Brantley found Nashville Software School (NSS) through a Google search, and, after learning more about the Web Development Bootcamp through a visit to the school, he knew he had found the right place to launch his new career path.
The initial dive into a software development bootcamp can make anyone feel like a fish out of water. From day one, students are immersed in front-end, and later back end, technologies; building web applications through team and individual projects. For Brantley, the main hurdle throughout the six-month bootcamp was the feeling of imposter syndrome, but the encouragement from instructors and students in Cohort 34 helped build his confidence.
“NSS is a special place and everyone from the instructors to my fellow classmates each played a part in helping (me) become a software developer.”
For success in this program, persistence pays. Brantley advises students just starting the journey: “Just keep at it. Your time here is only going to be special if you have the right attitude and work ethic.”
Drawing from his background in aquaculture, Brantley built his front-end capstone, Finstagram, with fellow fishers in mind. Users can log fishing trips and save their catches by species, weight, and length. He built this application using HTML, React, Reactstrap, and Google Firebase. For version two, he plans to add in social interaction, allowing users to follow and comment on each other’s posts.
His back-end capstone, Game Journal, was built in C# and uses ASP.NET Core, MVC, Entity Framework, Identity, and the Developer API from Internet Games Database (IGDB). With Game Journal, a user can search for videogames and add them to their profile as well as add notes, ratings, and hours played; user entries can be edited and deleted.
“The really challenging part was working with an API. It was a lot of fun, but it was also a challenge,” Brantley said.
Even though bootcamp is over, the learning continues. Currently Brantley is using new techniques to improve his capstone projects. He’s open to full-stack opportunities but is particularly fond of back-end development: “So far, I’ve really enjoyed my C#/.NET experience.”
Learn more about Brantley and his capstone projects on his podcast or GitHub.
Check out all the recent grads on Web Development Cohort 34's class website and hear the graduates share their journey into development and their experience at NSS in their podcasts below.