Stories from the Hackery

Airris Williams graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

I am a Software Developer who recently transitioned from a career in Law Enforcement. My interest in technology was sparked from a prison program at San Quentin State Prison that taught inmates how to code. I believe programs like these are a great asset to rehabilitating inmates and society as a whole. I decided to learn software development for myself. Software development allows me to continuously learn, while giving me the opportunity to put my problem-solving skills to work. I am excited to see where this new career path takes me.

Dani Crosby graduated with Web Development Cohort 53.

Riley Phillips graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

I am a software developer that recently made the transition from video production & CNC programming. With a longstanding interest for technology and design, as well as continued learning and problem solving, I decided to pursue a career that I felt would be a better fit for personal and educational growth.

Will Wardrop graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

I am a former commercial real estate analyst turned developer with a zeal for working with and visualizing locational data. I love to speak with people about code and am a firm believer that explaining a concept is the best way to learn it. I look forward to interacting with enthusiastic coworkers as I work towards my goal of building software that helps people make better sense of the world around them.

Van Nguyen graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

Being a former Electric & Electronics Engineer, I had a good foundation for technical knowledge and technology. I have an analytic and logical mindset. After I came to the United States in 2018, I enjoyed the time I worked for Publix and Cambridge which helped me a lot to improve my language skills. When a colleague introduced me to Nashville Software School, I did research about bootcamps and the career paths that they could take me in. Software development gave me the opportunity to use my engineering background, logical mindset, and analytic skills.

Randall Thomas graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

Growing up as a musician and producer, I have been working with complicated software for years as a necessity. That necessity grew into a curiosity, and then a passion. My love for finding out what makes things tick, abstract thinking, and connecting dots have brought me to software development where I can apply even more of my creative, technical, and analytical skills.

Erich Hils graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

Hey, I’m Erich. In my life before NSS, I worked as a a museum educator, a community art teacher, a cook in a kitchen, a potter, a musician, and many other occupations. I have found that a breadth of experience in a variety of fields has provided my with a unique and creativity-based perspective from which to approach the art of software development. Outside of code, I like going new places, learning new things, meeting new people, and making stuff.

Gregory Haney graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

I've worked in technology my entire life. I started with a long career in the Air Force as a cyberspace operations officer, followed by various roles in security for defense contractors and state government. In my most recent job, I was a technical trainer. One common thread in all my positions has been the desire and need to inject automation everywhere I could, which drove me to learn basic scripting and coding on my own. I fell in love with code way back then, and that drove me to this career change. NSS has given me the whole package - not just learning the languages, but more importantly, the 'soft skills' that employers demand today: how to learn new languages, problem deconstruction and problem-solving skills, a hunger for learning, being curious, not being afraid to ask for help, and a team mentality while still being independent - among others. For this, I am grateful to everyone at NSS and to my peers in Cohort 54. I would not have been as successful in this endeavor without you all. I am now ready to put it all to the test; I think my security background coupled with my new developer skills will help make the applications I work on be more secure. So, I'm looking forward to joining an amazing team with a great company in my first role as a Software Engineer and continue my learning.

Ollie Lichtenstein graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

I have always had a passion for math and solving problems, specifically the ones that challenged me and felt particularly rewarding after successfully completing them. After graduating from College studying Business, I decided it was more important to find a career that allows me to use the skills that I am most passionate about. Software development has been the best direction for me to go forward given my strong ambition to solve problems and my love for learning. I am excited to see where this new career path takes me.

Kevin Caruso graduated with Web Development Cohort 54.

I've always been fascinated by how far technology as advanced in just my lifetime alone and it excites me thinking about what I’ll get to see further into my lifetime. Having the opportunity to actually help design and build software that contributes to that forward growth is something I know I’ve always been interested in. I did some self study through various online learning platforms throughout the years, but always felt like I wanted a more hands on approach. Having spent the last 7 years working in manufacturing, I decided to finally take the plunge into becoming a software developer through joining NSS. I couldn’t be happier with the experience. Everyday I’m challenged to think critically and get to work with a team to come together and make something awesome collaboratively.