Claim Academy

I attended and graduated from the 24 week Cybersecurity Cohort.  The program gets it right, and it is probably better than some of the degree programs I had looked into through the local universities.  I am in an IT group on Facebook and a lot of the members stated that the curriculum they get through their degree programs doesn't prepare them because they don't extensively get to participate in hands on labs.  The instructors are real world experienced individuals at Claim Academy, and are very knowledgeable.  They are truly invested in the success of the students.  I have recommended the program to so many of my friends. Read less

I took the 14-week Cybersecurity course, after which I passed the CompTIA Security + exam on my first try.  But in addition to that, I practiced and gave presentations on Linux, Active Directory, Python, and even the programming of microsystems.  The numerous Labs throughout the course made learning the concepts of cybersecurity more accessible and memorable, especially as I did not come from an IT career.   Read less

I recently attended Claim Academy for 3 weeks .Our First week the instructor went on vacation , and there wasn't a backup instructor in place. They called in favor to have friends in the industry teach. I was like ok whatever, but due to the mixing of instructors, they were just teaching random things and there was no curriculum for them to follow. By week three we had made it to our fourth instructor , who openly admitted he didn't know what was going on and wasn't a very good teacher. He had been asked last minute to fill in until the main instructor returned. In week three we spent an hour going over day one material because no one told the instructor what plan to follow. That same day we found out our main instructor had put his two weeks in and only had a week left. Claim academy had been trying to hire a second instructor for well over two months , and they also were under review  from the VA due to excessive complaints about the program. I left the next day after finding out the instructor was leaving. Claim Academy is a burning ship and i do not recommend. I will be pursuing coding at another bootcamp, stay tuned for my next review. Read less

Knowledgeable instructors who are experts in their field and will do anything to help you succeed.  This course 100% prepared me to pass my security+ exam on the first try.  They even provide free housing in the St Louis area for those who need it.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Read less

Claim Academy was the best decision I could have made. I decided to go to Claim Academy after my first semester of grad school at a 4 year university. The program I am enrolled in is suppose to teach a complete beginner coding skills. My university failed phenomenally, with most of my beginners java class averaging a 68 on an open note open book final exam. I decided to find someone who could teach what I needed to know. Claim Academy not only taught me Java, but also taught me tools I needed to ace interviews and get call backs. I have an interview every day next week from recruiters that reached out to me through my association with Claim Academy. I can't thank them enough. If you're lucky, you'll get to have Brandon or Nife as your instructors and Dannohh as a mentor. This is a solid team of instructors regardless of who you get though. Each of them is dedicated to you understanding the material. You just have to put in the work, and everything will fall into place. Do yourself a favor and choose Claim Academy. Read less

Might not be for someone that needs to be hand in hand with instructor.  I'm more of that individual but I stuck through it with the help from all the instructors, students and mentors.  The mentors do give you that one on one time you might need just need, so take advantage of it.  School allows for a lot of self growth and instruction with feedback and direction from instructors.  I chose Claim because of the Veteran approved programs they work with such as Vet Tec.  This school has definitely been a blessing towards a huge change in my life and journey.  Looking forward on what else Claim will have to offer in the future now that I have graduated and we have entered the employment phase.  I'll be back to update my review of the employment news when it comes up, so stay tuned.   Read less

Having no prior training whatsoever, Claim Academy showed me that anyone can learn coding. This experience was amazing. The instructors were both knowledgeable and patient. My online classmates were so supportive. The help you receive both during and after training is incredible. Claim is hands down one of the best schools I ever attended. Read less

The Java Full Stack Developer program is a super intensive 12-week fulltime course for those want to do full stack development. It's a great way to learn how websites/apps work from front end (Spring or REACT) to back end (Java) to the sql database. Consider this to be websites/apps A to Z. Because at the end, 'you' will build a full app yourself! Claim is a super Veteran-friendly school with good admin support, and a staff that is not necessarily trying to mold each student to be a certain way, but rather, helps each student bring out the best that 'they' have to offer (individually). That was my personal experience. But, I will warn those who have absolutely no coding background or previous training, this is a very difficult course and it will demand teamwork, but also alot of solitary time to grasp the concepts. People I thought would most certainly graduate, did not (in a few select cases). Creativity and problem solving skills is what you will need to get through this experience and to graduate. Also, do not enter into a course like this if you cannot literally clear out 12 weeks on your calendar, which will need to be 'distraction-free!' You will need every moment of each day to get through this course! Read less

If you know nothing , Maximo.... Go to this class. The teacher is patient and an expert. However , unlike " those who don't know, Teach." attitude..  Claim teachers are in the field and have been for years. You will get the bare knowledge and inside skills that will help you succeed in IT and in life. What are you waiting for? Advance your life NOW! With people that will help you before, during and after you become a master in your field. Read less

While it is accurate that Cybersecurity is an active and growing industry, do not believe that a Security+ certificate and 0 tech industry experience will reasonably land you a cybersecurity position. 

The course helped me pass this difficult exam, and has a great staff, but it is better for a future Cybersecurity professional to get IT help desk experience or a bachelors degree before trying to make the leap into cybersecurity. If you have either of these things, this course is for you. Read less

 During my time at Claim Academy, quite a few things went wrong.  At first I blamed the pandemic, but by graduation it was clear that the school was also at fault due to poor management.  Here are some things I encountered:  
 
 1. This was supposed to be an in-person course.  I specifically chose it for this reason because I learn better in person. Due to events below, it was only in-person for the first 3.5 weeks. The remainder of instruction was nothing but zoom meetings.  This was a minor irritation compared to the rest.
 
 2. Our original teacher put in his resignation 1 week in, so we got a new teacher (zoom meetings only) at 3.5 weeks. Our new teacher DID NOT continue the curriculum from 3.5 weeks... he started teaching like it was the beginning of week 5!!!  He skipped 1.5 weeks of curriculum and said he'd "touch back on that" as we went along.  This left us learning about Spring MVC without knowing a single bit of HTML or CSS.  We had barely finished the basics.  Also, he didn't stop when we asked questions.  He plowed right through like no one spoke.  We were actually advised to watch the videos later so we could pause when we needed to.  Honestly, I don't know why that teacher is even still employed since they know he is not a quality teacher.  Intelligence does not equal teaching ability.
 
 3. When the new teacher started, our scheduled meeting times abruptly shifted from 1pm-4pm to 4pm-7pm. Several in-person students, including myself, continued to use the school's building during class time for the stable internet and a dedicated place to concentrate.  As it turns out, however, the office staff leaves at about 530-6 every night.  So anyone who decided to stay late was left alone in a fully glass fronted building where they pre-lock the door (i.e. if you go out, you can't get back in).  It's not like we could drive home in the middle of a lecture when the office staff left.  Eventually I was the last person coming to the building.  Since I'm a 5'4" 125 pound woman, I wasn't exactly comfortable sitting by myself in a giant fishbowl in downtown St. Louis for hours, so after two days of that I went home to finish the rest of the course.
 
 4. This new teacher was also a temporary teacher.  He was only scheduled to teach us for 2 weeks until our permanent teacher started.  The only reason any of us survived those two weeks was because of a single mentor!  I won't drop names, but anyone from my cohort knows who I mean.  He took it upon himself to hold a 3 hour zoom session EVERY DAY for those two week.  He single handedly taught us HTML, CSS, and filled in all the gaps from week 3 & 4.  He went above and beyond his 'mentor' capacity and without him, many of us would not have made it.  If you're reading this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your extra time!!!
 
 5.  We ALL complained!  The program the school uses asked students every week: "Can you rate your class experience this week on a scale of 1-5".  During those 2 weeks, reviews dropped from 4-5 stars to solid 1 star.  Everyone rated the class poorly and complained to administration, but nothing was ever done to fix the situation! We were simply expected to ride it out and do our best while the temporary teacher taught whatever he felt like for 2 weeks and never bothered answering questions.
 
 6.  During the later weeks of class, we started attending company spotlights and alumni interviews, which is all fine.  However, we usually weren't told about these events until 1-2 hours before they happened.  To put this in perspective, we completed 3 different individual projects during this class, including a full stack capstone, as well as at least 3 group projects.  Being pulled away from a programming session with practically no notice is extremely disruptive.  It also seemed very unnecessary.  Either the office staff constantly planned events at the very last moment, or they didn't bother alerting the actual students until the last moment.  Both of which constitute poor planning.  Also, these events would often interrupt our scheduled class time (being held at 430-5pm). I understand the importance of these events, but our actual programming instruction should be our #1 priority.
 
 7. However, the best example of a clerical error/utter failure of planning was the fact that when they created the event for our capstone Demo Day presentations... they didn't bother to set the notifications to include the very students scheduled to present their projects OR send us a link to the updated schedule.
 
Our third teacher was great!  He backtracked, he answered questions, and was a brilliant teacher.  As I said, the mentor was also amazing.  Everyone was very friendly. I did learn quite a bit of programming and I did produce a full stack project at the end.  I just graduated, so I can't speak for the job assistance, but it's looking good so far.
 
 My experience with Claim Academy is only worth 2 stars because of the things I explained above; however, it wouldn't take much for them to improve. Most importantly, a better organized events coordinator that is capable of giving at least a 24 hour notification for events and considers student priorities while scheduling.  I'm sure other cohorts have a better time, but the one I was in did not have a quality experience. 

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Claim Academy is amazing at what they do and how they run the program. If you need help they will be there every step of the way. That being said is don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions to both the staff and the other students. There is always something new you can learn from everyone. This course will definitely keep you engaged as long as you are willing to put in the effort. Read less

Learned JAVA and some React.  I had previously attended Digitalcrafts ATL, and it is hard not to compare.  Unfortunately Claim doesn't come close to Digitalcrafts in terms of quality.  Our instructors(we went through 3) at Claim seemed to be part time while at Digitalcrafts they were full time.  We spent about 3 hours a day actually with the professor in a zoom call, any other communication was on Basecamp (and it was horrible).  As students we made our own zoom calls with each other to work together.  Digitalcrafts on the other hand had a zoom call up for most of the day and the instructor was available along with at least two TAs all day and many times into the late evening.  
Overall, I think Claim has alot of potential, but they need to really take suggestions well and be able and willing to improve. Read less

I believe Claim Academy is a great opportunity for anyone looking to challenge themselves with learning a new skill and possibly a new career path.  From an administrative standpoint, Travis Wyrick and Matthew Hook were excellent in helping me find out about the VETTEC program to pay for the course.  Training wise Denish Otieno and Lamar Myles were as good as it gets to help new students understand such complex material.  They were always helpful and wanted students to learn.  Also, your fellow classmates were very helpful in helping you understand problems you are having trouble with.  If you put in the work it is incredible what you will receive from this program. Read less

Now that it had been more than a year with no full-time employment as a developer, I will share my experience during my time with Claim Academy. The first red flag to start with was when I was filling out the documentation for financing. At the time of my application, they advertised their "pay after you get the job" only for them to pressure you into paying the school in full by their Climb Credit loan. Looking back at it, I should have never taken the loan as I am paying $400 a month and living paycheck to paycheck with the promise and hopes of receiving a software engineer job. I was also promised a scholarship in which I never received or had any documentation of receiving the scholarship.

As far as studying there, We had a fantastic instructor in the JavaScript program. Although he may not be teaching at Claim anymore, he made the course equally challenging and exciting. The biggest problem I had with the course as I was part of the first Full-stack JavaScript students at Claim which made the course structure challenging as far as the amount of time needed for each subject. Our JavaScript class could have greatly benefitted from more mentors/teacher assistants. We had a mentor in the program, but he did not join us until the middle of the program. We could also benefit from more time on our final capstone project as the project was very important to our future when we present to employers. I felt like I did not get adequate time to work on the capstone project as I have gone to build higher-quality projects immediately after graduation to replace the capstone project on my resume. One thing I noticed was anyone that who wanted to unenroll from Claim was pressured into staying, so they wouldn't have to refund a certain amount of their tuition according to their refund policy. Another issue was the class schedule made it nearly impossible to keep a full-time job. Even if you were part-time, they would talk you into studying full time in the middle of the program.

When they handed us our transcript after graduation, I noticed they added subjects to our transcript that we "learned" even though we have never been taught on those subjects. Examples were Transcript, Firebase, etc. They also claimed that their program is worth college credit, however, the validity of that is currently in review.

The worst part about the program was after I graduated from the program. They claimed the employers that we presented our final project to would contact us however when I followed up with a lot of the employers that were present during the presentation, they replied that I did not have enough experience that they need. When we had our original Engagement Manager, he worked very hard to follow up with us and made sure that our resume and interview skills were up to par. After he has left, there has been a revolving door of Engagement Managers that we would have very little if any contact to. Although they claimed to "be there for you every step of the way and get you on to interviews with big companies" they have not followed up with any opportunities. You get invited to join an alumni group on the Basecamp app only for them to recommend any job rather it required 5-7 years of experience or relocate to cities outside of Saint Louis. The only jobs I was contacted for were for Java instead of JavaScript.

Back on February 10th, they have reached out to see if I can send them my offer letter that I received for a small 4-month freelance project I completed through a personal connection. I have mentioned I did not receive an official emailed offer as we have agreed to the contract in person. I also used the email to express my concerns with Claim Academy as the only time Claim has followed up in several months was to get details about my contract position. Claim has chosen not to respond to my email and has not contacted me since I express my concerns. The biggest concern I have mentioned to them as I paid a premium tuition rate in hopes of the premium learning experience, support after graduation, and potential opportunities with companies that they have "great relationships" with. I have peers with similar backgrounds that have graduated from other programs that were either free or cheaper and have received full-time employment opportunities. 

My advice to anyone considering Claim Academy is to do your research for other programs as there are more affordable options that provide the same or better experience than Claim Academy and would treat their students as students instead of a number. I recommend considering schools such as LaunchCode or Savvy. If you decide to pursue your education with Claim Academy, do not use their financing. Ask them about their "pay after your first job" if they still offer it. Do not make the same mistake as I did thinking you will get your first tech job quickly. 

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Claim Academy was amazing for helping me understand and implement Java Full-Stack Web Development. I learned several software packages that I now have on my resume. I had help with writing a professional looking technical resume designed specifically for getting work in the web development industry. The instructors were incredibly helpful and even allowed me extra time when "real-life" reared its ugly head. Being a disabled vet with PTSD, this course allowed me to work where I feel safest... at home. Read less