| | Blake Gandy | I couldn't be happier with my decision to attend Actualize. The instructor and TA's are really helpful and you always feel like you've got one on one help when you need it. The curriculum felt engaging and challenging which forced myself and my classmates to really push ourselves to see what we were capable of. If you were looking for a remote bootcamp I would strongly suggest you check out Actualize. You won't be disappointed! |
| | Katrina Jelinek | Deciding to learn coding through Actualize was easily one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. The course is packed with information and moves very fast, but not so much that you can't keep up. Dani Zaghian was my instructor and she is an incredible teacher. She was always very clear about what is happening in the concepts she was teaching along with what is expected of each of her students throughout the course. It was a great experience and I would encourage anyone who is considering attending a bootcamp to consider Actualize. |
| | Aaron Briggs | Having just graduated, I don't know how my job search will go (or for how long) but everything related to career planning I've received during the course has been incredibly helpful. I came into this course with a pretty strong computer science understanding, but was pretty overwhelmed trying to self learn frontend and backend frameworks. I'm not sure there's any way to get better at simply coding other than putting in the time, so keep that in mind when you're thinking about any bootcamp in particular. Most of this bootcamp has been focused on using frameworks. Even though its unlikely you'll ever work solely in those frameworks in the future, I'm confident moving forward to learn new frameworks with ease and a better understanding of what challenges in development the specific features of a framework intend to address. |
| | Winston Barbe | I found the decision as to which bootcamp to attend to be an exceedingly difficult one. After nearly signing up for a big corporate owned camp, I came across Actualize. Actualize makes you feel noticed and supported. You are with the same instructor and teaching assistants the whole through so you feel like your progress is really being tracked and you are building connections throughout the camp. A lot of camps out there feel a little scammy, with published job rates and what not. Oh so you have 98% of graduates, get job, well what defines a graduate? The truth is what you put is what you get out, and that applies to actualize, but they give you solid footing to exceed without trying disassociate with you if you aren't meeting requirements. Because they aren't wrapped up in a published job placement rate they can focus on helping the students as much as helping themselves. Actualize also provides continued support with smaller lessons and job help after you graduate. If I had to choose a bootcamp again I would definitely make the same decision. If you are unsure of what to choose, choose actualize. Don't get caught up on languages and frameworks that are taught. You'll be better off going to a camp with a good environment and actualize has that. Peace. |
| | Sunhan Shin | I enrolled into Actualize after seeing my brother go through the bootcamp and see the strides he has made in his career afterwards. After recently completing the program I feel as I can do the same despite the current state of the job market in 2020. Not only have I learned modern coding languages such as Ruby on Rails and Javascript, but most important I was taught how to be a better student as well. I feel confident that I will now be able to tackle and coding language/framework after being taught key fundamentals at Actualize. The instructors explain concepts well and are prepared to make time for each individual. The amount of resources and help available from the instructors and career advisors goes above and beyond in comparison from my knowledge of other bootcamps. I also was hesitant about online instruction, but I would say it is just as good as in-person! |
| | Jack Conroy | I just finished this program and I have to say it has been one of the best decisions in my life so far. I chose Actualize due to them being a Chicago based program, as I am Chicago based as well, but another huge upside was the fact that they have implemented online-based teaching since before the pandemic. That means they weren't scrambling to figure out how to put their curriculum online, or to turn it into a zoom based class, the structure was there and it always had been. That made it feel like an incredibly good pick during this time.
The online-live class setup is a fantastic way to learn coding, with immediate feedback and great class-flow between lectures and exercises. With an emphasis on learning to learn the instructors at Actualize are training your brain to think like a developer, encourage problem solving and growth mindset. I really have nothing but good things to say about Actualize, and they let you sit in on classes in progress if you're applying and want to see how the classes are structured. So if you're on the fence, setup a sit-in and see for yourself! |
| | Jake Porter | I really enjoyed Actualize Bootcamp, It is fast paced but they do everything they can to help you. I looked forward to going to class everyday and I learned a lot of good information. I would recommend this bootcamp to anyone that was looking to start a career in software development. |
| | alan s barton | The main reason i chose Actualize was for the online night classes and the Job assistance. I feel like the main focus of this bootcamp was not just the coding and building your skills (though it is a massive part) but also finding and landing a job in Web Development. If you're looking for a course that is going to help you through the process of learning and finding a job definitely check out Actualize. |
| | Jonathan Wang | I chose this bootcamp because it allowed me to continue working my full-time job and attend class. I applied for the online night classes which Mon-Thurs from 6PM-9:30PM CST and SUN 9-5AM CST. This is a full-stack web development so expect to learn a lot! I came into this bootcamp barely having any knowledge of what web development was and this course has given me a better idea of how the web works. My instructor was Peter and he was definitely one of the best teachers I ever had. He does an amazing job breaking down the different parts of each language and framework and will always take the time to answer any questions you might have. Be prepared to consume a lot of information! You're not supposed to be a perfect developer by the end of this class because I definitely am not, but I can honestly say I feel like I'm way more equipped to tackle and learn various programming languages, frameworks and databases on my own. Another great part of this bootcamp is the accountability and job prep this course provides. Lisa is an extremely resourceful career advisor who is always willing to take the time to work with you and help you improve your resume, job profile, and answer any questions you might have. I'm beyond thankful for the bootcamp and I would highly recommend this if you are looking to make a change in your life and get into web development! |
| | Taylor Dorsett | I choose Actualize because I know a lot of successful Actualize graduates and it has a great reputation in Chicago. They also have an after-hours program that makes it possible for folks who are working to attend the boot camp.
I loved the program. We started by learning ruby on rails which is an easier programming language to understand. When we moved to JavaScript I was able to recognize the concepts we learned in Ruby. The pacing of the course was great. I cant stress this enough. Feeling like I was being pushed but still being able to keep up kept me engaged. Peter our instructor was fantastic. I think he might be the most experienced Bootcamp instructor in Chicago and maybe the US.
I'd recommend Actualize to anyone who is looking to make a career transition. +1 if you are looking for a bootcamp that you can do while still maintaining a day job. +2 if you have tried programming in the past but got stuck. Actualize is run by educators who are developers which makes all the difference. |
| | Isaiah Rappaport | I was deciding between a bunch of bootcamps and had interviews with almost every bootcamp out there. However, when I interviewed for Actualize I knew it was the one. Their staff was so friendly and warm and their curriculum really made sense. I was definitely hesitant leaving all of the other bootcamp options behind but this one was definitely the right choice. The pace was perfect, and I learned so much. The instructor (I had Peter Jang) was the greatest teacher I've ever had. He was so good at explaining complex topics in a clear and simple way and always had a good joke to tell. He was with us every step of the way and made sure we understood the material. He also always made it so fun and enjoyable and gave us good tips to deal with the stresses that come with coding as well. I not only learned the fundamentals of coding, but also how to learn new coding skills and languages and grow in the tech field in general. The job hacking was also amazing as they helped us build our resume, make connections, network, build a personal website, and do mock interviews. Overall, the bootcamp taught me more than I ever thought and made me ready and excited for my first step in the coding world! |
| | Kirill Grinash | Actualize teaching style is what brought me to this Bootcamp and I was NOT disappointed. The amount of support provided and the way the teaching was presented, made it easy to learn and FUN. I would definitely recommend this Bootcamp and if you are looking to start a new career, Actualize is the place to start!!! |
| | Todd Whitelow | I did a lot of research on which bootcamp I wanted to join and I picked actualize because of their focus to be teachers first. The curriculum is designed to actually teach you how to think like a software engineer. My instructor Peter and TA Kevin were always there to help when needed. I spoke to many big name bootcamps and I just felt like a number where at Actualize it was a bit more personal. The pricing was way more realistic as well! The job hacking lessons really helped me with my confidence in applying for jobs and prepared me in ways that I never would have gotten teaching myself how to code. Id would recommend Actualize to anyone who is ready to make that commitment to a bootcamp that delivers beyond what you paid for. |
| | Megan | Actualize was such an incredible experience. I learned the most critical components of web development and more. I am finishing up the course with a plethora of resources at hand. I had Peter as my instructor and he explained everything crystal clear; truly one of the best teachers I've ever had! Him and all staff I interacted with at Actualize were always so helpful. Lisa, the career advisor, was instrumental in helping me land my first job. Thanks so much Actualize! |
| | James Wilson | Like most people reading these, I spent hours upon hours researching and sifting through reviews after choosing the bootcamp route. Narrowing my choices, Actualize stayed at the top because of their emphasis on learning how to learn and developing the mindset of a software engineer.
That philosophy stayed true throughout the cohort. Instead of having code thrown at us to memorize with or without comprehending, the curriculum is designed to understand the logic behind the code and put it to practice. That made a huge difference with it being a lot of information in a short amount of time. Additionally, and maybe most importantly, we learned how to problem solve and develop the skills to learn any programming language, much like the actual job of a developer.
Our instructor, Dani, was very knowledgable in not just coding but also the current industry from her real world experience. She and the TA's (who were extremely helpful Actualize grads) were always available to answer questions, guide us in the right direction, and make us think our way through concepts and issues. They also have career support that begins early in the cohort and continues after graduation, and the career counselor, Lisa, is readily available and helps keep you accountable.
While you can't learn everything within a few months, you can go from barely able to use an app to creating one, and leave with the skills to learn languages and frameworks beyond what's used for the class. |
