I had joined the 2nd cohort at MakerSquare in fall of 2013. Prior to MakerSquare, I had tried…read morelearning Ruby and JS on my own, through countless books and online tutorials. Having completed a few guides, I realized that my ability to learn "how to code" was hindered simply by my style of learning. I love interactive q/a style learning, which is what led me to MakerSquare. Of the different programs out there, the one thing I would urge others to consider is that they place a heavy amount of weight onto prework completed (how much work you've done ahead of time) and community-fit. If you're a solo worker and not a fan of collaborative environments, you may want to consider other programs. Anyways, long story short, I would whole heartedly recommend this program. As classmates, I had former programmers, retail store workers, a professional photographer and even a former elementary teacher. Out of the program, each of the students were working as professional front-end engineers (junior developers) within weeks of graduating. So safe to say, MakerSquare has a great professional network, and they know how to teach code. The classroom environment (the location on Congress ave) was a bit cramped at times. But from what I've heard the class size is now capped at 18, vs. 30 or so when I went through. All the 'issues' I had (space constraints, less than ideal student:instructor ratio, and focus on advanced concepts (algorithms and data structures) has been completely addressed. According to the staff, Cohort 5 is operating on an almost night/day difference of curriculum than what I had. So not only do I give the program 5 stars, I would (and likely will) retake the course to take advantage of their newest curriculum.

In short, I'm very happy! Though I'm not programming on a daily basis, I was able to get into the…read moreSt. Louis startup scene which was my main goal before enrolling at MakerSquare. I've also built a really awesome network of programmers and startup gurus in St. Louis and I believe that's thanks to MakerSquare! :-) I joined in Winter 2013-2014 (Cohort 3 Represent!). My reason for joining originally was not initially to become a software/web developer. Rather, I wanted to be able to communicate better with programmers that I worked with. I wanted to gain better access to the startup network. And most importantly I have a lot of ideas that I wanted to explore on my own - I didn't want to have to rely on finding a developer to build my ideas and turn them into a reality. I came out of the program having learned web-development with a strong emphasis on solid software development skills. Here's what I loved about MakerSquare: Curriculum: I was impressed by how much I learned. I literally had no experience in programming and I can now build web applications that ACTUALLY work. Not just simple interactive sites, but fully dynamic applications that work heavily with javascript on top of a rails framework. Moreover, all of this was taught with a very clear emphasis on test driven development (from the beginning) and solid software development principles. Instructors & Culture: They actually cared about the students and our progress and they were just all-around cool people. The culture at MakerSquare was actually a huge focus in the organization. I think what I loved most was learning how to learn all over again. I gained a new confidence that I've never had. The energy was also great, everyone had awesome ideas - from students to staff. Feedback: I would have liked to have more experience with Ruby and really learning how to code w/algorithms and such vs. w/Rails which is just teaching you the framework. From what I gather, Rails is now being treated as a detail vs. a core of what we learned. When we learned rails, it was about utilizing the framework for its ActiveRecord and quick-to-web functionality. MakerSquare still teaches web development (rails/mvc, http, javascript, etc) but now only after teaching other concepts that are applicable not just to the web, but to all software (test-driven development, SOLID principles, application boundaries, decoupling, databases, interfaces, software architecture, etc). I would have loved a deeper problem-solving skillset through exposure to algorithms. Looks like I was one cohort shy of that. MakerSquare now integrates algorithms and algorithmic thinking from day 1. Finally, MakerSquare was split into two nearby locations (Congress & Brazos). The extra space was nice, but it felt disconnected and I think it kept our cohort from being as close as some other cohorts have been.

Had a great weekend workshop with Steve and Heather. I was a total beginner and they really helped…read moreus all to really explore the materials we were working with and push ourselves to new places. It truly was a fantastic experience. Would love to go back again!

If you are interested in sculpture but don't have space at home for a fully-equipped studio,…read moreAtelier 3-D is the perfect place for you. This studio, run by Steve Dubov, has at least one of everything you might need for your sculpture explorations in clay, plaster, bronze, permastone, and beyond. And Steve is very knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions you've got. The people at the studio have a variety backgrounds, skill levels, goals, and aesthetics. But they are all laid back and love what they do. I've found this to be a very welcoming place. I especially recommend Steve's Sculpture 101 class series. His instruction isn't heavy handed and in each class you produce a small piece in just a few hours. An added bonus is that Armadillo Clay Supply is conveniently located few blocks away.

Paulette, was wonderful helpful and honest. Got my zipper replaced on my sofa cushion. Fast,…read morefriendly & affordable.

Paulette was wonderful to work with! My husband and I took 2 of our 6 dining room chairs in for…read moreher to see and assess. We took the other 4 in after we knew that Austin Upholstery Studio was the perfect place to make the chair magic happen! Paulette helped us select the right fabrics and cushion thickness.These chairs are from a dining room set that was my grandmother's. Very old. In desperate need of an update! They look fabulous!! We are totally thrilled with the results. Such attention to detail and expert workmanship. And a reasonable price for this amount and quality of work. Thank you, Paulette and staff!

came as a plus one for a company event! if you're viewing this experience from that perspective, i…read morethink it's a great! they're super organized and know how to cater to a large group (~25 people) really well. we assembled a berry tart to bake at the start then got to build our own bruschetta combos. there was whipped feta, turkish apricot, and orange chutney as bases, and you could top it with mint, tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumber. at the end before we ate, we took turns seasoning the chicken and watched a demo on how she made the carrot hummus. i didn't learn as much actual cooking as i was hoping. i'll have to try their public classes instead!

Such a fun date night experience! The cooking classes are held in a beautiful space in east Austin…read moreand are lead by very talented and kind chefs. They describe it as a "recreational" cooking class, which means there is some light cooking involved but they've done a lot of the heavy lifting which takes the stress out of the experience and maximizes enjoyment. There were about 15 people total in the class. It's BYOB and they give you all the recipes after. We attended the New American Mediterranean class. Menu items included strawberry gazpacho, an arugula salad, carrot hummus, lovely grilled chicken marinated in Mediterranean spices, and berry ricotta tarts for dessert. Each item was more epic than the last. My girlfriend and I agreed that this was the best meal we've had in a long time. Absolutely delicious! We can't wait to try some of the recipes at home, and attend another cooking class (possibly the Italian one!) soon.

Since the pandemic, Austin Coding Academy has really gone downhill. Last-minute schedule changes…read moreand overall disorganization have become the norm. It feels like they still haven't figured things out, and it's been pretty disappointing. The curriculum feels outdated and links to a bunch of youtube videos, which I could have seen for free. Plus, some of my peers aren't where they need to be, so it makes group projects suck. They seem to care more about the money than actual student success. Most of the positive reviews are from years ago. The place used to have a great reputation, but now it's just not the same. Until they sort things out, I wouldn't recommend Austin Coding Academy. There are other coding bootcamps out there with much better reputations and outcomes for a similar price.

Austin Coding Academy is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I just completed the intro…read morecourse, and I can confidently say that the intro course alone had a direct impact on my ability to secure a new, higher paying job that I love! Yes, there are 5 coding boot camps in Austin right now. Let me tell you what sets this program apart: 1. The Staff - The leadership and instructors at this school genuinely care deeply about 2 things. First, they care about you. They want you to succeed. They want you to make more money. They want you to take care of your family. And they do their best to make that happen through curriculum, project-based teaching, and networking. Second, they care about creating a workforce of people who can code well and contribute to the world. 2. They are affordable. Do the research yourself and compare, and these guys will still come out on top. 3. Last but not least, not only is the program designed for people who work full time, it is also broken into 3 10-week sessions. Maybe you're not sure if this is what you want to do for a living. Maybe you want to try out the first course and see how you do. You can do that here because you aren't forced into a long-term and expensive commitment. No matter what your education level may be (I never finished my Bachelor's degree), you can do this! I am planning on continuing this education, and you should plan on beginning it! *They are expanding to San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston as well.*

Best investment I've ever made - twice. Both my boys have gone through intensive summer swim…read moreprograms with ISR Austin with Michelle. Every day for 10 mins over about 6 weeks. It's a commitment for sure but worth it for peace of mind should your kid find themselves in a dangerous water situation. Michelle is gentle with the children and puts them at ease immediately. Michelle gains their trust and helps them work on believing in themselves and their abilities. She works with each unique kid and I feel lucky to have caught the end of lessons with other kids ranging from baby age (amazing watching them orientate themselves and float solo) as well as older kids. Worth every dime when I see my 6 and 3 year olds able to jump in the water, swim and float by themselves, get themselves to the side of the pool when necessary and out for safety.

Ya'll...Can I just tell you...Ms. Michelle is amazing. She was so attentive to our little one…read more(1-year-old). Ms. Michelle was consistently professional, extremely skillful, and very kind. Our little guy learned so much in such a short amount of time and is now able to flip and float on his own! He has always enjoyed playing in water, which made us happy...and a bit nervous. We have an in-ground pool at our home and while we take as many precautions as possible, we know it's possible that he could get in the water (here or somewhere else) without someone noticing. We are so thankful and forever grateful for the this opportunity for him build skills that could help him survive in that worst case scenario. Highly recommend A+++

I took the beginner's class with Dave and learned so much. The content was great and the…read moreinstructor was also patient with all of us and answered a ton of our questions. I would recommend this class!

I've taken several of these classes and LOVED each one. If you're starting out in photography or…read moretrying to gain some new tips, these classes offer a platform where you can ask all the questions you've been harboring AND find out new ideas and tricks you never knew. I suggest taking the classroom class first, then going on a photowalk (a must do, you will get amazing photos!) and then taking the Lightroom class. All the instructors really know what they're talking about and it's a casual and small enough class that you can get some good quality time with them. These classes finally make you feel familiar with your camera and confident enough to go shoot on your own. I highly recommend them : ).

Fallout Theater is a local gem of a theater that provides comedy relief and education for…read moreAustinites and visitors. The theatre runs shows on a nightly basis, usually after 7 or 8pm in the evening and simultaneously teaches a bunch of different comedy classes, including improv, stand-up, sketch, clown, and other one-off specialty comedy classes. Most of the normal classes run for approximately 8 weeks and are about 2 hours a week. The pricing for almost 16 hours of instruction is usually super reasonable (~$250 classes, or less than $15/hr). Most instructors are local Austin veterans and I've always enjoyed taking classes at the Fallout (at least for improv) and often end up being local community members that you'll see in shows or other comedy-related events. Shows are often affordable and a fun date night option that have different themes catering to anything you'd like. There's a small amount of snacks (candy) and a bar up-front for show attendees. Parking is relatively limited but not impossible to find. You can find street parking usually just one block north of the Fallout on 7th Street, 8th Street, Guadalupe, and Lavaca.

Great spot for a Saturday night. The staff was very kind and the show was funny. It was a little…read morewarm but not too bad.