for the experience. It is not something to take lightly. It will tax you, exhaust you, and challenge you in ways you’ve never been challenged. But if you’re up to the task and want to learn a great deal about this field, then I can’t imagine a better program than Actualize for doing so.

That said, do I feel as though I could step into a dev job right away and be successful? I’m not sure. I know MUCH more than I did, but there is also an infinite amount of knowledge to know. The instructors at Actualize utilize every second of class time moving you toward the goal of becoming a full stack developer, but there are so many things that 3 months cannot cover, no matter how rigorous. However, a few more weeks of independent study learning more about computer science topics, sound software design principles, the nuances of certain languages, and the finer workings of the DOM should get me to where I need to be.

Regardless, I am forever grateful to Actualize for providing the experience and look forward to a future career in the field of web development.