It’s All About The Opportunities | 500 In 5
Aug 3, 2017
I still remember like it was yesterday. Four years plus ago one of our recent grads came up to me at a local tech event and said, “Thank you for NSS - you’ve changed my life”. My first reaction was shock that someone had credited me and the school I had founded with something as profound as changing their life. The second reaction was some combination of happiness for them - that they had found something in terms of career and satisfaction from the investment they had made in learning - and some mix of pride and ego that I and my little experiment in vocational education had changed someone’s life. And quickly that second part of the reaction made me uncomfortable. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?, 10 Years | 2000 Journeys

Coding Confidential | Graduate Spotlight
Aug 1, 2017
Software development is a collaborative profession. This week we hear from two graduates that come from professions known for confidentiality, but enjoy the collaborative, open-source environment of development. Jordan Nelson was in information security for a major corporation and Josh Kilgore is an attorney. Both were interested in technology before pursuing bootcamp. After going through bootcamp, they have some pretty good advice for students. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Moms Who Code | Graduate Spotlight
Jul 24, 2017
A lot of parents come through both our full-time and part-time web developer bootcamps. This week we talk with two moms with young children who graduated with cohort Evening 4. While balancing a day job, bootcamp, and family is never easy, Debra Gordon and Sarah Ward relied on their families and fellow classmates to stay focused on their goal of becoming software developers. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Why A Six Month Curriculum? | 500 In 5
Jul 20, 2017
Why, from the very beginning, in 2012 did NSS make a contrarian decision to have a six-month full-time bootcamp? When all the schools in all the cool, tech hot spot cities were launching with 9, and 10 and 12 week programs, were we just out of the loop down here in Nashville, or did we know/believe something they didn't? And why today do we continue, along with a handful of other programs across the country, to feature a significantly longer full-time residential program than the majority of bootcamps? Read More

Topics: Learning, Hiring?, 10 Years | 2000 Journeys

Building On Hardware | Graduate Spotlight
Jul 18, 2017
When you look at the world of technology, you’ll find a wide variety of career paths. From computer technicians, to IT systems administrators, to software developers, and a lot in between. William Caldwell of Cohort 18 and Justin Leggett of Evening 4 began their careers in hardware related roles but were intrigued by software development. Here are their stories. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

My How Things Have Changed | 500 In 5
Jul 6, 2017
One of the key "leaps of faith" in the initial business model for NSS was that there were an adequate number of employers in Nashville ready and willing to hire junior developers. This was definitely not self-evident back in late 2011, early 2012 when we were designing our business model. My, how things have changed over the past five years. Read More

Topics: Hiring?, Community, 10 Years | 2000 Journeys

Focused On Solutions | Graduate Spotlight
Jul 5, 2017
Software developers are modern day builders. They do not use a hammer and nails; instead they use languages and frameworks. When Michael Watson and Luke Woodard see a problem, they want to build the solution. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Customer-Focused Software Developers | Graduate Spotlight
Jun 29, 2017
Many of our graduates come to NSS to change their careers. When they start their first job as a junior software developer, not only do they bring problem-solving and coding skills, they also bring their prior work experiences with them. Jared Fuller and Jesse Waddell both come from customer-focused careers. Their experiences in serving customers' needs will help them work with both clients and end-users as developers. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Advanced Degrees Allowed | Graduate Spotlight
Jun 20, 2017
Is a bootcamp right for someone with a master’s degree? If you want to learn the craft of software development, absolutely. Everyone’s educational journey takes different paths. These two Cohort 17 graduates have master’s degrees, but when they decided to pursue software development, they opted for the accelerated, hands-on learning environment that our bootcamps provide. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?

Coding Is For Creatives | Graduate Spotlight
Jun 13, 2017
There’s a common misconception that if you are creative, you will not like coding. The reality is that many of our students come from creative backgrounds. Whether you are a musician, writer, graphic designer, or express your creativity in other ways, you can bring your creativity into your role as a software developer. Today we meet Sorrel Brigman, an audio engineer, and Ashley Irwin, a writer, from Cohort 17 who both use their creativity to code. Read More

Topics: Student Stories, Hiring?