MEET Holden
Though coding was entirely new to Holden Parker of Web Development Cohort 37, tech was not. Holden built his first computer at age 16 and has built 3 others since then. “I've always been rather tech-savvy and intrigued by technology as it progressed,” he shares. After moving from North Carolina to Nashville, he learned his roommate was considering attending Nashville Software School (NSS). They decided to attend a Web Development Jumpstart together and both realized a full-time Web Development bootcamp was in their future. “The same passion I had while building computers was reignited with building applications. I am excited to begin my new career in technology.”
I remember in the Jumpstart I was writing my first line of HTML and I thought it was so cool seeing just plain text up on a web page. And looking at what I am capable of doing now, it just blows my mind what is out there and how much more there is to learn.”
The NSS EXPERIENCE
Learning a new skill in six months is challenging. Holden was able to conquer those challenges with the support of his classmates who encouraged him to work hard and push through the difficulties he experienced in bootcamp. “The challenging of my brain the past six months has been like no other challenges I've faced in life but along the way I've learned a ton, made great friends, and met a lot of really cool people.”
When asked how he would encourage current and incoming students, Holden shared “Just stick to it and figure out how you best learn and understand code as everyone's different. Don't be afraid to ask for help or to help someone out, I learned a lot by helping other people debug their code.”
Capstone Projects
Holden created Crypto Current for his front-end capstone project, The app assists users who are unfamiliar with cryptocurrency learn more about it. It displays a line graph of the most popular currencies and the corresponding statistics depending on the time selected to view. Functionalities like the “Following Page” and public message boards allow users to interact with others on the app. The “Crypto” page allows users to add crypto currency to their watch or favorite lists or visit recommended crypto exchanges. Holden explains that he “thought it'd be a great way to practice fetching data from a third-party as well as be a reasonable challenge of an application to build in the time we were given.” Crypto Current was created with JSON, React, CSS3, and ChartJS.
For his back-end capstone, Front-Endeavor, he wanted to build an application that gives developer teams a virtual workspace for on-going front-end projects. The application allows users to create workspaces for projects and assign other users to the project by email. Each workspace has a message board for clear communication throughout the stages of the project. Holden created Front-Endeavor using SQL, Bootstrap, C# and ASP.NET. “It was really cool seeing how everything I've learned in class like C#, ASP.NET, MVC, JavaScript, Entity Framework, and SQL Server all came together in this full stack application,” he shares.
HIRE HOLDEN
While on the job search, Holden is staying busy with some self-study courses in web development. He shares that he has “some advanced JavaScript sections left to finish, as well as planning to extend my knowledge of React and would like to learn some Python.”
As for what type of jobs he is looking for, Holden is excited to work anywhere he can continue to grow his skills as a developer and work with a team that fosters learning.
Learn more about Holden by visiting his website or listening to his podcast.
Check out all the recent grads on Web Development Cohort 37's class website and hear the graduates share their journey into development and their experience at NSS in their podcasts below.
