From Finance to Code: My Unconventional Journey into Web Development
How a finance student discovered a passion for coding, leaving behind spreadsheets for syntax—and found a whole new career path.
8 min
It started with a nagging curiosity that refused to be ignored. There I was, a second-year Finance major at Cairo University, drowning in financial statements and macroeconomic theories, when a single browser tab changed everything.
The Accidental Discovery
One late night between corporate finance assignments, I stumbled upon a YouTube tutorial titled "Build Your First Website in 1 Hour!". The instructor typed Hello World
That week, I built my first webpage a horribly centered, neon-green monstrosity with blinking text. It was glorious.
The Double Life
For months, I lived two lives:
- By day: Analyzing cash flow statements in lecture halls
- By night: Obsessively learning CSS flexbox through trial and catastrophic error
My finance textbooks gathered dust as I plowed through JavaScript tutorials. The logical problem-solving of accounting had prepared me well debugging felt like forensic accounting, but with instant visual feedback.
What Finance Gave Me
Analytical rigor • Data interpretation • Business context
What Code Added
Creative expression • Problem-solving superpowers • The ability to build solutions
The Python Epiphany
When I discovered Python, everything clicked. Here was a language that could:
- Automate my tedious finance homework
- Build actual applications with Django/Flask
- Make data come alive through visualization
I'll never forget the first time I built a compound interest calculator bridging my two worlds. Finance provided the formulas, but code gave them interactive form.
"In finance, I learned to predict the future. In programming, I learned to build it."
The Hardest Lessons
The path wasn't without obstacles:
Reality Checks
- The JavaScript ecosystem moved faster than my comprehension
- Imposter syndrome when comparing myself to CS graduates
- Countless abandoned projects that started with "This time I'll finish!"
Where I Am Now
Today, I see my finance background as an unfair advantage:
- Building financial apps with real-world business logic
- Communicating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
- Approaching code architecture like financial modeling structured yet adaptable
To Anyone Starting Out
Your unique background isn't a disadvantage it's your secret weapon. The best developers I know came from philosophy, art, even medicine. What matters isn't where you start, but that you start.
(And yes, you will eventually understand JavaScript promises.)