MEET JENNIFER

Though Jennifer Starkey of Web Development Cohort 43 has an extensive work history in customer-facing positions in retail and the service industry, she has always wanted to attend a software bootcamp. While she had yet to make the leap, Jennifer had been exploring bootcamps for years. 

When COVID-19 hit and everything went online, she realized now was the perfect time to take the leap. What sealed the deal for Jennifer in choosing Nashville Software School (NSS) was hearing from John Wark, Founder and CEO, at an info session and learning about the impact that NSS has had on the Nashville Community. “I decided NSS was the place for me to invest my time in,” she smiles. 

THE NSS EXPERIENCE

Looking back on her time at NSS, Jennifer speaks fondly of the teamwork aspect of development and the resilient attitude she obtained during bootcamp. “I've learned the power of persistence and that you can achieve anything if you keep moving forward.” 

However, that resilience didn’t come easy. Like with most new skills, the process of learning web development can be challenging. Jennifer admits her mindset was often her biggest roadblock. “It's easy to feel defeated when learning new things and focusing so much effort on achieving your goals,” she recalls, “but if you persist and have faith in yourself and your abilities, it pays off.” 

Keep pushing forward, even when you think you can’t.

CAPSTONE PROJECTS

Connect More is Jennifer’s front-end capstone she built using React. The application allows users to manage personal and professional contact information with the end goal of creating more intentional connections. Storing information is made easy with Connect More. You can even set reminders to follow-up with your contacts and keep track of how often you’d like to connect with them. Additionally, you can keep notes for follow-up conversations. 

For her back-end capstone project, Jennifer created DogDates using React, SQL, and C#. She was inspired by trips to the dog park with her husky and wanted to connect with other dog owners to set up play-dates with their pups. Users of DogDates can find dog parks, see ratings from other dog parents, and connect other owners for doggy-play-dates! “I had so much fun building my back-end capstone,” she smiles. 

HIRE JENNIFER

Since graduating, Jennifer enjoys working on improvements to her full stack capstone, DogDates. 

She is excited to begin her career in web development. “I would love to find a female-owned startup to work for and [to] grow my skills with,” she states. 

I discovered that software engineering is more than meets the eye. It combines my love of learning, software, and teamwork. Upon completing my time at NSS, I hope to become a better engineer and a better teammate.

Learn more about Jennifer by visiting her website or listening to her podcast! 

Check out all the recent grads at Full-time Web Development 43's class website and hear the graduates share their experience at NSS and capstone projects in their podcasts below.