Find out what it takes to start a career in software development, data analytics, data science, or UI/UX design from those who made the leap. Hear from musicians, veterans, single-moms, teachers, bartenders, postdocs, warehouse workers, and more - all graduates of Nashville Software School (NSS) - as they discuss their transition to tech and their capstone projects presented at Demo Day. Founded in 2012, NSS is a flourishing community of over one thousand alumni, active students, and a team of dedicated instructors all working together to grow and learn their craft. As a non-profit, NSS is committed to growing diversity in tech by creating opportunities for under-represented groups in these fields. Learn more at nashvillesoftwareschool.com.
Career Shift: Healthcare Product Analyst to Data Analyst
In this episode of Stories from the Hackery, we speak with Asia Mayes, a recent graduate of Nashville Software School’s part-time Data Analytics Cohort 17, about moving from an Excel-heavy data role into more advanced analytics and healthcare tech work.
Asia shares how she balanced a full-time job with a six-month program and why NSS’s structured, hands-on classes helped her learn advanced Excel, SQL, Jupyter Notebooks, and GitHub. She explains how these skills are influencing her approach to healthcare data challenges, including speeding up workflows during a software implementation, and how the program helped her “speak the language” of analytics with more confidence.
Asia also discusses her growing interest in informatics and offers advice to working professionals considering upskilling, including doing research, choosing the right learning format, and not being discouraged by applications, finances, or grades.
00:33 Meet Asia Mayes
00:54 Why Data Analytics
01:48 Balancing Work and Bootcamp
03:36 Why NSS Structure
04:44 Skills That Clicked
06:05 Applying Skills at Work
08:22 Career Shift to Informatics
10:26 Speaking the Data Language
13:10 Advice for Pros
15:24 Why You Should Apply Now
7 Oct 2026
Career Shift: Audio/Video Production to Software Developer | Stories From The Hackery
In this episode of Stories from the Hackery, recent NSS full-time, full-stack software development graduate, Kris Cagle, shares his transition from working in podcast AV production to vibe coding his own AI-driven app for musicians (RoadUno) and enrolling in Nashville Software School. He dives into overcoming code review anxiety, how networking at NSS roundtables helped him land a job quickly, and why adaptable problem-solving skills matter more than knowing a single programming language.
00:33 Meet Kris Cagle
00:57 Why Switch to Tech
02:36 Vibe Coding Origins
04:09 Vibe Coding RoadUno
07:26 Code Reviews and Confidence
10:25 Mock Interview Breakthrough
11:27 Career Development Support
14:15 Job Search Strategy
20:18 Networking and Meetups
21:28 Advice for Future Students
24:57 First Weeks on the Job
26:45 Cohort Community and Growth
28:10 Closing Thanks and Outro
Links:
RoadUno: https://roaduno.com/
7 Oct 2026
Integrating AI into Developer Teams: Lessons from a Developer Advocate | Stories From The Hackery
What happens when you introduce artificial intelligence to a software development team? Does it fix structural flaws, or does it break things faster? In this episode of Stories from the Hackery, Nashville Software School (NSS) founder John Wark sits down with NSS alumna and former instructor Sydney Noh to discuss AI adoption, developer advocacy, and the realities of modern software engineering.
Sydney shares her transition from television production to full-stack engineering, her experience teaching five evening cohorts at NSS, and how she helped build internal developer advocacy roles at Built and FortyAU. From leading company-wide AI training to analyzing codebase health, Sydney breaks down why AI acts as an amplifier for team culture—accelerating success on clean codebases while exposing technical debt on fragile ones.
SHOW NOTES:
00:00 - Meet Sydney Noh: Full-Stack Engineer, Tech Educator, and Developer Advocate
01:55 - Her Nashville Story: Transitioning from Television Production to Tech
03:14 - Attending NSS (Cohort 33) and Landing a Developer Role Before Graduation
05:48 - Returning to NSS as a Part-Time Evening Instructor
08:18 - Defining the Internal Developer Advocate Role
20:38 - Creating Opportunity: Writing Documentation & Building a New Role at Built
26:33 - Rolling Out AI Training & Anthropic Certifications at FortyAU
33:23 - The 3-Level AI Training Framework: From LLM Basics to Integrated Workflows
39.31 - Fusion Wednesdays: Discovering Why AI Amplifies Existing Engineering Culture
43:12 - Leveraging Interest in AI to Address Technical Debt
48:30 - Predictions for 2027: Moving Beyond Chat, the Power of QA Mindsets, and System Architecture
58:00 - Tech Guilty Pleasure & Personal Passions: Solar Punk, Gardening, and IT Girls Nashville
LINKS
FortyAU: https://fortyau.com/
DORA Research Report on ROI of AI-assisted Software Development: https://cloud.google.com/resources/content/dora-roi-of-ai-assisted-software-development
Claude Code & Anthropic Architecture Programs: https://academy.claude.com/
IT Girls Nashville on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/it-girls-nashville/
Nashville .NET on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/nashdotnet/
Connect with Sydney Noh on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneycnoh/
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