Kirren Covey graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 30.

In 2013, I moved to Tennessee to become a zookeeper, my dream job since childhood, and spent over 5 years dedicated to the daily care of animals at the Nashville Zoo. I was driven by my passion for animals and conservation. I loved caring for animals and educating the public about issues I care so much about, but I longed for greater intellectual challenge and more growth opportunities.

I'd heard developers in my life discussing their work, always excited by the challenges and problem-solving opportunities it presented. I was intrigued, and with a little investigation I quickly knew that this could be my forever career. I naturally have a logical thought process, enjoy problem solving, and it seemed my strengths in math and science could contribute to my success. What's more, software development presents the opportunity for a true lifetime of learning.

Excited by the potential to have a second career that I loved, but that would allow me more growth, I applied to and enrolled in Nashville Software School. I will be graduating in June 2019. I'm learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and C#/.NET, among other skills and tools. As expected, I'm being challenged and learning new things constantly. Most importantly, I'm truly having fun and enjoying the process! I remain passionate about animals and conservation, and look forward to finding ways to apply these new technical skills to those fields.