Nashville Software School Full Time Data Analytics Cohort 3

Firmly entrenched in a Zoom world, the twenty-four of us came together to dive headfirst into data analytics on January 19, 2021. 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. Now we are all excited to head off into the wide world of data and meet interesting questions, people, and puzzles.

NSS Staff

The staff at Nashville Software School was incredible – from wonderful technical development to mentoring us through a new, and sometimes difficult, learning environment. Without even stepping on the NSS campus, we received some 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; a positive presence there to ask the tough questions and help guide us when the questions were really tough.
• 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 and Chris Wright – Our teaching assistants were absolutely awesome; they nurtured our creativity and independence while also supporting us during our setbacks, both Christina and Chris were frank, firm, friendly, and fair (the 4Fs of outstanding leadership) and extremely helpful in relating to our situation.
• 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; we could not have translated our skills into marketable powerhouses without their help.
• Mandy Arola, Jessica Grande, Jeremiah Vasquez – for getting us enrolled and keeping us from falling through the cracks – especially backing us up on Tableau and any other foreseeable situations gaining access.
• Sekou Tyler – for showing us how a master works with Power BI and Tableau and the visualization summit that we, too, can reach with a little bit of drive and creativity.

Round Table

At the beginning of March, we were fortune to engage with people in the data analytics world and hear their stories at our Roundtable event.

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
• Stephen Gabor, Director of PLM and Analytics Solutions, A.O. Smith Corporation

Mock Interviews

Our Mock Interviews at the end of March 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:

• Peter Bird, Former Metro Planning Active Transportation Planner for Nashville Metro
• Katherine Delgado and Ben Shuler of Family and Children’s Services

Thank You!

Thank you so much to each and every one of you for supporting our class!

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