Hi, I’m Olga! I have years of experience in data science, most recently at eBay. Now, I work as an industry mentor at Pathrise, where I help data scientists land great roles through technical workshops and 1-on-1s. Check out my review of Nashville Software School.
- What does Nashville Software School do?
- Who is Nashville Software School for?
- What does Nashville Software School cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Nashville Software School
- Alternatives to Nashville Software School
- How does Nashville Software School compare to Pathrise?
What does Nashville Software School do?
Nashville Software School is a bootcamp that teaches people the skills they need to land a job as a web developer, data analyst, or data scientist. Students can choose between part-time and full-time options in Nashville, Tennessee. Due to Covid-19, all courses are now offered remotely.
While their bootcamps do not require any pre-work, introductory “jumpstart” courses are available to show students the ropes of web development, statistics, and data analytics. These introductory courses meet for 3 weeks and only require about 12 hours of work per week.
Full stack web dev
Nashville Software School offers both full-time and part-time tracks in full stack web development. Students in the 6-month full-time course meet Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. The 12-month part-time course meets Monday and Tuesday from 6pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm, plus about 2 hours of homework every week. Students in the part-time course also have about 12-15 hours of work outside of class.
Both courses teach students to build full stack web apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The curriculum also covers Python, Django frameworks, and other key skills students need to land jobs as junior developers. Students participate in live lectures and coding demos, but most of the course focuses on group and individual projects that students can add to their portfolios.
The 6-month front-end web dev course is full-time, meeting Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. The curriculum covers all phases of front-end design and development, as well as UX and UI design implementation into working front-end browser code. Students take part in live lectures, coding demos, and lots of projects that they can add to their portfolios to help them become a UX designer or a front-end web developer.
Data science
Students in the full-time data science bootcamp are required to have some prior math experience, especially with statistics or probability. The course meets for 6 months, Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Students apply Python and R to real data analytics problems throughout the program through projects and hands-on work. The course teaches students to source, clean, and aggregate data. Students even work with Big Data tools like Hadoop and Spark. The curriculum also covers SQL, data analytics, and machine learning. Students build projects based on real-world data sets, graduating with a portfolio to help them land a data science job.
Students can choose between a full-time or part-time data analytics course. The 6-month full-time course meets Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Students in the 12-month part-time course meet Monday and Tuesday from 6pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. The full-time program requires about 2 hours of homework every week while the part-time course requires 12-15 hours of work outside of class each week. The curriculum teaches students to apply statistical reasoning using common analytics tools like Excel, Python, SQL, Tableau, and Power BI. Students graduate with a polished data science portfolio, helping them find entry level data science jobs.
The program includes career services. Students participate in workshops on interview skills, personal branding, negotiation, and more. The program culminates in a demo day where students mingle with prospective employers. Students continue to get help with their job search after graduation. For grads or professionals, 14-week “professional development” programs are also available, teaching more advanced UX/UI, SQL, and AWS.
Who is Nashville Software School for?
People with no experience in web development or data science who are looking to move into these careers could benefit from the courses offered by Nashville Software School. The program is especially helpful for people who are based in Nashville.
What does Nashville Software School cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for the full-time or part-time web development programs is $12,500. The full-time data science course costs $12,500 while the full-time and part-time data analytics courses cost $7,500. Any jumpstart intro course is $650.
Financing is available through Skills Fund and Climb Credit loans. Rates and repayment plans depend on an applicant’s previous credit history. The GI bill is also accepted.
Unlike many other bootcamps, Nashville Software School has no formal admissions process. However, the data science and data analytics bootcamps require students to be familiar with math, particularly probability and statistics.
Ratings and reviews
Nashville Software School has mostly positive reviews. The program holds a 4.61/5 stars on Course Report where grads praise the comprehensive curriculum, support, and hands-on learning. The top review described the instructors as “very knowledgeable and helpful”. Specifically, they appreciated that the bootcamp was “longer than most bootcamps which helps form a better foundation.” However, the grad also felt that “it’s too fast for those who are brand new to coding.” Another grad liked that the program was hands-on and run by a non-profit, but warned “there are no guarantees” that students will land a job. In addition, they mention that students need to do a lot of “self-study.”
The course is rated 4.8/5 stars on Career Karma, where one grad valued the program’s “real world projects” and “knowledgeable teachers.” Switchup gave the program a perfect 5 star rating. Here, the top review raved about the “great curriculum” and “even better community and environment.” The bootcamp holds a 4.7/5 star rating on Google reviews and 5/5 stars on Facebook. Overall, many grads were satisfied by the program’s curriculum and hands-on learning experience, but some would have liked a slower pace.
Alternatives to Nashville Software School
If you decide not to enroll in Nashville Software School, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and courses for aspiring web developers and data analysts.
- The popular bootcamps BrainStation and allWomen Academy offer programs in web development, web design, data science, marketing, and product management.
- Students seeking on 1-on-1 mentorship can also check out Thinkful, a bootcamp that teaches courses in data science, software engineering, and more. Like Nashville Software School, their program includes career coaching and group projects students add to their portfolios.
- Similarly, Codeup, Rutgers Bootcamps, UC San Diego Bootcamps, Clarusway, DevPoint Labs, GW Bootcamps, and Georgia Tech Bootcamp offer full-time and part-time courses in web dev and data science.
- Women, GNC people, and trans people can check out CodeOp, which has courses in web dev, data, and product management. Or, consider Kal Academy, which works with women and underrepresented groups on software engineering, web dev, and data.
- Another popular tech bootcamp is General Assembly. They have full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on data science, software engineering, UX design, digital marketing, product management, and more. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- For those interested in self-paced learning, Data Science Dream Job and 365 Data Science offer flexible, remote courses for aspiring data analysts.
- Metis has introductory data science courses with both onsite & remote bootcamp options. Learn more about Metis in our review.
- Similarly, DataCamp is an online resource with over 300 courses on data science subjects.
- If you prefer in-person classes, check out Magnimind or Principal Analytics Prep, which have full-time and part-time data science courses.
- In the same vein, FourthBrain has part-time, online machine learning courses.
- Aspiring software engineers and web developers can also consider CodeX Academy, a self-paced coding bootcamp with mentorship opportunities. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
More alternatives
- Students seeking an intense full-time bootcamp can check out Kenzie Academy. They offer in-person and online courses in 2 tracks: software engineering & UX design with front-end engineering. Read more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- The Menon Labs fellowship helps people learn the skills to become web developers, data scientists, and product managers.
- Students on a budget can also check out Udemy, an online program hosting thousands of affordable self-paced video courses on web dev, cybersecurity, data analysis, and much more.
- Codecademy is one of the most popular coding programs online. They offer free courses on web development and data science, teaching dozens of programming languages. They have membership options ranging from $20 to $40 per month for greater course options and more support. Learn more about Codecademy in our review.
- Similarly, Coursera is an online learning platform that hosts thousands of videos in a wide range of tech subjects, including web dev, data science, and software engineering.
- Another educational resource, Springboard has tracks in data science, software engineering, UX/UI, and more. If students don’t land a great job within 6 months of graduating, they get a refund. Learn more about Springboard in our review.
- edX is another popular online learning platform with university courses. Their self-paced courses come from top schools like Harvard and MIT, and tech companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or focus on specific topics, like front-end web development or data analytics. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Students interested in self-paced learning can also check out Udacity, a resource with tracks in data science, web dev, UX, data analytics, and more. Students get to build polished portfolio projects and work with both a technical and career mentor throughout the program. Learn more about Udacity in our review.
How does Nashville Software School compare to Pathrise?
Nashville Software School teaches people the skills they need to launch a career in web development or data science. While an interest in tech is suggested, most Nashville Software School students start with zero technical experience. Pathrise job-seekers should already have a background in their chosen field so they can get the most out of our technical curriculum.
Pathrise optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentorship and personalized training. Our experienced mentors have helped 1,000+ people land tech jobs, assisting with resume and portfolio optimization, cold emailing and reverse recruiting, technical and behavioral interviewing, and negotiation.
Our curriculum is flexible and tailored to each individual fellow. There are only 2-4 hours of group sessions per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1s as needed. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that fellows don’t pay anything until they land a job they love and start working. On average, fellows in our program find a job in just 3-5 months.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that helps people land their dream job in tech. With our training and guidance, fellows in our program see their interview scores double. If you are interested in working with one of our mentors to land your dream job faster, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
