Actualize

I was able to work full-time as a teacher and still see my family (though admittedly less than usual) while completing this bootcamp. I learned immense amounts of information through the direct teach and time to practice. Though I did learn about lots... Read More of programming languages and build multiple websites, I think the most important skill I learned was how to always keep learning. I recommend this bootcamp to anyone interested in pursuing the dream of learning to code!

Attending Actualize was a truly life changing experience... in all the right ways! After a good amount of research, I realized that Actualize was the right bootcamp for me, moved cross-country to attend, and haven't looked back since. Before joining the... Read More coding world, I imagined programmers to be quiet, introverted, and the types of people who only worked alone.. oh, how wrong I was! Right from the first day of class collaboration was not only allowed, but encouraged. I enjoyed the classroom setting, where "lectures" truly felt more like a conversation between students and instructor. The in-class exercises were a stellar reinforcement of the material taught, and the weekly blogs, capstone project, as well as apprenticeship helped me stand out to employers (interviews are much easier when you have experience to share!). Being new to Chicago, I met most of my closest friends here as a result of Actualize. I also am part of an ever-growing network of awesome alumni, and I love my new career! Absolutely recommend!

1. I have a degree in acting and my only experience in coding was SQL for a job.
2. The cost for sure and the time.
3. I felt like a learned a lot and met and worked with great people.
4. I really enjoyed working on my own project for the capstone.
5. It... Read More was part time with an apprenticeship.
6. Yes absolutely. I would say that if you want to get into this field it is a great tool to help you.
7. !Strange is the best cohort.

What was your background before coming to Actualize? (Include college/past career)
I had worked in Web Traffic Management right out of High School for a few years. I then went to Art School for Video Game Design, but I realized I wasn't actually interested... Read More in making video games, just playing them, so I never actually completed my degree. I then moved to working in Email Marketing and Design which pushed me into Basic Website Maintenance (HTML and a little CSS).

What hesitations would have prevented you from joining Actualize?
My only hesitation was would I be able to comprehend and keep up with so much information coming at me all at once.

What impact did Actualize have on your life?
It made me realize that I can listen and retain a lot of information at once. I didn't always remember everything I learned from the previous day, or even week, but I remembered the basics which helped me narrow down the problems to find the correct solutions.
I use this on a daily basis in my current job as a Web Developer.

What specific feature did you like most about Actualize?
The fact that it was part time. I had a number of friends who went to Dev Boot Camp, but I couldn't commit to 9 hours a day, 6 days a week. Actualize allowed me to learn and build my skills while still being able to work without ever feeling overwhelmed.

Would you recommend Actualize, and if so, why?
I would. The way that the program is run is very good. Explain the language with examples, and then complete excercises. It just makes sense. You can also go back and review the video of the class on your own time which helped out immensely.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I really enjoyed my time in class, but the Apprenticeship afterwards is invaluable. You work on real projects in a real team with a Mentor. This will prepare you for what you can expect during your first Developer job.

Actualize helped me out tremendously! I was able to secure a role at a small company and feel much more fulfilled with the work that I am doing. I always enjoyed lego's as a child, so building web applications has a very satisfying and similar feeling... Read More for me. I get to actually build something and see that idea come to life, which is super cool.
I enjoyed the individual expertise and help that was always available in the classroom. There were times where a student could fall behind, but it was nice to know someone was readily available to help when you had questions.

Before Actualize (then known as Anyone Can Learn to Code) I was working as a retail banker/teller supervisor. I had limited knowledge of programming except for some codecademy courses and some tutoring from a friend.

The hesitations that would have stopped... Read More me was if the price was too high, and if there weren't such good reviews. I also would have hesitated if the main focus was on front end languages as I had spent almost a year learning ruby (that's a subjective anecdote, though)

Actualize changed my life completely. I learned valuable skills, got a new job, and made amazing friends. Actualize taught me the skills to be self-sufficient as well as put me on a new career path, I was pretty tired of my job at that point so in the end it was worth it. I loved the Actualize community so much I currently work as a part time TA just so I could give back to the school

I liked that it was part time, as well as the teaching style. I loved being able to see the assignments demo'd by the instructor so we could get a higher level of understanding about the work. Most other bootcamps just send you to the wolves, I loved how much support there was not only by the instructor and TA's, but from fellow students as well.

I chose Actualize over other bootcamps for 3 main reasons; the price, the part time status, and the teaching style (educators first, programmers second). I also can't count out the internship opportunity, the level of support, as well as the awesome swag (stickers/sweater) and the final showcase.

I would absolutely recommend Actualize because the support system is amazing. People can keep their jobs and still attend class and they learn just as well as other fulltime bootcampers. Actualize has an amazing network from SF to Chicago to NY and we just keep growing. I truly believe people can learn the material based on the amazing instruction from our staff.

I want folks to know that bootcamps dont teach you just how to code, they teach you the skills to problem solve, they teach you the realities of the job search and they teach you how to learn new things.

The program is amazing! The course covers everything you need to know to build a complete web app using front end and back end technologies as well as how to work with databases. The instructors are very knowledgeable and do a great job of conveying the... Read More information. The owner is fully committed to helping you change careers. After you complete the cohort, they provide you with career classes to assist with your job search and place you in an apprenticeship where you can start gaining real world experience. Would definitely recommend this bootcamp to anyone looking to become a developer!

Anyone Can Learn To Code was a great experience for me. I found a software engineering job almost immediately after graduating.

The structure of the course, at the moment, is a few week period of pre-work with video lectures, office hours, and remote work.... Read More The remainder of the course is in person at nights. This was very helpful for me, as it allowed me to continue my day job. At the end of the program, there is a showcase for the personal capstone projects that we started work on in the middle of the course. Following the program, there is a multiple week apprenticeship program.

I came from an unrelated work background, but had taken some Computer Science courses in College. I ended up learning a lot from the course. The teaching staff was excellent and knowledgable and are directly responsible for this fact. They are always willing to help and are all around friendly people. The pacing of the course was just about right as well.

Anyone Can Learn To Code is directly responsible for my job placement. I landed an interview during the showcase with a small start up located in downtown San Francisco. I was hired a couple of weeks after. Two of my classmates were landed software development gigs within a couple of months from the course ending (three students of eleven).

I do have some concerns with how things were managed after the program ended however. The recruiting officer who is supposed to have connections within the industry was laid off during my time there. While they are actively looking to fill his role with a suitable candidate, this does not help my classmates who are still looking for work.

Additionally, the apprenticeship could use more structure. It is a new program for the school, and kinks are still being worked out of the system. The class is separated into groups, where they work alongside one another & a mentor (in our case a professional software dev & TA). Some of us are given additional roles, like project manager for example. I feel that while this provides exposure to other areas in the software development cycle, these are not the skills that we came to learn. It takes away from the time and effort of the actual development work. However, I do have to say that the apprenticeship is overall very helpful. Working in a team environment is very different from the work we did in class, and I have learned a lot from the few weeks I've spent with the apprenticeship.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Anyone Can Learn To Code. I always looked forward to class, despite it being tough. I learned a lot, and I was able to find a job because of it.

The course is tough, the pace is grueling, and the material...well if you are a newbie like I was, its all gibberish. The team at ACLTC realize this, and they do their best to make everything digestible. Mark Richardson and most of the other staff are... Read More teachers first, developers second, which sounds backwards but is very important.

These folks describe difficult concepts in ways that make sense, and their skills are only getting more honed with each class. I loved the TA's, Jay is the coolest CEO ever, and Mark, can't say enough about him. The people made this course, and I would not have wanted to go anywhere else for my coding experience. I got a job 2 weeks after the course ended, so it works! Its all about what you put into it, and this program is great for the flexibility and the money.

What a great experience. The curriculum is broad enough to get a birds-eye view of building web applications. From the basics, through typical application constructs from scratch (like to-do lists, shopping carts, contact apps), data modeling and database... Read More building, building and consuming APIs, and exposure to the front end like working with front end frameworks and building dynamically loading pages using Angular JS. Being challenged through the final process of building an app of our own choosing was a great way to cap off and reconnect our lessons throughout the course. The instructors are exceptionally prepared, passionate, and encouraging. The TAs were great, too. Beyond the classroom, the ACLTC team did many value-adds like coaching on interviewing and helping put our resume together. Not to mention the great group of classmates I got to meet through this experience. Highly recommended!