Stories from the Hackery

Tim George graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

My interest in software development began in my freshman year of high school. We built a simple website mostly utilizing HTML and inline-styling for a class project. After spending the first decade of my working years mastering the art of craft butchery and managing a business, I decided I needed a new stimulating path that combined my passion for customer service and artistry. I ran into a former colleague who had entered NSS and was now a successful software engineer. After doing some research and studying privately I decided that entering the school was my next step.

Kristen Howton graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

Before beginning my journey in software development, I was working as a behavior therapist for children with autism. I enjoyed being able to make a difference in children's lives by seeing the small changes as large victories. Software development allowed me to transition to appreciating small features in my code before ultimately building out a complex application. I was able to combine my passion of working with others and solving complex problems using logic while working in a team environment.

Kristen Howton graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

Before beginning my journey in software development, I was working as a behavior therapist for children with autism. I enjoyed being able to make a difference in children's lives by seeing the small changes as large victories. Software development allowed me to transition to appreciating small features in my code before ultimately building out a complex application. I was able to combine my passion of working with others and solving complex problems using logic while working in a team environment.

Sarah Hart Landolt graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

I'm an extroverted, passionate software developer and abstract artist who enjoys painting with the magical tools of programming languages to render visually striking, artistically-driven web applications. After learning C# and .NET in the back end, I've become intrigued and delightfully challenged by the problem solving puzzles in SQL queries and fullstack web applications. After a decade of teaching language and a year transitioning into art full-time, I pursued software development to marry all my creative interests and channel the elements that make me thrive: creation, ideation, problem-solving, dynamism, challenge, mentorship and teamwork.

Sarah Hart Landolt graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

I'm an extroverted, passionate software developer and abstract artist who enjoys painting with the magical tools of programming languages to render visually striking, artistically-driven web applications. After learning C# and .NET in the back end, I've become intrigued and delightfully challenged by the problem solving puzzles in SQL queries and fullstack web applications. After a decade of teaching language and a year transitioning into art full-time, I pursued software development to marry all my creative interests and channel the elements that make me thrive: creation, ideation, problem-solving, dynamism, challenge, mentorship and teamwork.

Drew Kirkland graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

Having worked many hands-on jobs in (and out of) the tech sector, I found myself always wanting to know more about the intricacies of the devices that propel our lives. Learning to be a developer was the next step. Fortunately, my time spent installing and supporting technology has provided clarity as a developer - I am able to qualify issues quickly due to a “big picture” mentality. I attribute my confidence with code to many years spent reconstructing the physical world.

Drew Kirkland graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

Having worked many hands-on jobs in (and out of) the tech sector, I found myself always wanting to know more about the intricacies of the devices that propel our lives. Learning to be a developer was the next step. Fortunately, my time spent installing and supporting technology has provided clarity as a developer - I am able to qualify issues quickly due to a “big picture” mentality. I attribute my confidence with code to many years spent reconstructing the physical world.

Billy Blackman graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

I have always had a passion for creating things. I love building things, taking them apart, finding out how they work and fixing them. I approach all my core interests - Software Development, Audio Engineering, Electronics - with a similar mechanical approach and curiosity. Coming from a well-rounded background in music, focused in analytical facets like production and composition, Software Development offers me countless new ways to fulfill my desires to design, build, and repair.

Billy Blackman graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

I have always had a passion for creating things. I love building things, taking them apart, finding out how they work and fixing them. I approach all my core interests - Software Development, Audio Engineering, Electronics - with a similar mechanical approach and curiosity. Coming from a well-rounded background in music, focused in analytical facets like production and composition, Software Development offers me countless new ways to fulfill my desires to design, build, and repair.

Jayson Rice graduated with Full-time Web Development Cohort 39.

I’ve lived all over east Tennessee while growing up, but I eventually ended up at Middle Tennessee State University studying Digital Media after enjoying creating digital content in a high school class. After graduating, I worked as an independent contractor for a digital marketing agency for a year before I decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I enjoyed the process being creative and working with a laptop but disliked the marketing process. After some soul searching and recommendations from friends, I determined that software development would be a good direction for me to move in.