Actualize

If you want a learn-to-code experience that massively challenges you while being supportive in just the way you need, then look seriously into Actualize's part-time coding program. I made the decision to enroll in Actualize's intensive 12-week coding bootcamp and couldn't have asked for a better experience, especially as a rookie coder. Josh was my instructor for the entirety of the 12-week class, and he made the challenging work of learning how to code fun and entertaining. He is definitely one of the few people I've met in my life whose passion for his work is crystal clear in his words and actions. And his ability to explain the often puzzling world of code to someone with absolutely no coding experience is impressive. I found this to be true of all of my interactions with the o...

I tried online classes, both free and paid, but found that format was not a right fit for me in learning an entirely new skill. They tend to show you how to do something but not explain why you're doing it. This led to confusion and getting stuck over and over. So I started looking at bootcamps, for that in-person experience.

There are bunch out there, and it's no small commitment, both in terms of time and money. But after a bunch of research (this site included!) I picked Actualize, and couldn't be happier. The number one thing that drew me to them was their Teach first mentality when it comes to the instructors and course layout. Lots of back and forth with the instructors and classmates, not just repetitive assignments with little instruction.

The apprenticeship is anot...

My experience at Actualize was overall fantastic. The staff is super friendly. The instructors and TAs are super knowledgeable and incredibly helpful. I will say it is hard to manage with a full time job - so if you are going into this bootcamp with a fulltime job be ready for a challenge and to really be ready to put in work and be exhausted. On the other side, i can say I do not regret my decision and even with a full time job, i learned a ton and do not regret it.

I am proof that this school is awesome. I came in with close to no previous coding experience, and I built a full stack web application from scratch that I am extremely proud of. This course is tough, and fast, and it will kick you in the pants, but it works. The teachers, teaching assistants and the CEO of Actualize have heart. They care about their students, and are invested in their success. In addition to a curated curriculum, this is what sets them apart. Thank you!

l am happy to be part of Actualize It is the best decision in my life. Great TAs and professors

I looked at a few different bootcamps before choosing Actualize. Ultimately, I chose it because it allowed me to keep my current job while doing this class. Even though it was a lot of work to keep my job and go to bootcamp, I was still able to learn a ton and it was very rewarding.

My teacher was Josh Nixon, who besides from being a funny guy, and all around amazing person, also knows everything that there is to know about code. There was never a time that I would ask questions, and not be able to get an accurate, detailed answer from him. The flow of the course is a bit fast-paced, but with the help of the amazing T.A.'s and Josh, I was able to overcome any difficulty that I had when attending this course.

Being able to learn at Actualize while also having a day job and/or a life outside of class is an incredible boon. You can learn in a great environment with excellent instructors while not feeling like you can't escape it. After the 12 week course I feel like I've found my calling and I can't wait to continue to learn in the apprenticeship program.

When I decided to sign up for Actualize I had two primary concerns:
a) Will the skills I learn be outdated in a year?
b) Will I actually learn what it takes to start a new career in a more technical field?

Actualize was able to qualm these fears by doing one thing that I believe is the greatest part about Actualize: teaching you how to think like a developer. Now I am a fairly skeptical person so if someone told this to me I would laugh and say thank you for your time. After all, I would never accept such a vague statement about a program that is supposed to teach a technical field. In the spirit of computer science logic, I will provide a few examples to support this claim:

a) While the curriculum gave a strong foundation in Ruby, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript,...

I'm just finishing up the online class portion of my time with Actualize and getting ready to start my apprenticeship with the school and as many before me has said, this really was a life-changing experience that went beyond learning how to become a software developer.

The Classroom Environment:

One of the main reasons I chose Actualize is because of the live teaching envrironment. For me, this was key. I have worked with other bootcamps that didn't offer any kind of teaching and a minimal amount of recorded videos, and I truly do not know how I could properly learn software development without an actual teacher. I can wholeheartedly say that a full program without actual instruction doesn't even compare to a day of online classroom experience with Actualize. Additionally, our cl...

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 t...

Great curriculum and we moved at a good pace learning everything. The instructor Brian did such a good job helping you understand how to solve problems rather then just giving you a simple answer to move past it. The TA's were great as well helping out as much as they could with our large online cohort. For anyone who is looking for an in class kind of setting with out having to meet at a central location this is the best option in my opinion. Classmates were super cool and we offered help to each other often. You can tell the company has "growth mindset" for their students at all times....thanks

I was introduced to Actualize through the Women Who Code monthly newsletter. They were offering a diversity scholarship, and as a single mom and someone who had been interested in pursuing Software Engineering but did not have the funds to do so, I reached out and applied. The application process and interview were organized and thorough which gave me the sense that the program would be similar. I received the partial scholarship and Actualize worked with me so that I could pay off the remainder on a monthly basis so as to not break the bank before the classes begun.

The prep work in the month leading up to the course prepared me well for the first month of class. I was apprehensive about what the online environment would look like and whether it would be as structured as the in pers...

The Actualize Online-Live Bootcamp has been one of the best decisions I've made in a professional career. This bootcamp provided me the foundational skill and ability to code, de-bug and question with confidence.

If you're considering a career change or simply looking to develop an in-demand and marketable skill, Actualize is for you!

From start to finish, this 12-week part-time bootcamp was amazing. Loved the cirriculum structure and the fact that it was taught by educated teachers, not just programmers, which helped the learning process go a lot smoother, especially for those like me with no prior coding experience. Another plus and unique feature of the Actualize program is the offering of the apprenticeship. A truly unique addition to what was learned in the bootcamp portion. Here, we focus on the ‘teamwork’ structure as would be in real-world working environment. Having our teams work on real projects and also spending time focusing on job hacking skills and technical interview techniques. An extremely well rounded program that dies not leave you ‘hanging’ at the end of the program. They are truly invested in ...

After spending a couple years in college, I found that the traditional way of learning material wasn't the best the fit for me. I was two years away from graduating in electrical engineering and minor in computer programming. That's when I decided to make a switch to full time computer programming, figure out if I was wanted to spend 3-4 more years in college or to join an accelerated program that will teach me the tools to become successful in this career. Actualize was the first one on the list to check out and see if this was the place to do that. After seeing the place and going through the interview progress, I decide yes this is the place. It was a great place for people who had no programming background and people who had some background too. My bootcamp class size was 15 student...

I took an AP computer science class back in high school and then an introductory programming class in community college but I never looked into coding as a career. I attempted every coding resource possible from Code Academy, FreeCodeCamp, Udacity, EDX and Udemy. Ultimately I knew that the only way that I would obtain the required skills for a junior web developer role would be to attend a bootcamp.

I definitely enjoyed the overall course. It's a very different experience to share the same frustrations with your peer classmates. The ciriculum is full-stack and covers Ruby on Rails, Javascript, Vue.js, CSS and HTML.

Full disclosure: I just completed the first half of the program and currently do not have a job in the tech industry at this time. I have met plenty of past graduates ...

My bootcamp experience was awesome. The class sizes are perfect, and you get the sense that the teachers genuinely care about the success of the students. The one month pre-work (at home) was a good introduction to the material, and you really hit the ground running once the night classes begin. The environment was friendly, and the exercises were challenging, and pushed me to become a better developer.

One of the more overlooked aspects of bootcamps is "job hacking" and I think this is really what sets Actualize apart. We took time every week to talk about how to get a job, and how to prepare for interviews. They had exercises in class that made us get over our fears of reaching out and meeting people in the industry. Having just presented my final project, I can honestly say I'd re...

There's a lot of noise in the Chicago bootcamp world right now, so when I went to look for a good one that fit my schedule, I had to take a really critical position on most. I'd had a friend go through a dev bootcamp horror story, where she got dropped into a class with a first time teacher, no real support, and was basically told to figure it out herself. The reason I chose Actualize is because all of their instructors have real world teaching experience, and I couldn't be happier with the results: they are dedicated to making sure their students understand what is going on, and will stick with you until you do. I seriously recommend this course to anyone trying pick up coding.

I couldn't say enough good things about the program and more importantly the people here. The instructors at Actualize are educators first, programmers second which makes a big difference in the learning process. I feel confident in the skills I've gained from the bootcamp (Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, etc) and I'm looking forward to applying my knowledge on the road ahead.

One of the things I love about Actualize is the immediate feeling you get that the educators here are looking out for you, the student, and will guide you until you reach the goal set for yourself. The bootcamp environment quickly becomes a second home and the atmosphere is wonderful.

Don't hesitate to get in contact with Actualize, all of the people here are super down to earth. Suffice to say this boot...

I really enjoyed my time at Actualize bootcamp! It was perfect because the classes were at nights on weekdays and all day Sunday. In this bootcamp compared to others, there was deep instruction before learning a new topic, and then we could work on the exercises. All of the teachers are fantastic, especially the professor I had named Peter Jang. He was always there for us and was so knowledgable, he could de bug our code in a matter of seconds if we got stuck while also explaining how we can do it better next time. Most of the other bootcamps have you work all day every day, give you random exercises and throw you to the wolves, Actualize is so much better than that!!!

If I have to describe my experience with Actualize this would be it! Just Awesome! I had never written a line of code coming into this course and was skeptic that it was something I could learn so easily. I went to one meet-up that the CEO Jay Wengrow had and I was convinced I could learn. I was enrolled a week later. This class was VERY fast paced but I expected that since it was a bootcamp. My instructor was Josh Nixon and there is honestly not one bad thing I could say about him. He is very knowledgeable and will always have an answer for you if he doesn't at that moment he will by the end of the class. He takes the time to make sure you are understanding and that you are keeping up with the rest of the class. The teachers assistants were just all around knowledgeable and friendl...

I thought I made a good decision in joining the online bootcamp as I have learned a lot about web development in the comfort of my room in just 3 months (and that was only for 21 hours a week) without quitting my day job.

Dani was my instructor and she was great in explaining concepts that were hard to grasp at first. She was also patient and understanding with her students - which is what you exactly need when you just worked 8 hours during the day. I have talked to friends who went to other bootcamps and I would say that the instruction is the same. The only difference is that you have a shorter amount of time to solve a problem on your own or with a pair, which usually takes up 70% of the day in other bootcamps. If you don't care much about that and value high quality instruction...

The program was a great experience. I really enjoyed going to class and learning something new. The instructor was real awesome (Josh). He was very knowledgeable on each subject and made it fun as much as possible. Had so many great laughs while learning. The TA's very awesome as well. Everyone was friendly and tried to help you out as much as possible so they can help you succeed in the course. I had very little experience when it came to coding but after this program, I feel confident in my skills to create a web app. If you are looking for a place to start your web development career then go with Actualize. It is worth the investment. Great environment, great people, and a great experience.

From 0 to hero! I knew nothing about coding going into this place and I was definitely nervous. I can guarantee you that you will succeed and achieve more than you ever thought you could have if you put in the time and effort to make it happen. There is a lot of information to be learned and with their friendly and easy going environment, you can learn all of it and more if you do your part. Highly Recommend!!

I was in the midst of a medical career that had nothing to do with coding. My only experience with coding prior to Actualize was trying out a few online tutorials. Like anyone who has ever considered a career change, I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. Sure, there were other bootcamps to choose from, but Actualize set itself apart with some major perks.

There was an emphasis on keeping the teaching level at a high quality. The instructors had degrees and professional experience in software engineering AND teaching. My instructor, Peter Jang, kept the environment fun and relaxed, and was great at explaining difficult concepts in ways that students could easily understand. The instructor, the TAs, and even the CEO, were always ready to assist if any student needed i...

Bootcamp is great. Instructors are very helpful and are willing to help students. The CEO also really cares about the business and the students within it. He definitley goes the extra mile to help students as much as he can. Quality education and touches on a lot of subjects that help students dive right in to the web development world. Coming in with previous development experience, Actualize helped solidify my knowledge and made me a much more confident programmer. I actually scored a job a couple weeks after graduation and I probably wouldn't have landed the job without the skills and confidence that I had received from Actualize.

This truly is an amazing program. Starting with the pre-work, the instructors go in-depth and are able to explain the fundamentals of coding. During the in-class course, the instructors are able to walk us through the lesson topics and help us understand it. There was also a section where the instructors, and Jay (the CEO/ founder) came in to help us improve our resume, expand our network, spruce up our LinkedIn profile, along with many other things.Personally, the instructors at Actualize are what made Actualize the best decision I have made in a long time. They really do care with how you do before, during, and after the course. I even had a few "Touch Base" e-mails just to see how I was doing. They invest so much in all of their students, which makes the experience much more personab...

Great Instructors, well-rounded curriculum, and solid job assistance. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Actualize. With any bootcamp the more you effort you put in, the more you'll get out of it. That being said, the instructors at Actualize are very helpful and supportive and have a wealth of resources to share. It took me several months after graduation to land my first coding job but I ultimately ended up getting a job that their in-house recruiter sent my way.

A number of my fellow students commented that in all of their previous years of schooling, nothing was taught as well as this course. We had a great balance of instruction and exercises to immediately implement what we learned. As we worked alone or pair-programmed, two very dedicated TA’s were walking around, not to spoonfeed, but to help us figure out where we were getting stuck and why. I also took them up on their offer to shoot questions at them outside of class time. The cohesive environment made the night time hours more doable, and even enjoyable.
The beginning of the course was Ruby-heavy, so it WAS a bit of a shocker when Peter (lead instructor) told us a few weeks in, “By the way, your first job probably isn’t even going to be in Ruby.” However, I was told by people in th...