The Confidence to Sojourn On | Graduate Spotlight

May 24, 2022
Jessica Grande

Before Doug Silvera was a member of Full-time Web Development Cohort 53, he was leading many teams within the service industry. After his family welcomed their second child, Doug decided that the work hours in his industry were too demanding to sustain a healthy work-life balance and he needed a change. That’s when Doug’s sister, Mo, introduced him to Nashville Software School (NSS). “Investing in myself and my education has ignited a passion for the problem solving that comes with software development,” he shares. “I am looking forward to adding value to someone's problem-solving team!” 

What was your favorite part of your NSS experience?

“Working in teams as a cohort. I have learned just as much from my peers as I have from the instruction team.”

What was your favorite capstone project and what about it made it your favorite?

“Crawler Swap Station (server side) because the full stack app architecture really allowed me to leverage the advantages of a well-written api to streamline the development process. This really helped speed up the process to a minimally viable product and allowed me to make something that I will easily be able to expand on as I continue working on it. Also Crawler Swap Station uses third party image upload services so it was a great experience in ‘crash course’ learning and implementation of a new service on the fly.”

​​What advice would you give to current or incoming NSS Students? 

“When the going gets tough, and there is a 105% chance it will, do not forget to stop and remind yourself how far you have come. Oftentimes, when I was frustrated, just looking back at our first project really solidified the learning distance we traveled in such a short time gave me confidence to sojourn on.”

HIRE DOUG

Doug is now on the search for his first job in tech! Get to know more about Doug by connecting with him on LinkedIn and listen to his podcast below! 

Meet more of the graduates from full-time Web Development Cohort 53 by visiting their class website!

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?, Web Development