Full-Time Web Developer Bootcamp, Python and Django

NSS has some very good aspects, but overall it's not good for everyone.I'll start with the pros:The instructors are very knowledgeable and helpful.The curriculum includes a very good base on what you need to know.The course is a little longer than most bootcamps which helps form a better foundation.It's mostly about community.Now for the cons:It's too fast for those who are brand new to coding, students who have studied coding before hand for a year will be successful. All the resources are free and are available to study on your own. A google search will show you many of the resources and even tutorials that are similar to the exercises done in class. You're paying a lot of money to be part of a community than you are for the actual skills.The skills you need are still learned on your own, the instructors are good but they can't help every single person due to the amount of students in a class.There are free groups to be a part of outside of NSS that anyone who wants to learn can join.NSS is very politically left-winged. I found it very annoying receiving lectures on critical-theory points which doesn't help your programming skills in the slightest. Conclusion:I can't fully endorse NSS. If you really want to attend a class and study well in that environment then NSS is a good choice for you. If you don't like a classroom environment, then NSS isn't for you. I'd recommend studying on your own for awhile before attending NSS or any bootcamp. If you study on your own for a year or more then you're possibly already past what NSS can teach you anyway. Join a coding group on meetup.com and study on your own instead of dropping +$10k on free resources.

Jumping into a full-time bootcamp with NSS was hands-down the best decision I've ever made for my career. The instructors are outstanding, the curriculum is fast-paced and completely relevant to the current needs of the industry, and the reputation the school holds in Nashville makes the job hunt much less daunting.

In order to get an ideal experience out of NSS, students must be hungry, engaged and self-motivated. If you're considering attending, I highly suggest working through some online coding tutorials first to make sure you're definitely interested. Once accepted, the mandatory pre-work is absolutely crucial if you don't want to be in over your head right off the bat.

During the duration of the course, you will get out what you put in -- that goes for your understand of the content (and beyond), personal and group projects, and job hunt. I got a job before the end of the course, so I can't speak to the job connections the school offers to students after graduation, but I appreciated the help on my resume, linkedin, and advice concerning networking.

When you interview at NSS, they aren't shy about telling you that the boot camp will be one of the most difficult and rewarding things you've ever done. They're absolutely correct and fully committed to helping you succeed. 

I recently graduated from Cohort 28, a Full Time Full Stack Web Dev bootcamp with a focus on Python/Django. I just landed my first full time position as a developer within two weeks of graduation. As a student, you are challenged while being fully supported by a staff of professional developers and previous graduates of the program. My favorite aspect of the school was how much the responsibility of my education was up to me. There is no assigned homework, but you have numerous resources and exercises to brush up your skills. Lab time each week allowed me the freedom to work on what I was struggling with or what excited me personally.

My classmates were amazing, friendly, and a priceless resource during my time at NSS. What's great about a vocational program like this is that the people in attendance have chosen to commit to this process and everyone is driven toward succeeding which helps all boats rise. I've made lifelong friends and colleagues along the way to a brand new fruitful career. 

The teaching staff is experienced, human and relatable. There is no fear of being left behind in a wave of students as one on one time with instructors or advisors is extremely accessible and encouraged. Being encouraged to fail and experiment courageously was a breath of fresh air to my perfectionist self. The career development is outstanding. By joining NSS, you are immediately becoming part of an incomparable network of developers, employers, and alumni that gives you an extraordinary edge in your job search. Not to mention that the curriculum is constantly being updated to match market needs, giving students the most up to date skills.

My life has been changed for the better and I couldn't have asked for a better growth environment. 

Nashville Software School was a terrific experience; you're taught marketable skills that you can take anywhere. The teachers are fantastic (I had Brenda for the front-end and Steve for the Python/Django portion) and so are the teacher's assistants (former students themselves).

It's challenging and you'll need to prepare yourself to fail... a lot. With the failure comes terrific achievement _IF_ you apply yourself. By the end of the course, I learned how to build web applications I never thought possible.

NSS is old enough that they've developed, and apparently continue to refine, a winning formula. Their program has evolved to the needs of the students and the job market. You're not taught the bleeding edge, but you're not learning Cobalt either. Expect both individual and group projects plus "final challenges" that demonstrate you've learned the concepts taught in each section of the course.

For those enrolled and who have yet to start, I would recommend that you ask plenty of questions if you do not understand a concept. The teachers are always willing to help and it's better to ask too many then to fall behind. In addition to the teachers, NSS does a good job of screening candidates and I found that the overwhelming majority of people were willing to help each other where needed and there's definitely a "we're all in this together" vibe.

Near the end of the cohort, many people began to stress about finding a career after graduation and it can be difficult. It's about luck, networking, and applying oneself. If I had one negative about the program, I would say it's pertaining to the 'job hunting/assistance' portion of the program.

That's not necessarily NSS' fault as the Nashville market may be saturated for Junior Developers. A positive is the Demo Day on the last day of the program. It's the student's time to shine and demonstrate their capabilities to prospective employers, several may be fortunate enough to end the day with a job offer (I did).

All in all, I would highly recommend NSS. It's six months (most programs are three) and it's enough time to get you comfortable for a Developer position. Come prepared ready to work, push yourself and you'll succeed. Well worth the cost of the program.

P.S. Do the pre-work.

3 months html & javascript, 3 months python

Commit to it if you feel like it's for you. The jobs will come to those that actively seeking them. Frustrating after so much work, but oh so worth it!

I wrote my first line of code September 15th 2016 and was hired for my first software development job June 10th 2017 and I owe it to NSS. I chose Nashville Software School over other schools for several reasons. #1 because it is non-profit, #2  because it is a 6 month full-time program, and #3 its good reputation around town. That was enough to convince me, but what really pushed me to want to be a part of this school was my interview with John Wark. As a prospective student I was impressed with how much time he took with me to get to know me and my story. He is very thorough and that is reflected in the community that makes NSS including the staff, teachers, and students. That said, he is very clear that NSS is an experiment and there are no guarantees. There is nothing magical about the learning process. NSS gave me a space and A LOT of help on hand to accelerate what would have taken me years to learn on my own. I wouldn't have become who I am without the program. A typical day you can expect to be at NSS from 9-4pm with an hour lunch break. You are encouraged to fully immerse yourself in the tech community for networking, etc but I would say dont worry as much about attending those events if it takes away from your study time. I usually went to a meetup/user group once a week and met a  lot of cool people but my job now did not come from any of those extra experiences. What is the daily experience? Expect a lot of group work and self study, which turns out to mock my real world role as a working junior developer. Its not for everybody, but if you are ready for a career change and willing to make sacrifices to focus on this goal, I recommend. 

This course is completely worth whatever you decide to put into it. Before attending, I was a professional luthier here in Nashville. I was self taught with python on a minor level, but didnt apply it to anything. This bootcamp is tough!! Likely one of the harder courses you'll attend. However, I would say it was worth it. 

This course teaches you how to code. You will have many many group projects and personal excercises to keep you busy and your chops up. I would say that the first half is more extensive than the second. You will learn the fundamentals in whatever path you decide to join. 

The second half is evolved more around working in a production-environment. You will learn team building, have daily stand ups, and work through technologies that other companies in the dev community are using. This last half is also more job-driven. NSS wants you hired. That's their goal, and a huge portion of why they teach the way they do. You will work on your linkedin and resume, have mentors come in, and get Q&A with successful companies around Nashville. 

Like my title says, I was hired 2 weeks before graduation. NSS has a strong name in Nashville, and a strong set of instructors. I made a lot of friends, had a great time, learned so much, and now it's my life. 

I chose NSS over the other bootcamps because they seemed to be more in touch with the community of devs here. I also really liked the fact that they are a non-profit, and all the instructors I interacted with beforehand seemed very enthused about teaching and helping to grow coding skills.

The individual projects were a good reflection of classroom material covered, and altered just enough to be a good challenge without easy look-in-the-book answers. The teachers, assistants, and other classmates were always there for help as well.

The group projects were a really great learning experience. Especially using git and github with multiple people on one project. We also worked in an Agile / SCRUMM workflow.

The skills that I learned and honed at NSS definitely helped in equipping me for my first dev job. I left NSS with a familiarity for team work flows, modern code styles and principles, and tackling tough challenges using all available resources.

I highly recommend NSS to everyone who has and will ask me. 

Just know that this bootcamp will in return give what each individual puts in to it, and what they have put in before Day 1 (pre-work, personal exploration, etc). If you are willing to put in the effort it will pay off.

My interest in web development started in 2011.  The advice given at the time was to grab a book on Ruby on Rails, learn it, and find a job.  The biggest problem was there really wasn't a clear cut path to get where you needed to be and said book expected you to have knowledge you weren't sure where to research to get unstuck.  You'd don't know what you don't know. And it's easy to give up in frustration.  I finally continued my journey in 2016.

The thing I liked the most about NSS was the culture: positive energy to counteract the frustration and a clear path to go from noob dev to confident and employable junior dev.  The instructors who worked with us in our cohort were incredibly knowledgeable, experienced and approachable.

When I was in college, I felt like the professors were out of touch with how things are really done in industry, the subject matter was overly theoretical, and grades/curves encourage competition rather than cooperation.  NSS takes that and stands it on its head.  You learn exactly the skills that you will be using day one on the job.  One of the biggest benefits is working on group projects and collaborating with others.  Web dev seems to be one of those things learn best by process.

I wish I had a resource like NSS years ago and I am indeed glad I found them.