Actualize

I am just graduating from Actualize. I was unsuccessful at another bootcamp, won't say their name "T... something" lol but was sent packing. I found Actualize online and was impressed with the reviews, particularly on how they pride themselves on being able to teach coding, not just do it! In fact their previous name was anyonecanlearntocode.com I think. But I think it's been great, the way they presented it has been carefully wrangled over, you can tell. I think another plus is that they really strive to make it so that everyone can learn at their level. I am prepared to continue learning and thriving in tech... Hopefully getting paid to do so! 

This course is not easy. It has 5 weeks of pre-work, plus the actual course work. It's fast paced and won't slow down for you. However, it is a very supportive environment, one which doesn't require any prior knowledge of coding. If you are interested in coding as a job, and have the discipline to actually commit to the full time frame, I would say it is an excellent way to decide if you have the temperament to code as job. It also helps that the instructors are teachers, and not just coders, and thus have experience in how to create curriculum and how to teach students. 

If you can succeed in this fast paced environment, I'd say you're well suited to coding in general. It's a good course, has good instructors, and felt collaborative the whole time. 

I heard about this bootcamp from someone who had completed the course and said that it was great. I did some research and it had a better reputation than most of the other bootcamps I had looked at. I was impressed that it focused heavily on interaction and feedback between students and the small class sizes with two T.A.s. When I read one review about how they hire teachers, teach them to code, and use them as instructors I knew it was the right choice. I have to say it was intimidating during pre-work and the bootcamp itself was very challenging at times. The resources, group discussions, and office hours in addition to one-on-one help really made the learning process a positive experience. It is a bootcamp so it isn't easy but the amount of information that I learned was well worth the time and money.

I had an awesome experience with Actualize. Everything went extremely well, from the application process to the class itself to everything they do for you after graduating. Amanda is an awesome instructor. She explains things so well and always helps reassure everyone of their progress. Going into this class, I had a small amount of coding knowledge from years prior, but I had no confidence that I would be able to learn all the skills on my own to be able to find a job in software development. After finishing the course, I have no regrets and would recommend Actualize to anyone. The way the course is set up is a great way to learn web development. Seriously, taking this course is one of the best decisions I've made.

I heard about this bootcamp from someone who had completed the course and said that it was great. I did some research and it had a better reputation than most of the other bootcamps I had looked at. I was impressed that it focused heavily on interaction and feedback between students and the small class sizes with two T.A.s. When I read one review about how they hire teachers, teach them to code, and use them as instructors I knew it was the right choice. I have to say it was intimidating during pre-work and the bootcamp itself was very challenging at times. The resources, group discussions, and office hours in addition to one-on-one help really made the learning process a positive experience. It is a bootcamp so it isn't easy but the amount of information that I learned was well worth the time and money.

Actualize was, in fact, the only bootcamp I applied to after deciding to learn how to code—I found their program on Course Report and sent off an application, telling myself I'd go back and consider other options later.  However, after hearing back from their enrollment team and especially after interviewing with Ricky, I decided to jump into their program.  This is a decision I have not questioned even once in the past four months.  I think the first thing that stands out to me about this school is how relaxed, considerate, and friendly the faculty and program are as a whole, providing extensive feedback and support not only about coding, technical skills, and the process of job searching, but also in regards to emotional well-being and maintaining life-work balance.  My instructor was Amanda, who is both a phenomenal teacher and a real sweetheart; her guidance and instruction was only outmatched by her encouragement, positive attitude, and outstanding ability to coax out the best in her students.  It's hard to overstate how crucial that community aspect was to my experience at Actualize—after only 12 weeks of digital meetings, I find myself feeling close to the people I have studied and worked with here, and am excited to see what they go on to do.  To that end, Actualize also provides excellent guidance in its charmingly-titled "Job Hacking" course, which course I am really grateful to have as a continued part of the education I have received here.  

Overall, this is a phenomenal school providing the best in online bootcamp learning; I have already recommended the program to a few friends and will continue to do so any time someone asks me about coding bootcamp.

I settled on coming to Actualize after comparing quite a few bootcamps. The thing that decided it for me was the fact that Actualize hires actual instructors. The instructors know how to teach and put the students first. You don't get some fresh bootcamp grad who will just teach you how to type what they type. You get people that know how to teach.

Specific review for Amanda (Instructor) -
Amazing instructor(Would never tell her this directly...kidding). She made sure to break down what she was doing in an understandable way, and constantly found ways to make things make sense. You could see her background as a teacher come through in that she made things engaging and fun. She did a great job and I would recommend Actualize solely based on her performance.

The Career support is called Job hacking and they are fantastic as well. Sarah is always available to help and helped me polish up my resume so that it wasn't an embarrassing mess. I feel ready for the job hunt and feel like I have got support through the process.

I could not speak more highly of Actualize, and my instructor Katherine, who led my evening cohort.  I went into this course worried I’d struggle to stay engaged given that it was 3.5 hours after a full work day, but Katherine was extremely engaging and brought so much energy to the class every single day, it was much easier than I had anticipated.  Structurally, it was a good mix of learning via demos and and actually coding ourselves and working with our classmates.   We had a 9:1 ratio + TAs, which worked well and our questions were always answered. 

Where to begin...if you want a Bootcamp that will teach you the fundamentals of coding and computer science this is the one for you! I was recommended to Actualize by a friend and they had nothing but good things to say about the program. I was stuck at a dead-end job feeling like I wasn't going anywhere. I have always been passionate about technology and being a huge gamer I  have always wondered how can people create such amazing programs. Every single thing we use today was programmed by someone and that intrigued me to want to learn more. So I did! Actualize will get you set up at first, by speaking with an admissions advisor, they break down payment and all loan options that are available to you. They are incredibly flexible and work with you and your schedule. You start the program with a 5 week of pre-work where you have an instructor, and a weekly office hours meeting where the instructor breaks down a problem from that week's lesson. This pre-work allows you to learn the fundamentals of Ruby at your own pace and it's enjoyable! After your pre-work, you hop into live classes, and the instructors are phenomenal!! My instructor, Katherine Evans, was hands down the best teacher that I've ever had. She was extremely thorough, broke everything down, and encouraged participation. She and our TA's were always available whenever we needed them and they rock! Actualize is with you every step of the way and they are there to make sure you succeed. Trust that if you choose this program you will not regret it, Jay Wengrow and his team at Actualize will get you to where you want to be!