The Pragmatic Studio

Rails Course Reviews

From developers just like you!

Anne Richardson
The Rails course is leagues above some others I've tried. First of all, Mike and Nicole have skills as instructors, not just developers, so I didn't feel they were talking above my head. Also it's clear that the lessons and supporting files have been tested and edited -- because they work! The exercises in the example apps are very relevant and I left the course with a whole new level of expertise. I can't recommend this course enough!” Anne Richardson
Thomas Neal
This is the best Rails course hands-down! I've worked through several Rails courses and they don't even come close to explaining things as well as you do. You have the perfect balance of teaching the right amount of information such that I understood each new piece without any confusion. I've always felt like Rails has too much of a learning curve, but you've communicated its elegance and flexibility. If you put out more courses I will certainly come back each time to learn more from you. Again, out of all the resources I've worked through, nobody has come close to connecting with me in the way that you guys have. Bravo!” Thomas Neal
Andrew Talle
“I like how the exercises are separated from the videos. It's really helpful to watch you build one app in the video and then build a different app on my own afterward. One thing that bothers me about other video tutorials is that I have to constantly start and stop them in order to code along with the video. But with yours, I can actually focus on what you are doing and then implement the concepts in the exercise after the video. I was able to build a ton of features into an existing rails app at work after taking this course. Andrew Talle
Brad Ballard
“I finally have a strong Rails foundation. Coming into the course, I had so many loose ends regarding how Rails worked, but I finished the course with the confidence to create my own app! Brad Ballard
Dana Nourie
“This Rails course is fabulous! I took a few other courses, but still felt really confused. I learned a lot, feel more comfortable with Rails, and really understand how controllers, models, and routes depend on each other. The explanations along with the illustrations were really fantastic. This is my favorite Rails course. Dana Nourie
“I've been learning Rails on my own for awhile and this course was so helpful! Mike and Nicole literally take you by the hand through the entire course and explain things so well that you never feel lost or abandoned. Daniel Morán
Eric Ricketts
“This course along with your Ruby Programming course offers the best introduction to learning Rails for a beginning developer. I cannot think of any book or video series that does as good a job.” Eric Ricketts
Eirik Holm
Our new hires are loving your online Ruby and Rails courses. In the past, our senior engineers taught new team members Rails on their own. But now with your courses, we are getting new engineers up to speed much easier and faster.” Eirik Holm, AppFolio
Scott Knight
“You guys rock! Your courses are great because they are in-depth but not in a burdensome way. Doing the videos and exercises are an excellent way to learn. I know I still have a lot to learn but at least now I'm confident enough to start hacking around on my own and get more proficient.” Scott Knight
Miriam Tocino
“Thanks to everything I learned with you, I am about to land a new job in which I will be programming in Ruby on Rails. Thank you very much for that!” Miriam Tocino
Jonathan Mundy
“I completed a few Rails tutorials before but this course contained more lightbulb moments than the rest of them put together. The explanations were clean, clear, and precise, and breaking things down into diagrams really helped. For example, explaining complicated topics like many-to-many associations from a few different view points was a great idea. I know after completing your courses that I can build pretty much whatever I want in Rails. Jonathan Mundy
Terrence Talbot
“This course is fantastic! I had read a couple of Rails tutorial books and sort of understood what the example code was doing, but was having trouble sorting out how to build my own app. This course really filled in some missing pieces.” Terrence Talbot
Vita Dewi
“I really love the quality of your videos and lectures, and the way it builds up an app. It's the best that I've taken!” Vita Dewi van Beurden
Pol Murchu Stafford
“For the visual thinkers out there, all the diagrams in your courses are total awesome-sauce! Pol Murchu Stafford
This course was amazing! Every time a question pop into my head, it was covered right away. The pace was perfect and the amount of content was perfect. Applying the video lessons to one app, and then immediately putting them in place on a similar but different app really helped. I can't say enough about this course. Thank you so much!” Jesse Clark
“I've taken quite a few Rails courses and I've read quite a few books on Ruby/Rails. Many of them confuse with you with extra details and digress too often to be comprehensible. In contrast, in this course the entire process of building an app is presented in a step-wise and fulfilling way. I love how everything is coherently explained. I love the extra tidbits and challenges in the exercises. The best part of this course is its value. I took this course 2 years ago and I can't believe how much I learned the second time around, especially doing the extra exercises I skipped previously. These instructors have made tremendous efforts to teach a skill properly and have gone the extra mile to ensure you leave more confident in your craft. Bottomline: stop going through random books and videos. Mike and Nicole's courses will save you time and frustration in the long run and they are well worth 10 times the price.” Jay Loung
Francis Trujillo
“The examples in your course helped me learn Rails and not be afraid of it. I am beginning to speak Rails and more importantly THINK like Rails.” Francis Trujillo
Justin Kurtz
“I love the way you present a snippet of code that is less than optimal. My inner alarms start going off when the code examples are first presented, but then you start addressing those problems and more optimal solutions. This is so helpful in developing the intuition needed to identify these issues and apply the most optimal solution based on the requirements.” Justin Kurtz
I really understand what's going on under the hood of Rails now! Going through every single line of code has given me so much confidence.” Alex Howington
Matt Steele
I was having so much fun with the Rails course that I ended up working on it non-stop until I finished it up this morning...I felt like I had a ton of 'A-HA!' moments...What really made things stick for me in this course was the fact that I wasn't building the same exact thing that the instructors were...The animated graphics show you how different parts are moving around behind the scenes and effecting each other. The visuals definitely helped me to understand things more in depth.” Matt Steele
“After taking this course I felt 10x more comfortable in using Ruby on Rails.” Alfons Klaasse Bos
Alfian Losari
“Everything is great: the material, the teachers, the simple, concise, yet clear explanations in all the courses. I think these are the best Ruby and Rails online courses for people that want to jump into Rails. All of the courses are worth every penny!” Alfian Losari
Bart Falzarano
“I highly recommend Pragmatic Studio's Rails Programming courses! The exercises allow you to build something more complex than a blog and do so by applying what was learned in the lessons rather than merely following along! This format really drove things home for me. Bart Falzarano
Michael Zsigmond
“I've tried almost every Rails learning site out there. While all of those resources taught me how to accomplish certain tasks in Rails, I felt there was a large gap between knowing how to do something vs. understanding what's happening at a deeper level. Your Rails courses bridged the gap for me and for the first time I feel like I'm actually building a solid foundation on which to expand.” Michael Zsigmond
Sondre Haugen
An amazing course! I learned more from this course than any other Ruby on Rails book that I've read.” Sondre Haugen
David Theroff
“The main difference I have found after taking a lot of other Rails courses is that you explain things in greater detail which has helped me understand the 'whys'. David Theroff
Nico Schuele
“It is the absolute best for a first dive into Rails. It teaches you the correct way to start a new Rails app. I don’t think it even mentions scaffolding (an automated Rails code generation technique) and instead, it teaches you how to do things on your own… If you go through the whole course, [the] magic will be explained and you’ll know what the Rails framework does instead of passively look at it do things for you.” Nico Schuele
Justin Seiter
“A partner and I just released and started getting sales on an RoR app I created. I was able to build the prototype in a weekend! You all are a big reason I was able to do it. You have done a wonderful job of taking a lot of the 'magic' out of Rails. Justin Seiter
“I am a happily employed Ruby developer thanks to your wonderful courses. Many thanks indeed!” Michael O'Sullivan
Ryan Benedetti
“Of all the courses I looked at out there, your course is the highest quality (and the best price) I found - hands down! At first look, I thought 'Whoof, that's a chunk of change to pay for a course.' After the first week, I thought this is definitely worth the cost. And now I am thinking this is absolutely the best bargain. I cannot summon enough superlatives to describe how much I have learned and how much more confidence I have in my Rails skills. I have learned more with your course than any other single resource I've tried. Ryan Benedetti
Ryan Irelan
“Awesome new Rails course from Pragmatic Studio. Top notch stuff!” Ryan Irelan
“Where this course really wins over others is that, on completion, I had more than just 'rote knowledge' of the Rails framework. I had enough understanding to go out and develop my own app from scratch, and be proud of the result! Very much worth the money! Brian Wherry
Andrew Markle
“It seems like there are a lot of courses and tutorials out there that are great if you already know how to program in another language, but there are none that I know of (other than Pragmatic Studio!) that is great for a complete beginner. After taking your Ruby course I feel like I have a solid foundation to stand on. Now, learning Rails has been a lot of fun instead of a lot of frustration.” Andrew Markle
Nathan Roise
“The visual explanations with animated diagrams were an absolute game-changer for me. As a visual learner, I never really grasped the MVC concept before this course. They really helped me understand what was going on. Now, I understand the whole flow, from URL to HTML. I almost became convinced I couldn't learn Rails. Thankfully I came upon your course! Nathan Roise
Rhys Yorke
“After trying many online Ruby on Rails courses across the Internet, this is the most thorough and enjoyable introduction available. I can't wait to see more courses from the Pragmatic Studio!” Rhys Yorke
“This tutorial has helped me fill in holes and saved me hours of time that I would have spent investigating answers online. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this course. It's been incredibly helpful!” Kacy Hulme
“The awesome visual diagrams were absolutely critical in my understanding of all the trips back and forth to the browser-router communication and the MVC principles.” Sergio Barrera
Tony Barone
“Simply amazing. The best online course I have ever experienced. Nicole and Mike, you are the best!” Tony Barone
“I think your course is awesome! Every other course I went through to try and learn Rails always made things seem harder than it was, and they never got in depth about WHY we do certain things; they just say to type in this code for x result. It's definitely worth the money. I think you guys should make a lot more of these.” Neville Solomon
Wassim Metallaoui
“This is the BEST Rails introduction anywhere on the web! I learned a ton in this course that I didn't learn from other sources online. I was immediately able to start putting together an application that has been stuck in my head for a long time.” Wassim Metallaoui
Last week I accepted a position as a Rails developer at Bugcrowd in San Francisco. Money isn't everything, but more than tripling my wages after folding T-shirts and busing tables is quite a game changer. (I have insurance now, too!) I went through a lot of courses preparing to be a Rails developer, but the vast majority of what I learned and especially retained came from your online courses. I can't say enough good things about each and recommend them for anyone wanting to switch careers. Andrew Ford
John Weir
“I've taken other Rails tutorials but yours really filled in the gaps in my understandings. I can now truly say that I've taken a big step towards developing with Rails.” John Weir
Felipe Laso Marsetti
“Thanks to the Pragmatic Studio courses, I was able to understand Rails much better and easier than I thought it would be. It was super fun and easy to follow!” Felipe Laso-Marsetti
Hunter Stewart
“I sincerely appreciate this amazing course that you offer for a remarkable bargain price. The value of this course goes wildly beyond the cost! I never once got lost in the Rails magic. I think we've all wasted time on silly tutorials and websites that promised quick and easy results but left us more confused than when we started. The awesome thing about this course is that there's never that 'missing link' moment where you just think 'ok, they just skipped over something huge and now I don't understand what's happening'. The other huge benefit of this course is that you can come back to it as a resource. I would MUCH rather pay up front then spend money every month on a subscription. I'm confident that one day when I'm a very successful developer, I will look back to this series as 'the moment' that made it happen for me.” Hunter Stewart
Everything about the Rails 6 course is great! The instruction tempo is excellent — it's not too much or too little at a time. I especially like that, as a student, I get to work on a separate app in addition to the main one.” Adam Garren
“The course helped me fully understand how everything fits together within the MVC framework and gave me enough confidence to refactor existing apps and/or create new ones.” Ronald Rivera
I liked the incredible amount of attention given to Rails conventions. The magic of conventions is really nice once you know how they work, but I liked how you explained how to do it the long, explicit way (routes, forms, migrations) first. The MVC diagrams throughout the course were also very helpful.” Brendan Shean
“I absolutely LOVE your courses! Your teaching style is spot on.” Tom Alexander
“The careful structure of the course, and the quality/quantity of the exercises, are the course's secret sauce in my opinion.” Travis Cuzick
“I feel like after completing this I can now comfortably call myself a Rails Developer. Christopher Wavrin
“I recently said to a client that having each member of the team take the Ruby Programming and two Ruby on Rails courses from The Pragmatic Studio would be significantly cheaper as well as (and primarily) a significantly richer learning experience than I could offer in a shorter, in-person workshop setting... they get my A+ thumbs up seal of approval.” Read Julie Meloni's full review
“I really loved this course. It is the most beginner-friendly tutorial I have ever experienced. I feel for the first time that I truly understand the basic concepts of Rails.” Naomi Fujimoto
“By far the best online course I've taken!” Brian Kamer
One of the best learning experiences I've ever had! I've gone through many courses and books. From all of these, your Rails course is the best in terms of teaching style, course structure, topics, and being up-to-date with Rails 4.” Mate Kaszas
“I love your courses! Definitely money well spent! You totally have a new fan. I really liked the thorough explanations and learning WHY things work. I think that's missing in a lot of Rails tutorials out there. I feel grateful to have come across these courses since I was really spinning my wheels before, and now I feel like I can actually build something!” Krista Fuentes
Your training is absolutely the best I’ve seen anywhere on the web! I think the way you are teaching is absolutely perfect. You are friendly and your videos always give a smile to my face. I’m really enjoying them.” Tuomas Martikainen
“I really like the three-project teaching method: one app in the videos, one app in the exercise, and one app as a bonus without as much handholding. It's really been helpful in cementing the information.” Andrew Broman
“Loved the course! You helped me bring my knowledge up from Rails 2.0.x to Rails 4. It was the best $200 I've spent in a very long time.” Harry Ohlsen
“I liked the fact that the course teaches the learner how things are done by the pros. By far this has been the best Rails course have ever taken! Some concepts that were once fuzzy to me are now very clear.” Emmanuel Asante
“The exercises are great and the video lectures are very effective. It's just about like going to a live instructor-led class. Greg Fisher
Thanks so much for the awesome tutorial! I love the step-by-step instructions. Two thumbs up!” Zack Warburg
“Whether you are new to Ruby or Rails, The Pragmatic Studio is the place to learn Ruby and Rails, period!” Alex Jolovic
“This was the best course I've done on Rails by far. My Rails confidence and clarity is now much higher. This course will boost the confidence and understanding of any new Rails developer, especially if you have struggled with more intense tutorials. The pacing is perfect!” Luke Burford
“I've developed a few Rails apps over the past two years and I learned a huge amount of new material and great tips from this course. I also picked up a really good workflow that will allow me to build apps faster and better. The exercises were fantastic! I'd recommend this course to both new Rails developers and to those who want to take their Rails work to a higher level. Wayne Hiner
“Easily the best $200 I've spent on an online training course!” Dave Papandrew
“I have always learned best with a visual approach, and your diagrams showing the relationships between the models, views, controllers, actions, etc. were extremely helpful. Thanks for providing such a great course!” Cody Joy
“I find the presentation style excellent and the way you get into Rails to be fantastic. Your method of trying out something and then reading the error messages has really clarified a lot of concepts. I also appreciate how you have added on features one at a time, again demystifying the Rails magic. Thanks again for a very fun and informative class!” Tim McGowen
“With my new found 'rails developer-ness', I have been able to start prototyping several apps within my organization, all of which have been well received.” Matt Edwards
“This is by far the best Rails course I've taken. I liked the attention to detail in each chapter. I was never lost throughout the course. The online workbook filled in many gaps in my understanding of Rails.” Austin David
“Overall, well worth the money and time investment. The videos and exercise material explain Rails very well. I especially appreciate that you guys don't just cover the mechanics of Rails, but also best practices.” Mark Wong
“Your videos are excellent! Each video and exercise continuously builds on previous concepts. This leads to many "a-ha!" moments where multiple light bulbs go off simultaneously as things begin to make sense and coalesce! Never once did I feel lost or that I missed something. Thank you again for a fantastic learning experience and I can't wait to dive into the next course!” Carlo Costino
“I have tried a plethora of other educational course offerings and none of them come close to the in-depth learning and precision of the Pragmatic Studio. The best part is how you teach. Many times you first show the long way, followed by the short-cut which allows the student to appreciate the short-cut, but at the same time learn the technical details. Your courses are very professional along with being the most comprehensive and detailed of almost any other resource available.” David Moscatelli
This is definitely the best introduction to Rails I've seen. The concepts are very nicely explained. The exercises are very well thought out and tuned so that you can practice the skills shown in the videos without merely repeating what you see. The online workbook has the right balance between guiding you along and applying what you saw in the videos.” Rafael La Buonora