Claim Academy

Deciding to take the leap and join Claim Academy has been one of the best decisions I made for my career.  The instructor and mentor led sessions kept me on track with my learning and working with the rest of my classmates allowed me to gain insight into different ways of accomplishing things and expanding my capabilities.

I came in with very limited knowledge of coding, but a high level of desire to learn and work hard which I think was the best factor to my success.  Make no qualms about it, this is hard work.  You are expected to learn a great deal of material in a very short period of time, so staying on top of your work and not falling behind is of the upmost importance.

Luckily, when you do struggle (and you will) there are the resources of your classmates as well as the instructor/mentor staff who want you to succeed in every way possible.

As with any environment with many people, there are always differences in capabilities and the best way to learn how to learn.  Understanding that the way you learn best may not be the same for everyone is critically important, and understanding that sometimes you will be the best at something, but other times you will be lagging behind.  That is the time when having your classmates around benefits you the most.  There is always someone who is able to help you when you feel you aren't grasping something, just as they may rely on you as well when they are feeling insecure.

Throughout the coursework, one of the most beneficial things for me has been the alumni speaking series, where we got to meet/hear from a Claim Academy graduate about their experience in class as well as outside the classroom in their full time job.  Aside from the inspiration inherent in their stories, it was a constant affirmation that they also went through the same process we did and they succeeded in the end.  It honestly is refreshing to hear them say that they struggled and had the same thoughts of inadequacy
that everyone feels at some point throughout the course.  When you continue to see examples of people who felt the same way you do right now and see their success is easy to make you keep trusting the system and start believing that you can succeed as well.

If you think that the world of "coding" is something you might like, Claim Academy provides lots of free opportunities to gauge if this is something for you.  Come down and check out the free classes or take the pre-course work to get your feet wet.  

3 months ago, I honestly didn't have any idea what an impact this time would have on my career, but as I leave Claim Academy, I leave with a job offer in a totally new career field that would not have been possible in any other way.  I can't extend enough thanks to Claim Academy for the opportunity and everything I have learned.

I just completed the 12-week Java bootcamp at Claim Academy. It was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but also one of the most rewording things I have ever done. I learned a lot, not only about software development, but also  soft skills and how to present myself to employers. I got interviews before I even completed the program. They won’t give up on you, and they’ll make sure you are ready to compete as a full stack developer, or whatever you decide to do with your new skills. You really can change your career in just 12 weeks, and Claim Academy is where to do it.

I was very excited when I first heard about Claim Academy. I believed this provided me the best opportunity to become a Software Developer but my expectations were not fully met and at some point I was very disappointed too. Without going into details.....(because it may disappoint some people).
I have to admit that Travis helped me a lot to find a program I could go through to be able to attend the Java Developer course(Cohort). Also, Sahara and Lamar are very knowledgeable instructors at Claim Academy who helped us(students) a lot to understand programming. The program itself is somewhat intensive and you will have a chance to work on many hands on project(mostly on your own by using Google and YouTube).

If you are planning to attend this program, expect to see a lot of surprises such as not getting your "Certificate" after completing the course and so on. Yes you didn't misread it, we(all students) have been told that we will not get our Certificates until we leave a nice review for Claim Academy. I had to escalate the case to my program case manager(not a Claim Academy person), only after his involvement did I obtain my Certificate without further issues and surprises. But most of my classmates had no other choice but to leave a nice review to get their certificate which they worked for so hard during the past 3 months.

I was already in possession of an Associate of Applied Science degree in Software Development, which certainly put me at an advantage.  However, Claim Academy provided me the opportunity to expand my skillset, introducing me to several new technologies I hadn't worked with before.  I also was provided one-on-one instruction which I did not have previously when I was pursuing the aforementioned AAS degree.  Even more importantly, I have been given more direction in the path towards finding employment.  I was beginning to think I would need to go back to college for another two years to obtain an Bachelor's degree in IT, but doing Claim Academy has given me a leg up in only 12-weeks.

The staff at Claim gives you all the information you need to succeed in the course, but you have to be ready to put in a lot of work yourself to get the most out of your time. Given that the course is only 12 weeks, it's not possible for the staff to comprehensively cover every topic. You still get a lot out of the lectures, and there's always someone to help if you're stuck on something. They also make sure you're prepared to speak with potential employers, and that you have everything you need to give you the best chance of getting an interview.

I'm going to try and keep this short and to the point:

12 weeks ensconced in a school setting that is going to help you learn

You will have projects once the course is completed to prove that you are able to do the work

They will be with you every step of the way during and after class to help you get placed

They go as far as to help with soft skills to help with the interview process.

Our project was completed and presented in front of multiple employers on 12-6-2018 and I already have 4 interviews set up due to their diligent work to sell employers on their students.

Thank you Claim for everything.

BEWARE!!!

1. This is not a Fullstack Java bootcamp and definitely overpriced at $12,500 as the depth of coverage in subjects as HTML, CSS and Javascript is very shallow. The emphasis is solely on Java and which in my opinion is poorly taught. Furthermore, you will receive one (1) evening lecture on HTML and thereafter get web links to study about CSS and Javascript on your own.

2. It is not for beginners as they claim and you should be prepared to do up to 80% of the academic work on your own with very minimal support.

3. You will not receive feedback on your weekly assignments and projects.

4. You will not do any mock technical interview preparations nor receive help on re-structuring you resumes

5.           You will not attend nor be invited to any Hackertons/networking events.

6. You will not get any refunds irrespective of the week you chose to withdraw from the program.

7. If you’re an international student, count the cost before enrolling as they have undisclosed and unstated policies that discriminates against foreigners or people of color.

First and foremost, the name Claim Academy fits this school because that's what it is. A lot of information/pledges and policies on their website are claims but in reality are not in force or honored. I've read most of the reviews of the preceding cohorts and keep wondering if they were forced into giving them either because they received their Certificate of Completion on their last (demo) day or most some are on the Facebook scholarship to study at Claim Academy. During my time, I interfaced with two (2) other cohorts and witnessed how most students struggled with their work due to lack of support and understaffed/shallow knowledge base of the tutors/mentors on key concepts such as REACT and ANGULAR. My review is based on facts and my personal experience or that of fellow cohorts during the June – September 2018 Java cohort.

It is worth noting that my cohort started with seven (7) students but after week one (1) two students withdrew because of the poor quality education. The third student withdrew for personal reasons while I withdrew after four weeks of learning for various reasons I've given below. If you want value for money, please take time to read through it.

The school is very unprofessional and cagey.  Prior to my enrollment, I asked them for the Full Stack Java syllabus but they were unwilling to share it, saying it was against their policy. When I pressed for it and they did share it, I noticed the contents and depth of coverage were shallow. This is one of the alarm signals that should have warned me about their competence. I decided to give them the benefit of doubt but later regretted my decision to enroll had to quit after four weeks.

Secondly, we hardly ever received feedback for daily work assignments and never received feedback for weekly projects despite our complaints on numerous occasions. Before my arrival for the Full Stack Java Developer bootcamp, I was told the student to instructor/mentor ratio is approximately 7:1. This turned out to be untrue as the actual student to mentor ratio during the day from week of June 25, 2018 when I arrived till week 3 was about 25 students to 1 mentor (25:1). This is largely due to the fact that the school is grossly understaffed. Throughout my brief stay (about 4 weeks) they had 1 mentor across the three cohorts to share for support. The main Java instructor works full-time during the day and is only available during the nights for lectures and when he arrives he had to first attend to the soon-to-graduate cohorts who have been waiting eagerly for him to arrive because there isn't anyone during the day to provide support on AngularJS of ReactJS which they're using for their various projects. Our cohort will have to wait for him to finish with these before we can start lectures. Also, during our lecture, he still had to step out every now and then to attend to the other cohorts.

Thirdly, as regards, instructors and mentors at the institution, the information on their website (http://claimacademystl.com/teachers.html) is very misleading. They have 13 persons listed but in reality I discovered that none of these persons are with them except, the president Mr. Ola Ayeni. This is done to deceive unsuspecting members of the public to register for their programs only to find out they’ll be left alone to grind out their learning when they’re enrolled. Ironically, I wondered why and how a Software bootcamp will find it hard to update a single static web page. This further underscores the point that they’re grossly under-staffed.

As regards peer learning, we were told at the onset, that students in our cohorts will be paired into groups. This never happened despite my complaints about it on a few occasions.

Fourthly, after I pulled out at the end of week four, they refused to authorized my refund as stated in their refund/pricing policy. They, at the instruction of the school's owner/business partner Mr. Ola Ayeni, resorted to the use of threats and bullish tactics to try intimidate me into cowering. In thier responses, they made so many false claims and lied that all International students were to pay a fee of $15,000. I clearly pointed that none of these are on their website or in my invoice payments. As at present (Sept. 27, 2018), the school is yet to refund my outstanding balance.  These and many more prompted me to take action by lodging a formal complaint to my bank, the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General for Missouri and the Better Business Bureau (BBI).

After, pulling out of Claim Academy, I had to enroll with two separate online bootcamps for Java programming and Front-End development both of which I completed in six (6 weeks). I can definitely say I learned far much more than I would have had I remained at Claim Academy.

My candid advice to businesses/organizations who value integrity and sound business principles, is to be wary of partnering with Claim Academy because they could be dragged into a litigation case someday. As for prospective students, don't fall into the same trap. Take your money and go find a better institution. They're not worth your time or money.

INSTRUCTORS:
The instructors are competent and helpful when they are available.
During the day, from 12-6, the class had access to one java instructor, one .Net instructor, and zero Angular/React instructors. 
During the evening from 6-9, the class had access to one Java/Angular/React instructor, but not for the full duration of the program(except by e-mail). 
CURRICULUM:
Several of my classmates who were new to programming dropped out. They cited "insufficient mentorship" or "too fast paced" as their reasons. 
You are expected to spend the majority of your time on Google teaching yourself, which is an important skill, but not what you pay other people for. 
Do not expect more than a cursory glance at HTML/CSS here as part of the "Full-Stack Developer" training. 
JOB ASSISTANCE:
My employer sent me to this training, so I have no experience depending on them to find me work. 5 stars by default. 
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 
I learned a great deal while I was here, by teaching myself 10x as much as I was taught. There are other programs and resources I would recommend for a fraction of the cost. 
Some of us were pressured into writing a hasty and positive review of this program. Since I don't depend on Claim Academy to find me work, I feel that I can be honest here. Take this into account when reading other reviews.