Actualize is proud to announce their new online course. Plus, They're offering a 30% discount for the first online cohort Apply now here.

The options, of course, are endless. Coding bootcamps are gaining in popularity and the desire to learn a new skill or transition to a new career without knowing how to most effectively go about it can make the decision daunting.

Coding bootcamps offer a plethora of features, claiming sensational successes and surprising stories about students who switched careers, all of which sounds intriguing and exciting. But it is important to separate the wheat from the chaff:

what should be the determining factor in choosing a coding bootcamp? Which of the various factors should be most heavily weighted? Is it the schedule, the flexible hours, the languages covered, the instructors, the cost, the location?

The questions are enough to make any prospective student go insane.

At Actualize, we believe that the quality of education is the determining factor in a coding bootcamp student’s success.

While many people are initially drawn to Actualize because of the part-time schedule that allows them to keep their day job, they all stay for the elite educational experience.

But what exactly is the Actualize Experience?

Actualize prides itself on being the leading educator in the field of coding. It’s easy to be skilled at something and show some friends how to do it; maybe even start a knitting or rock-climbing bootcamp if one is really passionate about that skill... but it isn't always easy to teach that skill effectively. To be clear, just because someone is an experienced software developer, does not mean he or she will be able to transmit those learnings into effective teaching.

Actualize both recognizes and resolves this issue by hiring instructors who have professional experience in both software development and education. The quality of education one receives when the instructor is professionally trained and experienced in both education and software engineering, (both of which are requirements for Actualize instructors), is what transforms students into master software developers.

Actualize students are learning from the best in the coding school industry, and the classroom experience reflects that.

Let’s take a look at the average coding bootcamp. Whether it is full-time or part-time, instruction varies from one to a few hours of lecture per day or week, with the majority of the time being reserved for students to slog through long, intense exercises via self-instruction or pair programming. Enter Actualize, and the whole scene changes.

Instructors switch between concise, easy to understand lectures and interactive exercises; exercises are first demoed, then performed together as a class, with instructors and teaching assistants always nearby to answer student’s questions. More lecture time follows, as new concepts are introduced in clear and efficient ways, followed by more exercise, allowing students to grasp, ask about, and play with new concepts and ideas.

Although there is no homework, the experience doesn’t end in class; Instructors and TA’s are available throughout the week to answer questions and give extra assistance to anyone who wants it. The level of support and guidance offered at Actualize, by those qualified to do so, is what makes us your mentor in becoming a software engineer.

Couple the support with a rich, effective curriculum that was written by these same educators who happen to know how to code real well, and it’s no wonder we at Actualize live by the mantra, “Anyone Can Learn To Code”. Because with Actualize, anyone can learn to code.

But Actualize students don’t simply learn a programming language - they learn how to think like a software engineer, which enables them to learn any new language or technology on their own. And once they can do that, which company wouldn’t hire them?

This is why education should be the defining factor in choosing a boot camp.

So you’re reading this and you’re thinking, “Wow, this must be the best coding school in America!” (You’re right, by the way! And we didn’t even mention all the things most bootcamps boast about: our incredible job placement curriculum and high job placement rate, our awesome events, showcases, family mentality, wicked sense of humor...).

Now, if you live in Chicago, New York or San Francisco, you’re probably applying as we speak.

But then there are those of you, who, having no intention to reside in any of the above-mentioned cities, are thinking, “it’s a shame, because I don’t live near any of the cities in which Actualize operates. So I guess this incredible, education-rich experience will be denied to me.”

Think this way no longer. We hear you, and we are here for you. We don’t call ourselves your mentor for nothing!
We are excited and pleased to announce that we are bringing the Actualize Experience Online!

Actualize Online is the exact same in-classroom experience, providing the same expert, quality, instruction, an immersive, interactive classroom experience and the unbeatable education you deserve.

Unlike other online coding bootcamps, Actualize Online is still part-time, and available in your time zone so you do not have to quit your day job. Learn in a live, in-classroom setting alongside other students, and interact directly with the same quality lead instructors and teaching assistants. For the first time ever, you won’t compromise on your education due to your location.

Plus, Actualize is offering a 30% discount for the first online cohort! Apply now.

So you’re interested in a career in coding, which makes sense; many people are these days, as software development is consistently reviewed as one of the best options in today's job market.

Our e-book gives an in-depth explanation of what a career in coding looks like, but what is it like to transition to being a coder from another career?

Never fear, we interviewed Alex Ispa-Cowan, a graduate of Actualize who is currently working at Allstate Insurance. Join us on Alex’s journey as he transitions from a struggling musician to a successful developer.

Beginnings

Alex was unsure of which direction to take after having spent three years at Berklee College of Music in Boston earning his B.A. in Music.

We invite you to take a step into the past, and meet the Alex of three years ago:

Actualize: Can you tell us about your beginnings?

Alex: “I had just graduated from Berklee College of Music, and had $300 dollars to my name. I moved to Chicago, where I lived in my sister's basement while I looked for music-related work and prepared for grad school. I’m a musician; jazz guitar is my specialty, but finding a full-time job as a musician is not always an easy feat.

“My plan was to eventually be a professor of music, so I needed to further my education. I auditioned at DePaul for a Master’s in Guitar Performance, and got in. But it was a two year program, and then another two years for a PhD, and after speaking with some people who had taken this path, I discovered that the job opportunities and benefits were not as great as I had envisioned. I didn’t want the knowledge, I just wanted a PhD for the job.”

Actualize: Were you working full time at this point?

Alex: “I was practicing guitar for nine hours a day, but not earning much. Any spare change that I had in my pocket came from professional jazz jam sessions that I attended, performances, and whatever music lessons I could teach.

“After six months of this type of scrambling, I had finally saved enough money to scrape together some rent and move into my own place. I took gigs at restaurants, weddings, and country clubs, while still teaching lessons, which were my most stable source of income.

“I could get two to three gigs in a week; sometimes I could go three weeks without a gig. So lessons were sustaining me, but even that wasn’t too great; I managed to cover my rent, that was all.”

Actualize: After recognizing that a PhD in Music wasn’t really your goal, and seeing that your gigs were unsustainable, what was your next step?

Alex: "I had arrived at this place of complete ‘I have no idea what I am doing with my life’. I began to Google things. I needed something that would give me stability and pay the bills."

Actualize: Had you considered coding as a career previously?

Alex: “No way. I had never even heard of coding bootcamps; it had never occurred to me that someone with a background in music could ever pursue a career in software development. But I found some online tutorials, and started getting involved in coding.”

Actualize: Were you good at it?

Alex: “I couldn’t figure out Rails. I saw all the companies were coding in it, and I wanted to learn it. I did build a checkers game in Javascript, which I was extremely proud of, until it got too buggy to function, that is. I realized I needed to further my education in coding.”

Transitioning from Music to Code

Actualize: Why did you choose Actualize to be your mentors? (Not that we aren’t flattered…)

Alex: “I chose Actualize because it is part-time. It was absolutely essential that I be able to perform at gigs and teach lessons to bring in money during the day and on weekends, but my nights were dedicated to coding.”

Actualize: Switching careers is a big decision that can be frightening. Weren’t you scared?

Alex: “My hesitations were real. I was nervous, I was scared. I remember thinking, ‘Can these people really pay out on what they promised? They’re telling me they can teach me how to code in half the time of the other (full-time) bootcamps.’ My other fear was, ‘Am I going to graduate from this bootcamp and not get a job?’”

Actualize: Were your fears realized? How was the Actualize experience?

Alex: “The program was FANTASTIC. Peter Jang taught my cohort, and I loved it. It was fun and informative. I could go on and on about it.”

Actualize: How did it compare to college?

Alex: “Peter has a really good teaching style. The curriculum was well organized, and it was way better than half of my college classes. Most of us college grads know that for all the classes we take, many are pretty lame, but there are a few really good ones. If this was a college class, it would have been one of the really good ones.”

Actualize: That’s encouraging! What happened after you graduated?

Alex: After graduating from Actualize, I joined The Difference Engine, a four-month apprenticeship that allows Actualize grads to gain real-world experience, working with project managers in teams to complete projects for nonprofit organizations.”

Job Search

Actualize: So you got great experience. What was your job search like?

Alex: “Well, I applied to over 80 jobs. I guess I was as dedicated to succeeding at coding as I had been at practicing guitar. I had already received two job offers when more interviews started rolling in.”

Actualize: That’s exciting!

Alex: “It was crazy. One place made an offer on the spot, and gave me a week to think about it. In that time, Allstate Insurance, whom I had applied to a month prior and forgotten about, reached out to interview. Even though I figured anything insurance related would be extremely boring, I told them, ‘if it’s before Wednesday, you’re on’. They agreed to rush it, so on Tuesday, I went out to the suburbs to meet with them. The interview was great; they told me about these incredible projects they were working on, and the new place they were opening up in downtown Chicago, and everyone was really nice. I told them that I would need an answer by the next day, or I would be accepting my standing offer.

“Less than twenty-four hours later, I had an offer.

“Allstate was offering a way better deal than the first place; more money, more benefits. And it was a perfect fit.”

Actualize: Did you take the job?

Alex: “I did, and my life has changed ever since. Seriously. For example, my eyesight isn’t great, and when I was still an Actualize student, I had to sit up front because my glasses prescription wasn’t high enough, and I didn’t have insurance to get me new ones! My new job literally allowed me to get the health care I needed; in this case, a new pair of glasses. I also more than tripled my previous salary, which is pretty significant.”

Day to Day

Actualize: Previously, you had spent nine hours a day strumming a guitar. Now you are coding all day. Let’s talk about what that looks like every day.

Alex: “Sure. Work starts at 8:05 AM, with standup (a quick team meeting, similar to a huddle in football) which lasts about three minutes. But I show up at 7:55 AM and eat breakfast because it’s catered every morning! After standup, I sit down and code. I work mainly in Java, and I am a back-end developer.

Actualize: How long do you code for?

Alex: “We usually code until around 10:00 AM or mid-morning, and then we take a break, which involves playing Super Smash Brothers in the video game room. Or ping-pong. Whatever it is, we do something to relax.”

“Like any focus-intensive task, it can get tiring to code for hours at a time. But once we have that break, we get back into things, and will usually code for the rest of the morning.”

Actualize: What does the rest of your day look like?

Alex: “Lunch time is from 12:00-1:00 PM, so I go to the gym, which is conveniently on another floor of our building.

“The afternoon follows a routine similar to the morning; more coding with a nice break in between. Work ends at 5:00 PM sharp.

Actualize: Do you work alone?

Alex: “My team consists of four to six developers and a product manager. Within the team, we do something called pair-programming, which means there are always two developers working on any given project. However, the teammate I am paired up with will change from time to time, so we all get a great opportunity to work with different people within our team.”

Actualize: So you must get to know your team pretty well!

Alex: “Yes. Interestingly, there are rotations every few months, which means we occasionally get a new project to work on. While this means that the developers who remained on the project are teaching the ropes to the developers who just joined, it is relatively easy to get everyone on board.

“Additionally, the change brings new knowledge to the table. I just switched projects, and taught my new team something I had learned from my old project, which was really helpful because they had been trying to figure this out for months.

“Lastly, the rotation is helpful not only for bringing on new talent, it’s also the company’s way of ensuring that employees are constantly challenged, and get an opportunity to meet new co-workers and develop a close working relationship with them.”

Actualize: What are you specifically coding?

Alex: “The product we sell is API’s to other companies which process GPS data from customers’ cars in real time. Maybe they want functionality to see the total number of miles any given customer has driven from a specific time. So I’m building a feature to assist in calculating data for drivers in whatever company hired us. It could be that other insurance companies are hiring us, so I’ll be building a feature that can actually be used in the product.

Actualize: What do you spend most of your time on?

Alex: “This journey has been incredible. When comparing my new job to my old job, well, it’s way better. I now have stability, and I make a lot more money. I don’t work more hours because when I leave at five, I’m DONE. I used to practice guitar all day. I spent my time working all day, looking for more work, and practicing. Now I can relax after work. I never felt I could relax before, because I could always be getting another gig. I hated the pressure.”

Actualize: That’s incredible. What do you do with all of the extra time you have, after 5:00?

Alex: “In my spare time, I still play music, but it’s actually relaxing. I also like to go biking, play soccer, stay active. Although I will occasionally play Xbox. But you know, I like to do ‘normal person stuff’ for fun.”

Q&A

Actualize: What was the biggest thing you were afraid of?

Alex: “That I wouldn’t find a job. Once I got my job I was afraid of what it would be like. It was totally unknown.”

Actualize: What is an example of a myth in the coding world that you had believed in before actually working there?

Alex: “I knew so little about the coding world that I hadn’t even heard of the myths.”

Actualize: But you did end up with some awesome perks! What are they?

Alex: "Catered breakfast every day, video game room (Wii U and PlayStation), free snacks (chocolate covered raisins, oh yeah!) and free drinks. We also get twenty days of PTO per year, health insurance, Safari books online and any books/resources I might want for studying software, as well as monthly learn days (once a month we take the day off and attend workshops and learn new skills.)”

Actualize: Love those perks! What is your favorite part about coding?

Alex: “The moment when you understand something that you didn’t previously. Or when something works for the first time.”

Actualize: Did Actualize prepare you for the career you currently have?

Alex: “Yes. Even though I don’t code in the same language, Actualize taught me how the internet works in general. They also taught me OOP (Object Oriented Programming). They taught me how to learn code, so given enough time, I feel confident learning any new language.”

Actualize: What advice would you give to someone who is looking into changing their career, but is afraid of taking that first step?

Alex: “If you’re not super uncomfortable in your life, you’re not trying hard enough.”

Actualize: How would you explain coding to someone who is as unfamiliar as you were?

Alex: “You’re solving technical problems all day. If you don’t like to focus on problem solving for long stretches of time, this is not for you. If stuff doesn’t make sense and it pisses you off, and you like to figure it out and make it do what you want; if you were the kid who took pens apart to figure out where the springs are, then this career path is for you.”

Actualize: Lastly, what would you say to coding bootcamp graduates who are scared of a career?

Alex: “Keep applying to jobs, because you got that far for a reason. Take it until you get a job, and find out for yourself what it’s really like. Just do it. You can always quit later if you really don’t like it.”

Actualize: Alex, thank you for sharing your story and we wish you the best of luck on your journey!

If you would like to connect with Alex, or book him for a gig (after 5:00 PM of course), you can reach him at ispacowanguitar@gmail.com.

For those of you who want to change your life the way Alex did, we invite you to meet with one of our Admissions advisors here to see if Actualize can help you achieve your goals!

At Anyone Can Learn To Code, it’s our policy to only hire Lead Instructors who have professional experience both in the classroom and as web developers. We aren’t simply coders who started a bootcamp - we’re skilled and experienced educator/developers with a passion for teaching students not only how to code, but how to succeed as professional web developers.

So why do we have these strict rules about the qualifications of our Lead Instructors? And what does that mean for our bootcamp curriculum and education style? Read on to find out!

1. ACLTC is founded on strong educational principles. Our founder, Jay Wengrow, started ACLTC in 2014 because of his own strong background in education and web development. His experiences led him to believe there was a better way to teach tech, so he set out to be the one to provide that experience to students everywhere. ACLTC is the result, and our amazing grads have proven time and again that it works.

2. We built our own custom curriculum from scratch. Since our founder and Lead Instructors are all experts in both coding and education, we are all able to work together to build, discuss, and improve upon every facet of our curriculum. Our teachers constantly consider how best to present new concepts, which order to teach them in, and what the best exercises are for solidifying each concept. We also understand that every student learns differently, so the curriculum is never the law - we ensure that everyone gets the individual time and attention he or she needs to fully grasp everything we teach.

3. Class time is balanced 50/50 between instruction and exercise. It’s difficult to learn coding without being taught by an expert, and no one can learn to code without practice. Therefore, we make sure that our students get plenty of both. Here’s how it works: 1) the Lead Instructor introduces and explains a new concept, demonstrating on a large screen for the whole class; 2) the Lead Instructor leads an interactive discussion with the class about the concept just learned (our classrooms are set up in a U-shape to facilitate this); and 3) the Lead Instructor provides an exercise for students to complete on their own (with help when needed from the Lead Instructor and TAs) that involves a different context than the one demonstrated. When asked to utilize the newly taught concept in a different way than they’ve seen before, students are forced to truly understand the concept instead of simply copying what the Lead Instructor demonstrated. Then, once everyone is ready to move on, the class returns to lecture format for another new concept.

4. We can teach students more in less time. Because of our carefully constructed curriculum and 50/50 approach to instruction and exercise, our students can absorb more information in a shorter time frame. Our bootcamp is 15 weeks long - three weeks of at-home pre-work and 12 weeks of in-class instruction - with just 21 hours of class time per week. We believe that the finest education does not need to be delivered on a full-time basis, and that you do not have to quit your job in order to receive the highest quality education.

Not only do our Lead Instructors regularly train some of the best and brightest new web developers in the industry, but they’re also writing the book on teaching tech - literally! Check out our progress in these blog posts and stay tuned for the published book soon.

The training you can get from a reputable coding bootcamp is proven to pay for itself in salary boosts and successful career changes. But sometimes, your bootcamp experience is just not quite enough to land the entry-level web developer position that will launch your new career. Maybe you’re struggling in technical interviews, or getting feedback from employers who say you need more experience to join their teams. Or, more frustrating still, you’re not hearing back from employers at all.

That doesn’t mean all is lost - not by a long shot. There’s lots you can do to make your skills more marketable after you’ve graduated:

1. Practice, practice, practice. Your coding education isn’t over yet! Attending a bootcamp gave you the learning mindset you need to teach yourself new things, and now is the time to leverage that ability. Research the types of skills that are in demand now and practice those to make yourself stand out.

2. Continue working on your Capstone project (or similar) in your spare time. Add all the bells and whistles - improve something you know you can do better, or include the features you didn’t have time to add during your bootcamp. If you’re struggling for ideas, consider asking your Lead Instructor or your bootcamp classmates for their thoughts on what you should add.

3. Start a new project of your own. If you don’t have a Capstone-style project yet, or if you’d rather start fresh, build something from scratch that demonstrates everything you’ve learned - frameworks and languages, incorporating APIs, leveraging databases, etc. This is a great way to show your skill and initiative to potential employers.

4. Pair up! Find a friend or mentor who is already a professional web developer - a good place to start is with the more senior alumni from your own bootcamp! - and ask them to do some pair programming with you. This is a great way both to learn and to network with others in your field. If you don’t know any web developers in your area, you can also join a meetup group that holds pair-programming workshops to meet like-minded developers.

5. Seek an apprenticeship. Some tech companies open up apprenticeships for junior developers, and many of these hire from their pools of apprentices for full-time positions. Check out listings in your area to find companies offering apprenticeships or internships. There are also some bootcamps (like Anyone Can Learn To Code) that guarantee apprenticeships after graduation, which is a great way to ensure you can gain the experience you need to land your dream job even before you begin your bootcamp journey.

At Anyone Can Learn To Code, we started our own web agency to provide an apprenticeship experience to all our graduates. After completing the 15-week bootcamp portion of our program, ACLTC developers have the option to apprentice for anywhere from six weeks up to four months. Throughout the apprenticeship, you’ll gain real-world experience (and confidence) building web apps for clients like Women Who Code and Just A Break under the supervision of our agency’s more experienced web developers, plus work on your interview and job-prep skills.

Anyone Can Learn To Code is coming to NYC! The Big Apple marks ACLTC's third campus, following a 2014 launch in Chicago and 2015 in San Francisco - the inaugural NYC cohort will begin this June. Here’s why you should check out ACLTC’s unique bootcamp program and apprenticeship:

1. Take advantage of all the opportunities for new developers in NYC. New York City has tons of opportunities for junior-level web developers, making it a great place to successfully switch to a career in coding. After graduation, you’ll have ample job prospects at awesome companies with accomplished mentors who will help you continue to succeed and grow in your new career.

2. Become a job-ready full-stack developer in just 15 weeks - no previous experience required. ACLTC takes students from zero to 60 over the course of three weeks of pre-work and 12 weeks of in-class instruction - all you need is a demonstrated passion for learning this complex new skill, along with hard work. Throughout the course, we’ll help you master the fundamentals of Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AngularJS.

3. Keep your day job while you learn to code. Not only is ACLTC a top-ranked bootcamp, but it's one of few with a part-time schedule that enables you to keep your job while you attend. We understand that not everyone can - or should! - sacrifice months of their salaries and quit their day jobs to attend a full-time bootcamp, so we’ve created a precise, purposeful curriculum to be taught by expert educator-developers on weekday evenings and Sundays. We also keep our classes small (student:teacher ratio of around 5:1) to make sure each developer gets the attention she or he needs to succeed.

4. Gain real-world client experience and beef up your resume. Every ACLTC graduate is guaranteed four months of apprenticeship experience with our independent web agency, where they continue to hone their skills and build their portfolios under the supervision of more experienced developers. You’ll get the chance to work on projects from actual clients in a professional setting, and, just like our bootcamp, the apprenticeship is part-time and compatible with nine-to-fives.

5. Get the support you need to land your dream job. Our job-placement specialists work with new developers on their resumes, portfolios, interview skills, and the other soft skills you’ll need during your job search in addition to your full development stack and apprenticeship experience.

Applications for Anyone Can Learn To Code - New York City are open now! Apply in your city today.