Job growth in the Middle Tennessee region
increased 25% from 2009 to 2018; tech job growth
was 47%, according to the chamber’s 2019 Tech
Workforce Study. In 2018, Nashville had about
2,100 tech job postings a month on average.
The demand for talent translates to greater
earnings potential for aspiring developers, a
point not lost on many students.
Software developers in Nashville earn about
$94,000 annually on average, with database
administrators earning $87,500. That’s well
above the average salary for servers, reporters
and teachers, earning $20,000, $42,000 and
$53,000, respectively, and is on par with
local financial advisers, biochemists, nurse
practitioners and veterinarians.
It often takes a few years for a Nashville Software
School graduate to move beyond entry-level
positions, but many obtain a starting salary in
the tech field that is 20% or 25% higher than
what they earned in previous roles, Wark said.
Thomas said when he first started at Factor, his
salary was lower than when he left Amazon,
but a year later he is earning more than in his
previous job. His job satisfaction is much higher.
Adam Sheaffer was hired at the Tennessee
Department of Transportation after graduating
from Nashville Software School in 2014 at age
- His starting income as a web developer was
more than twice what he earned as a touring
musician, and he eventually quadrupled his
earnings before returning to the school as an
instructor, he said.
“It will go down as one of the best decisions I
ever made,” Sheaffer said. “I’ve been at it for five
years, and I love every day I write code.”