Course Overview & Technologies

The Python & Django Software Development Foundations course is one of two options for completing our Web Developer Bootcamp. Both cover the essentials of developing the server-side code that is an integral component of modern web and mobile applications. Upon completion of this course students are ready to design, code, test and deploy a fully-functional web service or the server-side code for a web application.

This class is designed for students who have completed the Front-end Development Foundations class that starts our bootcamp but who otherwise have limited or no prior technical experience. This course completes your training as a full-stack software developer. You’ll learn Python - one of the most widely used modern object-oriented programming languages, Django - a highly productive application development framework, and a range of supporting and related technologies. You will also be introduced to database management, test-driven development, agile methods, and other key concepts that will help accelerate your entry into a career in software development.

Like all of our Bootcamp classes, this class is designed around hands-on learning by doing. Our instructors and guest lecturers are all experienced professional developers - they’ll introduce new technical material to the class and they will demonstrate how to apply new concepts through live-coding exercises. They’ll review and provide feedback on student code and most learning will come through the application of new knowledge through coding.

Why Learn These Skills and Technologies?

The Python programming language and the Django framework combine to provide a highly productive and powerful way to build and deploy database-oriented web applications. The power and speed of this combination, and the fact that this technology stack is open source, has resulted in Python & Django becoming one of the most common technologies for building web applications over the past ten years.

Python is widely used in web application development, analytics and data science, and several other problem domains. Jobs for Python developers are found at agencies and consultancies that build web applications, at tech startups, and at later stage tech companies. It can also be found, somewhat less commonly in Nashville, in IT departments of a few larger organizations that value the ability to rapidly build and evolve their own home-grown web applications or that are using Python for data analytics/data science applications.

What You’ll Learn

• The Python Language

  Learn object-oriented programming with Python, one of the most expressive and elegant programming languages.

• Django

  Dig in with Django, one of the most popular frameworks for rapidly creating web applications using Python.

• Batteries Included

  Leverage the power of the Python Standard Library, and the wealth of third party packages available in the open source Python ecosystem.

• SQL Databases

  Use the industry-standard SQL language to store and access data from relational databases.

• Test-Driven Development

  Well-written code starts with well-written tests. Learn to write tests that help you code and master testing tools such as PyUnit.

• Source Code Control

  Learn how to use Git to safely manage and track changes in your code.

• Collaborative Development

  Gain experience working in teams, so you’re ready to work on one when you graduate. Learn how to use GitHub to collaborate with other developers on your team or around the world.

• APIs and Services

  Learn how to expose data using a RESTful API, as well as how to access data via third-party services to make your applications more dynamic

• Capstone

  Leave NSS with a completed full-stack capstone project that demonstrates your ability to design, code, test, and deploy working web apps.

• Learn To Work On A Remote Team

  NSS’s live online experience prepares you to work with teams remotely. You’ll learn to communicate in a remote environment through virtual interactions with your instructors and classmates on Zoom, asynchronous communication tools like Slack, and written code reviews with Git and GitHub.

• Generative AI

  Generative AI models like ChatGPT are important tools that can improve the productivity of software developers. They can help developers learn new technologies, provide a valuable reference resource, and help generate code or tests for an application. Students will learn valuable skills in prompt engineering and managing generative AI use.