--- title: The Desire to Help Others And Be Creative Lead To Software Development | Graduate Spotlight description: Kristen Norris was working for a non-profit when she decided to make a career change. Software development felt like a great way to create things and continue to help others. Learn about Kristen's journey at NSS and the capstones she built. image: https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hubfs/2018_02_06_C22_0025-685180-edited.jpg --- [![Nashville Software School Logo](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hubfs/Jan2018/Images/NSS-logo-horizontal-small.jpg)](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/) - [Programs](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs) - [Software Development Jumpstart](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/software-development-jumpstart) - [Analytics Jumpstart](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/analytics-jumpstart) - [Data Engineering Jumpstart](https://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-engineering-jumpstart) - [Full-Time Web Developer Bootcamp](https://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/web-developer-full-time/) - [Part-Time Web Developer Bootcamp](https://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/web-developer-part-time/) - [Full-Time Data Analytics Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-analytics-full-time) - [Part-Time Data Analytics Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-analytics-part-time) - [Date Engineering Bootcamp](https://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-engineering) - [Statistics For Data Science](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/statistics-for-data-science) - [Data Science Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-science) - [Professional Development](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/professional-development) - [Community](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community) - [Shop NSS](https://shopnss.creator-spring.com/) - [Our Team](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/instructors/) - [Alumni](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/alumni/) - [Mentors](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/mentors/) - [Employers](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/employers/) - [Veterans' Information](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/veterans-info/) - [Podcast](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/podcast/) - [Join Our Team](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/join-our-team) - [Support NSS](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com) - [Donate](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/ways-to-give) - [Corporate Giving](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/building-a-better-community-through-corporate-giving) - [Become A Volunteer](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/become-a-volunteer) - [Community Impact Report](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community-impact-report-2025) - [Calendar](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/calendar) - [Upcoming Events](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/calendar/events) - [Upcoming Programs](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/calendar/upcoming-programs/) - [Blog](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog) # Blog # The Desire to Help Others And Be Creative Lead To Software Development | Graduate Spotlight Apr 5, 2018 • [Mandy Arola](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/author/mandy-arola)   ### ![Kristen Norris](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2018_02_06_C22_0025-685180-edited.jpg?width=300&name=2018_02_06_C22_0025-685180-edited.jpg)Meet Kristen Norris Prior to NSS, Kristen Norris was working for a non-profit. After a few years as a case manager for the homeless, she opted to move into an administrative role that worked with volunteers and donors. While in this role, she began to contemplate a career change. When considering her options, she knew she wanted to create things and continue to help people. Software development felt like a great way to combine these two goals. When looking for a bootcamp, Kristen liked that NSS was geared towards teaching new software developers and appreciated our six-month full stack web development curriculum. Now having completed a full-time bootcamp with Cohort 22, the relationships she formed with her classmates and instructors are what she likes best about NSS. She expressed, “I'm fortunate to have a great support system at home, but my family and friends weren't able to relate to that part of my life in the way that my fellow classmates were. It was great to have people to lean on and ask questions to when I got stuck.” Kristen encourages current students not to get caught up in other classmates knowing more than you. > No one knows everything, even if it seems like they do. Her front-end capstone was inspired by a birthday tradition she shares with her friends. On their birthdays they share their highs and lows of the past year, but sometimes it’s tough to recall all of their amazing memories. Enter Kristen’s app, [Life Reel](https://life-reel.firebaseapp.com/#!/auth). The app allows users to track important events as they happen with a 5-star rating system, making it easy to look back and reflect. Users can leave notes about the event and view their event history by week, month, year, lifetime, or rating. Users can also share their reel with friends. She built Life Reel with HTML, CSS, and AngularJS. She utilized Firebase Realtime Database and Authentication. Kristen intentionally challenged herself not to use a styling framework so that she could become more comfortable with CSS. She shared, “I'm particularly proud of the movie clapper (used in the create/edit forms) and film strip (used to display segments) that I built just using CSS." The idea for her server-side capstone was inspired by her parent’s dog, Raleigh. Raleigh loves to visit her furry friends while on walks and even has a regular play-date with a neighbor. Kristen’s app, [PupPals](http://pup-pals.kristen-norris.com/), allows pet owners to record information about the houses they encounter while walking their dog. Pet owners can add notes, names of the pets or kids that live there, and owner contact info. Pet owners can then plan their walks based on their dog’s friends. For example, if the owner is short on time, they can choose a route that will have fewer interruptions from friends. Kristen explained how she built PupPals, “I used ASP.NET MVC, a C# framework, to build the application and it connects to a SQLite database for deployment through DigitalOcean. I utilized the Google Maps JavaScript API, Google Maps Geocoding API, and Google Places API Web Service to create a visual representation of the information a user tracks and allows the user to search the map.” Kristen found that she really enjoys server-side development, working with data, and figuring out data structures. She found C#/.NET to be a lot of fun! As Kristen searches for a job that combines her creativity and desire to help others, she is building a database for her front-end capstones and exploring other languages and frameworks that she didn’t learn at NSS. Listen to [Kristen’s interview with Clark Buckner about her capstones](https://soundcloud.com/nashville-software-school/kristen-norris?in=nashville-software-school/sets/cohort-22-demo-day) and check out her [portfolio site](http://www.kristen-norris.com/). Be sure to listen to all of the graduates talk to our friend, Clark Buckner, about their journey into development and about their experience at NSS. Check out all of the recent grads on [Cohort 22’s class website](http://nashss.com/cohort22). Topics: [Student Stories](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/student-stories) [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flearn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F04%2F05%2Fhelp-creative-software-development%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Flearn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F04%2F05%2Fhelp-creative-software-development%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Flearn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F04%2F05%2Fhelp-creative-software-development%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Flearn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F04%2F05%2Fhelp-creative-software-development%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=The%20Desire%20to%20Help%20Others%20And%20Be%20Creative%20Lead%20To%20Software%20Development%20%7C%20Graduate%20Spotlight) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Flearn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F04%2F05%2Fhelp-creative-software-development%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Flearn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F04%2F05%2Fhelp-creative-software-development%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### Upcoming Programs Explore our upcoming programs to begin your journey towards a career in tech! Classes begin year-round. [![EXPLORE](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4020755/e0f6232d-25e4-456d-a386-a0cf09a776dd.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4020755/e0f6232d-25e4-456d-a386-a0cf09a776dd) ### Want to know more? ### Support NSS [![Donate Now](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4020755/6faecbd3-f6a1-4a5b-9256-fa436de1e5ef.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4020755/6faecbd3-f6a1-4a5b-9256-fa436de1e5ef) ### Post by Topic - [Student Stories (369)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/student-stories) - [Web Development (279)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/web-development) - [Hiring? (233)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/hiring) - [Analytics + Data Science (210)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/analytics-data-science) - [Community (126)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/community) - [News (115)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/news) - [Learning (111)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/learning) - [Alumni (78)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/alumni) - [Software Engineering (61)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/software-engineering) - [Technology Insights (39)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/technology-insights) - [10 Years | 2000 Journeys (27)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/10-years-2000-journeys) - [Get Involved (24)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/get-involved) - [Meetups & Community Events (22)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/meetups-community-events) - [UI/UX (22)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/ui-ux) - [Data Engineering (17)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/data-engineering) - [Mind The Gap (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/tag/mind-the-gap) All ### Blog Archives - [September 2026 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/09) - [August 2026 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/08) - [July 2026 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/07) - [June 2026 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/06) - [May 2026 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/05) - [April 2026 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/04) - [March 2026 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/03) - [February 2026 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/02) - [January 2026 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2026/01) - [December 2025 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/12) - [November 2025 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/11) - [October 2025 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/10) - [September 2025 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/09) - [August 2025 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/08) - [July 2025 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/07) - [June 2025 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/06) - [May 2025 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/05) - [April 2025 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/04) - [March 2025 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/03) - [February 2025 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/02) - [January 2025 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2025/01) - [December 2024 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/12) - [November 2024 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/11) - [October 2024 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/10) - [September 2024 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/09) - [August 2024 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/08) - [July 2024 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/07) - [June 2024 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/06) - [May 2024 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/05) - [April 2024 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/04) - [March 2024 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/03) - [February 2024 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/02) - [January 2024 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2024/01) - [December 2023 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/12) - [November 2023 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/11) - [October 2023 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/10) - [September 2023 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/09) - [August 2023 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/08) - [July 2023 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/07) - [June 2023 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/06) - [May 2023 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/05) - [April 2023 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/04) - [March 2023 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/03) - [February 2023 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/02) - [January 2023 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2023/01) - [December 2022 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/12) - [November 2022 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/11) - [October 2022 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/10) - [September 2022 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/09) - [August 2022 (10)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/08) - [July 2022 (10)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/07) - [June 2022 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/06) - [May 2022 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/05) - [April 2022 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/04) - [March 2022 (12)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/03) - [February 2022 (12)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/02) - [January 2022 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2022/01) - [December 2021 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/12) - [November 2021 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/11) - [October 2021 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/10) - [September 2021 (15)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/09) - [August 2021 (19)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/08) - [July 2021 (12)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/07) - [June 2021 (16)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/06) - [May 2021 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/05) - [April 2021 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/04) - [March 2021 (10)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/03) - [February 2021 (17)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/02) - [January 2021 (10)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2021/01) - [December 2020 (13)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/12) - [November 2020 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/11) - [October 2020 (11)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/10) - [September 2020 (13)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/09) - [August 2020 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/08) - [July 2020 (10)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/07) - [June 2020 (12)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/06) - [May 2020 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/05) - [April 2020 (12)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/04) - [March 2020 (11)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/03) - [February 2020 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/02) - [January 2020 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2020/01) - [December 2019 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/12) - [November 2019 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/11) - [October 2019 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/10) - [September 2019 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/09) - [August 2019 (10)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/08) - [July 2019 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/07) - [June 2019 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/06) - [May 2019 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/05) - [April 2019 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/04) - [March 2019 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/03) - [February 2019 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/02) - [January 2019 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2019/01) - [December 2018 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/12) - [November 2018 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/11) - [October 2018 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/10) - [September 2018 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/09) - [August 2018 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/08) - [July 2018 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/07) - [June 2018 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/06) - [May 2018 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/05) - [April 2018 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/04) - [March 2018 (6)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/03) - [February 2018 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/02) - [January 2018 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2018/01) - [December 2017 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/12) - [November 2017 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/11) - [October 2017 (11)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/10) - [September 2017 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/09) - [August 2017 (12)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/08) - [July 2017 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/07) - [June 2017 (9)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/06) - [May 2017 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/05) - [April 2017 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/04) - [March 2017 (8)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/03) - [February 2017 (7)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/02) - [January 2017 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2017/01) - [December 2016 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/12) - [September 2016 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/09) - [August 2016 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/08) - [July 2016 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/07) - [June 2016 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/06) - [May 2016 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/05) - [April 2016 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/04) - [March 2016 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/03) - [February 2016 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/02) - [January 2016 (5)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2016/01) - [December 2015 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2015/12) - [June 2015 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2015/06) - [January 2015 (4)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2015/01) - [December 2014 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2014/12) - [February 2014 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2014/02) - [January 2014 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2014/01) - [October 2013 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2013/10) - [June 2013 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2013/06) - [May 2013 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2013/05) - [April 2013 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2013/04) - [November 2012 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2012/11) - [October 2012 (2)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2012/10) - [July 2012 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2012/07) - [June 2012 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2012/06) - [May 2012 (3)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2012/05) - [January 2012 (1)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/archive/2012/01) All ### Recent Posts Nashville Software School is authorized by the [Tennessee Higher Education Commission](https://www.tn.gov/thec/). This authorization must be renewed each year and is based on an evaluation by minimum standards concerning quality of education, ethical business practices, health and safety, and fiscal responsibility. - [NSS](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/) - [About](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/about) - [Press](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/press) - [Contact](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/contact) - [Virtual Tour](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/virtual-tour) - [FAQ](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/faq) - [Blog](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog) - [Policies & Regulations](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/policies-and-regulations) - [Programs](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs) - [Software Development Jumpstart](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/software-development-jumpstart) - [Analytics Jumpstart](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/analytics-jumpstart) - [Data Engineering Jumpstart](https://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-engineering-jumpstart) - [Full-Time Web Developer Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/full-time-bootcamps) - [Part-Time Web Developer Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/part-time) - [Full-Time Data Analytics Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-analytics-full-time) - [Part-Time Data Analytics Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-analytics-part-time) - [Data Engineering Bootcamp](https://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-engineering) - [Statistics For Data Science](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/statistics-for-data-science) - [Data Science Bootcamp](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/data-science) - [Professional Development](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/programs/professional-development) - [Community](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community) - [Donate](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com) - [Shop NSS](https://shopnss.creator-spring.com/) - [Our Team](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/instructors/) - [Alumni](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/alumni/) - [Mentors](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/mentors/) - [Employers](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/employers/) - [Veterans' Information](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/veterans-info/) - [Podcast](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community/podcast/) - [Join Our Team](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/join-our-team) - [Support NSS](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com) - [Donate](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/ways-to-give) - [Corporate Giving](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/building-a-better-community-through-corporate-giving) - [Become a Volunteer](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/become-a-volunteer) - [Community Impact Report](https://support.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/community-impact-report-2025) - [Upcoming Events](http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/calendar)   [![Leaders-in-Diversity-2023](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Leaders-in-Diversity-2023.png?width=120&height=60&name=Leaders-in-Diversity-2023.png)](https://bizj.us/1qj9h1)[![Best In Business 2020 Winner](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BIBA-2020-logo-Winner.jpg?width=120&name=BIBA-2020-logo-Winner.jpg)](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/2020/03/10/nss-awarded-best-in-business)![Nashville Scene - Ditch Your Crappy Job 2016](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Nashville-Scene-Award.jpg?width=120&name=Nashville-Scene-Award.jpg)   [![NACC Proud Member](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hs-fs/hubfs/NACCProudMember.png?width=120&name=NACCProudMember.png)](https://www.nashvillechamber.com/) [![NTC Member](https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ntc-member.png?width=250&name=ntc-member.png)](https://technologycouncil.com/)     ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Mandy Arola", "url" : "https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/author/mandy-arola" }, "datePublished" : "2018-04-05T14:48:05.000Z", "headline" : "The Desire to Help Others And Be Creative Lead To Software Development | Graduate Spotlight", "image" : [ "https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hubfs/2018_02_06_C22_0025-685180-edited.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/blog/2018/04/05/help-creative-software-development", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://learn.nashvillesoftwareschool.com/hubfs/NSS-logo-horizontal-large.jpg" }, "name" : "Nashville Software School" } } ```