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.

If you want to learn Cuban Salsa this is the place. I have taken lessons from Jeff Link for about…read more20 weeks . These are group lessons easy on the pocket book. He makes it so much fun and structures his teaching in a way that builds on each lesson. His enthusiasm is very real. He cares about you learning to dance. It is the best part of my week. Plus he introduces you to the social dancing scene.

I've been with Bembé for a couple of months now and it has turned out to be one of the best…read moredecisions I've made. I had always wanted to learn to dance, but I had never danced before and had no partner. I was unsure how this was going to work--but I am so glad I went anyway! Bembé had a page on FB announcing their Intro classes--no partner needed. The time and price was great--so I signed up. Located in Oakley near the Blue Manatee and Red Feather, classes are held in the Cincinnati Ballroom Company's studio. Jeff, the owner of Bembé, teaches and is the most talented, fun, and energetic guy--he is so welcoming and will always take the time so you can get the moves. And out of the 10 people in the class--only one couple! Not only did I gain dance skills, but the group and Jeff is very social as well. They go out to dance as a group frequently to Salsa bars, seminars, out-of-town trips (even international trips!) and welcome everyone! Some of the nicest people I have ever met! In fact, I kind of don't want to make this post because it is one of the best kept secrets in Cincinnati--but Bembé deserves the credit!

loved the professionalism and the leadership of Gary Powell. The products of his teaching and…read morecoaching are just beyond words

From the owner: ELESVEE - Lone Star Voices gives you everything you need to know to be successful as a singer,…read moresongwriter, and/or music producer in the popular fine arts. Through recorded vocal sessions in Gary Powell's recording studio, we work with singers to develop their abilities behind the microphone. Our vocal coaching helps singers progress from beginners to professional session singers. Contact us today for more information!

I cannot recommend Harmonic Speech enough!…read more I and one of my employees participated in Harmonic's the 12 hour professional training. Tallulah and Fiona went deep into technique and theory and provided us practical guidance for voice modification. The methods were very different from what we had been using at my clinic, and since implementation of the information given to us at the training, we have seen such amazing results. This is great for us, but moreover, for our clients!! We HIGHLY recommend this training! It's well worth the time and money!

From the owner: We're speech-language pathologists specialized in gender-affirming voice training. We help you find…read morea voice you love! Please ask about our beyond the binary voice training program. Our expertise also includes the following care: - Rehabilitative voice therapy - Singing voice training - Swallowing therapy - Professional voice training - Chronic cough treatment - Articulation therapy - If you're a voice professional yourself, please ask about our gender affirming voice workshops.

We are so happy we found Emler when our son was 2 because he was not progressing in the current…read moreswim class we were enrolled in. This class really pushed him to the next level and within 6 months our son was jumping into the water staying several seconds under water and floating on his back. He loves the songs and props and always talks about swim class and reenacts it at home. Jaide has been a phenomenal teacher, pushing the students just enough to get them to improve each week. She also knows when to be more sensitive when they are experiencing fear and needed to go easy that day, ultimately building trust with them. We have also had makeups with Sami, Bella, and Isaiah and they are also phenomenal with the kids. Such a talented team at Emler - you can't go wrong! Thank you for teaching 2 year old how to swim, float, and stay safe in the water.

We started 4 months ago with an extreme water fear and my 4 year old went from zero skills to…read moreindependently swimming several feet in 10 lessons. The management is responsive, knowledgeable and helpful at answering questions. Big shoutout to John for all of his help. 10/10 recommend. This was our first summer here and won't be our last.

Julie has definitely honed in on some skills to help me be a better singer. She is also so…read moreencouraging and kind. I would definitely recommend Julie if you want to brush up on some skills!

Julie Brown is hands down the best voice teacher in Austin! I'm so thankful to have received…read morelessons from her for the past 4 years. Working with her has been so positively impactful on my life. I recommend her to anybody looking for powerful new energy in their life and someone having trouble finding their inner voice - she will pull it right out of you! Kitty Leo, Julie Brown Voice Studio's official mascot will be there cheering you on as well!

I love this place! I am a Chinese Medicine student and get almost all of my supplies from this…read morelocation. They have a great selection of needles and herbs at reasonable prices. There are also lots of other interesting things in the store as well. Though I wouldn't shop here if it weren't for the supplies I need as a Chinese medicine student. They also won't sell needles to the general public, which I like. You can, however, buy whatever herbs you like, but you should always have either Chinese medicine training or have a prescription from someone who does, because otherwise you won't know what you're doing. You can't just pick an herbal formula labeled simply for "stress" like you can in Western medicine. It doesn't work like that. I've never received any treatments from interns so I can't vouch for that, but I hear they're awesome. Their staff is very friendly and know me and my friends by name because we frequent there so much. :o) Plus! Every day they have a deal going on. I know Monday their herbs are 10-15% off, but I can't remember what the other days are.

This is an odd place. The service is sometimes snotty, sometimes good. But it's a really good place…read moreto browse for Buddha-ish accoutrements for your decor or altar if your a meditator. I got some really cool stone carved elephants on the cheap, and a neat wood happy Buddha. They have some good flavors of Dagoba bars that I can't find elsewhere (chai) and sometimes some cool zenish clothes. I also like the one on Anderson for post Korea-house sushi shopping. I know they have all kinds of herbal medicine but I have not delved as of yet.

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!

This place was awesome!! We took our 5 year old sons here for their first riding lesson and they…read moredid so well they didn't even need training wheels. Christophe and Hunter are amazing coaches and definitely go above and beyond to make the kids feel comfortable and confident!!

What a great experience! We got our son a private lesson for Christmas and he loved it. They are…read morevery knowledgeable and patient with all ages and experience levels. If your kid is interested in trying out dirt bikes, this is the place!