NSS is excited to announce the launch of our first new continuing education course designed specifically as part of the ProTech program. As mentioned in our previous blog post, we’ve been hard at work researching potential offerings to help adult job seekers with tech skills but no current tech job. We've looked at employment data, received feedback from NSS Seekers (graduates still looking for their first job in tech), held conversations with NSS alumni, and gathered employer input. Through this research we’ve seen and heard the clear need for both cloud deployment and DevOps experience. Based on their experiences searching and applying to development jobs, cloud deployment and related technologies were listed by many Seekers as the most valuable skill they could learn right now. This sentiment was echoed and validated in our conversations with recent alumni across many industries, company profiles, and job roles. Foundational knowledge of DevOps was also a hot topic, and we felt it paired beautifully with the topic of cloud deployment.
Course Overview
This free 11-week part-time course focuses on cloud deployment using AWS and provides an introduction to continuous deployment, a core DevOps competency. Participants will gain a foundational understanding and hands-on experience with essential cloud deployment tools and technologies over four main course sections and receive a certificate upon their successful completion of the program. The class will meet virtually two evenings per week, with each session lasting two hours. The course is led by a live instructor providing guided instruction, real-time support, and collaborative learning opportunities. There are currently no plans for required coursework between class sessions but we expect there will be opportunities for students to practice their new skills outside of class. A Slack channel will be available for students to get support from each other, NSS alumni, and staff.
Here are some of the main topics covered in the course:
Cloud Fundamentals
- What is the Cloud?
- AWS basics
Essential Cloud Service Tools
- Storage solutions with S3
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Content delivery with CloudFront
- Virtual servers with EC2
- Database services
Containerization with Docker
- Container fundamentals
- Working with Docker images and containers
- Containerizing your application
- Docker Compose for multi-container applications
Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD)
- CI/CD fundamentals
- Getting started with GitHub Actions
- Building a CI Pipeline
- Implementing continuous deployment
Course Launch
The course is scheduled to launch late May 2025.
Cost
The initial cohorts of the Cloud Deployment course will be free to qualified students.
Who is qualified to apply?
For the first cohort, we are targeting NSS Web Development Seekers (graduates of our full-time and part-time Web Development Bootcamp who are still searching for their first tech role) as well as tech professionals who have been laid off and looking to acquire new skills to help them restart their careers and recent graduates of other skills credentialing programs (e.g. C.S. degree from local universities such as MTSU, TSU, etc.).
How to Apply
Eligible NSS Seekers will receive an email soon with details on the class schedule for the first session, and how to enroll. Keep an eye on your inbox for this opportunity to enhance your skill set and boost your job search.
We will announce how those laid off from tech positions or those with relevant credentials (e.g. computer science degree or bootcamp graduate) still searching for a first position can connect with us to express interest in the program soon. For now, you can sign up for our ProTech mailing list below to be notified when this course (and others) open for applications.
This course is part of our commitment to support the Nashville tech community in growing their careers. Stay tuned to our blog and social media channels for more updates on this and other upcoming continuing education courses.
ProTech is partially funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee.
