Nashville Software School Full Time Data Analytics Cohort 2

On September 14, 2020, twenty-six students entered our first day of class via Zoom, knowing next-to-nothing about data analytics. We came from many places and backgrounds, all of us looking for a new career direction in an economy suffering through a pandemic. Fifteen weeks later, we leave with a working knowledge of Excel, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Python, etc. – along with a mastery of how Zoom works. More than anything, we leave knowing that we are embarking on a career filled with great people, which we know because so many people from the data analytics world took time to help us along the way.

NSS Staff

Any talk about great people must start with the staff at Nashville Software School. Even though the COVID pandemic prevented us from ever stepping on the premises of NSS, for many of us, our experience was one of the best school experiences we have ever had. From top to bottom, the school cares –about running a worthy operation, about offering a great and useful education, about being a part of a serving the greater community, and about helping their students find jobs.

At Nashville Software School, we thank the following:

• John Wark – it all starts at the top, and nothing would have happened without him.
• Mary van Valkenburg – program manager and visionary; positive presence.
• Mahesh Rao - our class was quick to form a productive, helpful, and fun community, and credit for that goes to Mahesh –helpful and positive, the smartest person in the room (and beyond), tolerant of irreverent Zoom chats, and more patient than any teacher should be.
• Cristina Attfield, John Borthick, Teresa Whitesell – all teaching assistants who had travelled the same path ahead of us and were willing to share their insights - and relate to our setbacks.
• Marla Lamont, Ashley Canino, Julie Heckler, Kristin McKinney – all tasked with helping us with resumes, Linkedin pages, mock interviews, real interviews, and finding actual jobs
• Mandy Arola, Jessica Grande, Jeremiah Vasquez – for getting us enrolled and keeping us from falling through the cracks
• Sekou Tyler – for showing us how a master works with Power BI and Tableau

Round Table

Our Roundtable event in October was the first chance for many of us to interact with people in the data analytics world and hear their stories.

For taking time out of their schedule to participate in the event, we thank the following:

Leadership Panel

We thank the three industry insiders who took part in our November Leadership Panel and shared their knowledge of the data analytics world:

• Aaron Mock, Sr. VP of Operations, Ursa Healthcare
• Matthias Mueller, Director of Marketing Analytics, Campaign Monitor
• Matthew Hoty, Senior Product Analytics Manager - Asurion

Mock Interviews

Our Mock Interviews in November allowed us to get practice interviewing for real jobs by the employers who hire data analysts. Over twenty local companies and organization were represented, and the interviews would not have happened without the participation of the following people:

Sharing Analysis Projects

We thank the following for coming to our class and allowing us to work with their data on real world issues:

• Stephen Martini, Director of the Emergency Communications Center for Nashville
• Ben Shuler and Katherine Delgado of Family and Children’s Services

Thank!

Thanks to everyone involved, we leave the Data Analytics Bootcamp with fond memories, new skills, and all the tools necessary for a bright future.