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Actualize

Average Rating4.93
599 Reviews
1 Course

Actualize is an online software engineering bootcamp based in Chicago that offers part-time and full-time bootcamp options. Instructors with professional educational experience teach students full stack web development including Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, VueJS, SQL, and Git. The Online Live classes are conducted in real time with video conferencing. Actualize has a deeply integrated “Job Hacking” curriculum focused on the personal branding and networking skills necessary to land a new job, which Actualize feels is just as important as learning to code.

To apply, students can submit an application via the website, then go through a series of two interviews with an admissions advisor. There are no coding challenges, but students must complete 4 weeks of prework before the program starts.

After the program, students have the option to join its unique Career Support program, which contains additional training for Job Hacking, a job accountability group, and team projects to add to one’s portfolio.

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599 Actualize Reviews

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  • Leon Shimizu
    Junior Software Engineer • Graduate • Web Development • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Dec 24, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    100% Worth It

    From the beginning, I've pretty much only heard good things about Actualize. Originally, I made a post of LinkedIn asking what bootcamp people would recommend and for a good couple weeks to a month, the only people that replied, were people from Actualize. On top of that, one of the other major reasons I chose them was because of the smaller teacher to student ratio, I believe my class was just about the max at 13 to 2 (Teacher and TA - both specifically for this class). When I was doing...
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  • Britney
    Student • Web Development • Chicago
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Dec 24, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Coding Bootcamp

    Such an amazing experience. For someone who had absolutely no experience this course really gave me an amazing knowledge base to transition into Web Development. The faculty was amazing. Brian and his dad jokes really make the class more enjoyable and Lauren and Patrick the TAs had really great knowledge. The overall experience was a 10 out of 10!
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  • Lucas
    Graduate • Web Development • Chicago
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    More Than Just A "Coding" Bootcamp

    I transitioned into web development with zero prior experience, and after graduating, I rate my experience at Actualize to exceed my expectations. I expected a boot camp that would only teach me to code and throw me out into the wild. What makes Actualize an excellent program to me was the help in the transition every step of the way. Will they teach you everything there is to know? No. But I found it more valuable in their mission to teach students by letting them break code, learn from...
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  • Ian Silber
    Ian Silber
    Graduate • Web Development • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    5 Stars all around

    As someone who was on this very website 5 months ago looking for a bootcamp to throw an exorbitant amount of money at, I understand the difficulty behind trying to pick which reviews to trust, which sound scammy, who just had a bad experience due to their own lack of effort, etc... In the interest of openness and transparency I was asked to write this review, however, that has in no way had an impact on the scores I am giving. I tried to pick an area I could maybe leave a 4 instead of 5 ...
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  • Ian Boyle
    Graduate • Web Development • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Great Overall Bootcamp

    Actualize is a great bootcamp, especially for this with little previous coding experience. They focus on teaching you how to teach yourself, which is extremely important in programming, and one of the main reasons I chose Actualize. The other main reason I chose this program was because they had been offering it online way before COVID, which was a huge plus - they definitely have the right structure in place. My only caveat, being someone who had a decent amount of previous coding exper...
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  • Gail
    Student • Web Development • Chicago
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    The Best Bootcamp for your money!!

    I cannot recommend this program highly enough. From the great instruction to the TA's to the Job hacking crew, everything is set up to help you be successful. Our instructor Amanda was amazing! She is so much fun, but also pushed us every day out of our comfort zone. You could always tell she truly cared about us as students and wanted us to succeed. She believed in all of us and was encouraging through the process. We had great TA's to help us as well. Meg and Jonathan did an outstandin...
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  • Philip
    Philip
    Web Developer • Graduate • Web Development • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    This Bootcamp is seriously the best around.

    I chose Actualize because after reaching out to a few different bootcamps they were the only ones to actually reach out to me and put me in touch with an actual person and after talking to the admissions manager I knew this was the place for me. My experience seriously could not have been better Amanda was an amazing teacher and was more than happy to help and teach you all of the stuff you are going to need to make a true run into the software development industry. From my classmates an...
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  • Shane
    Shane
    Software Developer • Graduate • Web Development • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Great Info and Great Support

    After transitioning out of the concrete industry, Actualize gave me all the tools I needed to succeed in the tech field. Their curriculum is fast paced and covers a wide variety of information, but you never feel left behind. Due to the small class size, experienced instructors, and multiple great TA's, there is always a support structure to fall back on if you need it. If you're interested in a full-stack experience that will challenge you as well as teach you, then I couldn't recommend...
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  • Mike
    Graduate • Web Development • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Dec 23, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Very Interactive

    I chose Actualize over the other courses originally based on timing. However, I feel I am extremely lucky to have been a part of the course at Actualize. Not only were the instructors and TAs very good at online courses, they were also extremely friendly and caring. Furthermore, they teach everything that can be taught for your job search after the course, and with ongoing assistance, I truly feel that this is one of the best courses out there.
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  • Melodee Lee
    Melodee Lee
    Verified by GitHub
    Nov 25, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Not only does it provide great instructors but the staff genuinely cares

     I came across Actualize as I was making a career change from sales. Not only does it provide great instructors but the staff genuinely cares about their students and their growth. This course consists of a dozen of exercises/problems each week, a video explaining how to solve the problem, and then a section for you to solve the problem. The course is set up to learn new topics each week, and you get plenty of practice in class and in homework assignments. Moreover, there was a strong se...
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  • Christian Minnie
    Christian Minnie
    Graduate • Web Development • Chicago
    Verified by GitHub
    Nov 12, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    A Coding Bootcamp That Cares About Its Students

    Like so many of the other reviews posted here, I want to reiterate what a fantastic bootcamp this is having just graduated from it myself. 

    With an excellent, well-rounded curriculum that runs for around five months, followed by their job assistance program called "Job Hacking," students genuinely have all the support they need to not only learn full stack web development, but to reinvent their resumes and professional lives. 

    I attended the most recent in-person cohort at ...
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  • Will
    Graduate • Web Development • Chicago
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Nov 12, 2021
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Wonderful Experience

    Going to this camp has been a great experience for me, I feel like I learned so much in such a short period of time. This course is quite intense but once you graduate you will feel confident that you can start applying for entry level positions in software development. I came into it with zero coding experience and the pacing of the class, while fast, did not leave me falling behind by any means. I highly recommend this to anyone who has tried to learn to code on their own and felt as t...
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Actualize Alumni Outcomes

Recent Actualize News

Jess Feldman
Jess Feldman
Updated November 05, 2024
As a response to the COVID pandemic in 2020, most in-person bootcamps quickly transitioned to online or remote classrooms. In 2024, hybrid classrooms and immersive online learning continue to be popular, but in-person bootcamp options are available again. If you’ve been waiting for an in-person classroom to start your career change, then here are the 30 in-person coding bootcamps with campuse...
Jess Feldman
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Updated October 03, 2024
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Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
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Lauren Stewart
Lauren Stewart
Updated October 21, 2020
Jay Wengrow founded part-time web development bootcamp and apprenticeship program Actualize in Chicago in 2014 to make learning to code efficient and accessible. Now the coding bootcamp has campuses in New York and San Francisco, and in June 2017 they are launching their new online part-time program to further reduce barriers to entry into tech. We asked Jay about the format of the new on...
Imogen Crispe
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Updated March 23, 2017
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Nick Toscano
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Actualize Alumni Reviews Summary

Overall Experience
4.9
Instructors
5.0
Curriculum
4.9
Job Assistance
4.8
Write A Review
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
Licensing
No
FAQs

How much does Actualize cost?

Actualize costs around $16,900.

What courses does Actualize teach?

Actualize offers courses like Web Development.

Where does Actualize have campuses?

Actualize has in-person campuses in Chicago. Actualize also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.

Is Actualize worth it?

Actualize hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 599 Actualize alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Actualize on Course Report - you should start there!

Is Actualize legit?

We let alumni answer that question. 599 Actualize alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Actualize and rate their overall experience a 4.93 out of 5.

Does Actualize offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?

Right now, it doesn't look like Actualize offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.

Can I read Actualize reviews?

You can read 599 reviews of Actualize on Course Report! Actualize alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Actualize and rate their overall experience a 4.93 out of 5.

Is Actualize accredited?

No

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