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. 

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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.

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Full Stack Java Developer

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Before joining Claim Academy, I had previous coding experience that I had picked up through TreeHouse, Codecademy, and through courses that I had been taking at UMSL. But none of those experiences could have prepared me for the intensly challenging and thorough classes at Claim Academy. Each lesson was saturated with "real-world" problems and solutions, which is so much more valuable than the previous dry textbook-style learning I was used to. This program was hands-on with its labs that encouraged us to write either whole or mini applications each and every lesson. 

I graduated Claim Academy with fully-functional and complete applicatons, which I found to be incredibly useful to speak about during interviews. During Demo Day at Claim, I was able to present my final application in front of employee-searching companies. Shortly after, I recieved a phone call from a represetative who had seen my presentation and I was offered a position. 

I am grateful to have enrolled at Claim Academy. It gave me the stepping stone that I needed to get my foot in the door and begin a career in programming, and for that I am thankful! 

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This Coding Bootcamp has been very intense, the instructors, mainly Sahara and Praneeth were  knowledgeable and dedicated to help , challenging us daily and providing one-on-one sessions when the going was rough. Ola is not sparing any effort or idea to make sure we have the perfect framework.
It is not about just  aligning lines of codes, but getting us to become comfortable with the very tools,  environments, methodologies and teamwork one will find in the software engineering world where we are all heading towards. I would recommend Claim Academy to any person considering to get into software engineering.

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I am definitely ecstatic that I was chosen for this program. I entered into a classroom that was uniquely diverese and welcoming. The instructors really have faith in the students and in the program. No answers were given but they forced us to think. By my second week I had already noticed that my perception of everyday things had started to change. I was starting to disect programs and websites in my everyday life, like on a trip to AutoZone. The twelve weeks were long, but they really did go by quite fast. Overall I enjoyed myself aand learned a host of new skills that I feel will be relevant for decades to come.

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I am a Navy veteran who was looking for face-to-face training classes in coding, after getting frustrated trying to learn it through 100% online tutorials. I was referred to Claim Academy by a fellow veteran and received a scholarship to attend. Claim Academy LOVES veterans and will be flexible with your schedule to accomodate your training and your life. They taught us full-stack Java development, performed resume and LinkedIn reviews and taught us soft skills needed for interviewing. They also taught us interview techniques specifically related to the tech industry and helped us to know what to expect on the job after. On the second to last day of class, students present the web applications they built in front of a room full of employers. I was interviewed by four companies right there on the spot. Claim Academy's staff will help you find positions to apply to and do whatever they can to help you find full-time employment, a better-than-average starting salary and benefits. 

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This is a very intense bootcamp and you need to be persistent in your studies even outside the program to succeed. At times, it was overwhelming but by staying the course, you begin to realize that you are getting it and put your new skills to work on a capstone project that you are passionate about. That was very rewarding!

The instructors are very knowledgeable and the staff is passionate about what they do. Our particular class was the largest due to awarding Facebook scholarships and I believe that more staff was probably necessary to provide the support the students were needing.... but we made it!! Thank you Ola for your dedication and enthusiasm in making this program available to all of us. It was your encouragement and good heart that kept us motivated and excited on the home stretch.

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What makes Claim Academy the #1 boot camp in St Louis is not only the staff(Sahara & Lamar & Sowmya & Praneeth) is very knowledgeable regarding Information Technology(Coding) but the Java curriculum is very intense but worth every PENNY. I really learned so much in a short amount of time, which I'm proud I actually attended Claim Academy. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Claim Academy from late night learning java code, to peer code sharing,  and early morning troubleshooting React Js. Claim academy is really committed to helping the students gain the necessary skills and provide us with resources to improve in our cohort. In additionally its a great stepping stone to placing me in the field of technology. Lamar and Sahara are the BEST!!!!!

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Its a ok place to work...train you very well....just dont be late. The tardy policy is murder and unfortunately was the death of me there.I saw a flyer for Claim Academy during my decision of if I wanted to go back to school or not. I talked to some of the staff before attending & I knew within minutes that this was the right path to go down. The teachers there were very skilled on what they were educating us on and was always if we needed any help. The lessons aren’t straightforward but it it’s not so complicated that you can't finish them. It’s a lot of hard work that might end in some late nights but the education that you will receive is value

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What makes Claim Academy the best is not just what they do for us on the front-end (Class, Instructors, etc) but what they do for us on the back-end (job searches, inviting companies to talk to us, hack-a-thons). They really are committed to helping the students gain the necessary skills and provide us with resources to improve in our cohort. In additionally its a great stepping stone to placing us in the field of technology.

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I've had a wonderful experience working with Claim Academy, since becoming a part of the team I have gotten the opportunity to help change lives. Aside from the military, I have never been a part of such a dedicated structure that focuses primarily on professional development. I am proud of the decision I have made in joining Claim Academy, I do know the impact in changing lives is serious and it happens everyday right here. In a world that is becoming completly digital, Claim Academy continues to move at the speed of Technology.

Very Respectfully,

Travis J. Mathis

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I found Claim Academy during my job search and dicided it was time I do something to advance my career and get into the field that I've been trying to get into since college. the instructors were very knowledgeable on what they were teaching us and were available if you need help. The course isn't easy but it isn't so difficult that you can't complete it. It is a lot of work and caused some late nights but the knowledge I have now has made it more than worth it.

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