Claim Academy

Claim Academy is a very immersive boot camp.  These last 12 weeks have been rigorous and filled with frustration.  Overall however, it was a positive experience.  That being said, there is plenty of room for improvement.  I really hope claim changes the curriculum around to involve the instructors more.  It is broken down as 5 days a week for 9 hours a day.  3 hours solo programming, 3 hours peer programming, and 3 hours of instruction.  I believe it they changed it to an hour and a half of solo and an hour and half of peer with 6 hours of instruction the instructors could really have the time to educate their students.  With the current situation as it is, it is very easy to become disheartened because students feel like they are constantly catching up.  

They do go out of their way to bring potential jobs your way and the quality of the jobs are pretty top notch for the most part.  And at the end of your time there you present a project to many companies which is intimidating but a lot of fun.

Claim Academy offers a unique opportunity supported by incredible staff!  Claim Academy has condensed an advanced full stack Software Developer education into a 3-month curriculum. Claim Academy is the answer for breaking into the industry of Software Development. 

I studied the C#/.NET program and without hesitation I applaud the instructors for their knowledge on the subject matter and their overwhelming patience. Claim Academy structures the course to include hands-on lectures combined with labs which culminates in the Capstone project - a complete built from scratch web application that embodies all technologies learned in the previous 12 weeks of education. 

Claim Academy exposes its students to multiple employers.  Throughout the program, Claim Academy facilitates relationships with various recruiting firms and companies.

I highly recommend the Claim Academy experience!

Claim Acadey was a great experience and I learned so much over the course of the 12 weeks, it was amazing.  The course has greatly helped me grow my skills in tech and allowed me to become a Java developer.  The instructors were great and always willing to stay late and help with anything I needed assistance with in understanding, as well as with the completion of any assignments/projects I was having difficulties with.  I could even text them at all kinds of odd hours for help!  The relationships formed with the teachers and my classmates are wonderful and life-long and something I truly value.  Coming into the program, I didn't know if I would have the ability to learn and have a solid grasp of the concepts that were being taught, but with the help and encouragement of the instructors and my classmates, I had enough support to do so.

Claim Academy has helped me immensely grow my skills in the tech world and allow me to become a Full Stack Java Developer. The teachers and mentors are always there to help you and challenge you along the way! The program is quite difficult, but it is so rewarding and you meet alot of great people along the way. Not only your fellow classmates, but the instructors as well. I am happy to say that they not only became friends, but more along the lines of family. The skills and relationships that you will build here will be life-long and valueable. 

Deciding to enroll in the Claim Academy's full stack Java program was the best investment I ever made. That's because I invested in myself! After five years in a career that left me feeling exhausted and empty, I needed something more. I felt stuck in a career that was burning me out because I thought changing careers meant going back to college, more student loans, 2-4 years of coursework, and I just didn't have the time for that.  But I was wrong. There is another way. Claim Academy! It was affordable, and only a 12 week program. It sounded like exactly what I was looking for. I knew I needed to be challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone to feel more fulfilled. Claim Academy did both of those things for me. I had almost no experience with coding or programming before I attended Claim, but it didn't matter. The instructors were very knowledgeable and even made themselves available to us outside of class hours. The other students in my class were amazing, and by overcoming challenges together, we became family.

Before I started at Claim, I doubted myself. I was very nervous about starting a new career as a developer after only 12 weeks of classes. I was afraid I would never learn enough to actually be able to start a new career.  I saw all of these students in the class ahead of me getting jobs before they even finished the program, and I thought that would never happen for me. I was wrong again. After only my fourth week of classes, I got a job offer and am now working full time as a Java Developer. My salary almost doubled from my last job, and I love going to work every day! It was only 3 months ago that I started dreaming of a new career, and a new life. Thanks to Claim Academy, that dream is now my every day reality.

I am so thankful to Ola, Lamar, Praneeth, and all the staff at Claim Academy. They gave me the best gift I have ever gotten; the confidence to reach my full potential. 

I attended Claim's Full Stack Java Developer bootcamp.  The first couple of days started off slow.  However, the rest of the way sped up considerably.  A lot of late nights.  It took a bit of time to get used to the 12pm-9pm schedule.  But I soon adjusted and appreciated not having to deal with traffic.  

The instructors were great.  They had different styles which balanced each other out.  It also allowed us to see various ways to tackle the same problem.  You will likely feel overwhelmed by the end of the second week.  Although, this can be prevented some by preparing before you attend.  I applied and was accepted at the deadline.  So I didn't get much of a chance to prepare as thoroughly as I would have liked.  My advice?  Use the resources available online to study Java(or c# if that which path you take) well in advance of your start date.  Also, use something to practice coding challenges. Make sure to understand the solution.  Youtube has some great walkthroughs.  At the very least, make sure you are comfortable with manipulating strings and working with arrays.  

The staff was helpful in getting me situated once I got to St Louis.  I drove over from Kansas City.  They provided plenty of job leads and the employers came out to see our final capstone presentations,  I needed to take a couple of days off(medical issue).  They were very supportive.

Overall, I feel that I received quality training.  I get messages for interviews on LinkedIn and I have a few set up for this week and next.  Quite a few of my classmates have already found jobs so I know it works.  

I would also suggest checking with former students on LinkedIn.  That will give you great info.  Just don't blow them up with messages.

I am very thankful that I came to Claim Academy.  I am not the type to thrive in a regular classroom and claim was the perfect combination of class size and great instructor.  Even when I was struggling throughout the course and they really went the extra mile to make sure that I was comfortable and able to graduate.  My class mates were great and all of my instructors were knowledgeable and helpful and I never felt out of place.   Even after graduation they are helping me in my job search and I couldn't be more thankful to them.  Thank you Claim Academy!

Claim Academy was exactly what I was looking for. I knew I wanted to change careers, but didn't know where to get started. Rather than waste my time just studying on my own, hoping I was studying the right things, Claim offered a structured cirriculum that helped point me in the right direction. The instructors were incredibly helpful and I always felt encouraged by all of the staff. The assistance they provided with my resume, looking for a job, and practicing for interviews was invaluable to me, someone who is terrified of the job hunt.

Diversity.  Inclusion.  Accessibility.  Mentorship.  Empowerment.  Support.  Adaptability.  Comfortability.  Instructors that know their stuff really, really well.  Instructors that share "real-world" tricks of the trade.  They go out of their way.  This is what makes Claim unique and increases your chance of greatest success.

Shortly after I applied, Travis called me to walk me through the onboarding process, and he gave me his personal phone number in case I had any questions or problems.  I met the founder, Ola, who is open to being contacted directly, as well.

Sahara makes learning the complexity of Java and frontend simple and easy to understand.  She will sit with you to make sure you "get it".  You can interrupt her at any given moment and she manages to help everyone.  She keeps you on your toes to make sure you allocate time to career development and to apply for jobs.  She and Praneeth will give you the practice you need to ace technical interviews.  They will also tailor this to specific upcoming interviews.

Praneeth is the C# king - his widsom and expertise shines through.  He also has great tips on how to learn faster and he has a wealth of programming and industry insight.  He shares this in a way that we can apply to the "real world".

Lamar is just amazing.  He makes sure you don't have any gaps in your understanding.  He makes you stretch your mind.  He will stay into the wee hours of the morning if need be.  You can call him anytime.

Amanda will show up at networking events outside of class and on the weekends.  Her relationship building yields so many new job opportunities for us.

Ola helps you be the "total, employable package".  He leads by example.  He's a TedX Fellow and Pulitzer Foundation Speaker.  

Bottomline, everyone's a coach that helps pave the way for new and rewarding opportunities!  I don't just get interviews; I get offers.  And I have Claim Academy to thank.