Mandy Arola

Mandy has been following developers & tech companies at meetups since 2016. She is NSS’s chief content wrangler, a.k.a. marketing manager. When she’s not writing blogs, managing social media, pestering instructors & graduates for content, or attending meetups, you can find her traveling the world or at home with her beloved dog Lola.
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Recent Posts

Find A Career That Challenges You | Graduate Spotlight
Jun 8, 2017
If there’s one thing guaranteed in life, it’s that life changes. Sometimes after being in the workforce for a few years, you discover that your job has no career path, doesn’t challenge your mind, or it’s lost the enjoyment it once had. When that happens, often something inside us pushes us to look at our options and we begin talking with our friends, family, and networks. That’s what these three graduates of Cohort 17 experienced. They each desired a new career that would give them the mental challenge that was missing in their jobs. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Cohort 17 Graduates With 21 New Developers
May 24, 2017
On Friday we graduated 21 junior developers from Cohort 17. To showcase all that they’ve learned in six months at NSS, the graduates presented their front-end and back-end capstones to prospective employers one-on-one. Get to know these 21 graduates. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Code For Nashville | GET INVOLVED
May 23, 2017
There are meetups that focus on learning or networking opportunities and then there’s Code for Nashville, a group that seeks to make a difference. Code for Nashville leverages technology to improve access to government services and is changing lives in big and small ways. They lead the way through hackathons and community discussions with software developers, journalists, legal minds, designers, and you! Find out how to get involved. Read More

Topics: Community, Get Involved

Coding Your Passions | Graduate Spotlight
May 8, 2017
Zoe LeBlanc loves history. Nathan Baker loves board games. While these two graduates have very different backgrounds and interests, they’re both combining their passion with a new love for coding. Zoe created apps that help academic researchers. Nathan created an app that shows you the most popular board games and was featured on a well-known board game podcast. Here are their stories. Read More

Topics: Student Stories

Capture + Build + Sell | Graduate Spotlight
May 2, 2017
What do a photographer, a welder, and a salesman have in common? They’re all NSS graduates! Our students’ prior work experience is as varied as a 120 count box of crayons. Abby was a wedding photographer who wanted to reclaim her weekends. Ben was a welder who was seeking a career with advancement opportunities. And Trent was afraid of becoming a tired, old salesman. Here are their stories. Read More

Topics: Student Stories

Do You Accept Cache? | Graduate Spotlight
Apr 27, 2017
While many of our grads come from similar fields, they all bring their own unique experience that enhances their development skills. This week we meet Drew Martin and Nick Chemsak, two guys who have experience in the financial service industry. Drew was a banker, but also has experience as an auto mechanic and graphic designer. Nick worked in IT for a credit union and was responsible for automating several processes. Here are their stories. Read More

Topics: Student Stories

Celebrating Women In Tech | IN THE COMMUNITY
Apr 24, 2017
Last Thursday night, the organizations that support women in technology came together for one giant event! The Nashville Entrepreneur Center was filled with old and new friends as we celebrated the impact women are making in the Nashville tech community. Women attended from Nashville Girl Geek Dinner, Women in Technology Tennessee (WiTT), Women Get IT, Tech Ladies, and Nashville Women Programmers. While each of these organizations offers different environments and programs, they all seek to empower women in tech. Read More

Topics: Community, Get Involved

Making The Leap From Music To Development | Graduate Spotlight
Apr 19, 2017
It’s no secret that Nashville is known as Music City. While dozens of people move here every day to pursue a career in music, some of those who have been in the industry for a while are ready for a new chapter in their life. This group of graduates all came from careers in music. They bring skills like teamwork, creativity, and problem solving under pressure...all great skills for software developers. Here are their stories. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Web Development For Beginners | NSS Introduces A New Course
Apr 14, 2017
Are you intrigued by web development? Web Development Jumpstart is a short course that offers students an accelerated introduction to web development technologies and careers. By the end of this course, you will have a basic understanding of the core web technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and be able to build and deploy your own website. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, News

Cohort 16 Wraps Up With Successful Demo Day
Mar 29, 2017
Last Friday, 23 graduates from Cohort 16 showcased their front-end and back-end capstone projects for prospective employers. The day started with the opportunity to present to their family and fellow students. By the time hiring managers started to arrive, Cohort 16 was energized and ready. Get to know these 23 graduates. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?