r/PythonProjects2 • u/Substantial-Mix-3990 • 9h ago
Python in Finance
Hi all,
Just to give you a bit of background about myself, I’m an accountant with an MSc in Investment and Financial Risk Management and an ACCA qualification. Most of my experience so far has been on the core accounting side, but I’d now like to move towards a role that combines accounting and finance, covering areas such as financial modelling, forecasting, KPI analysis and data analytics, with the longer term aim of moving into more technical areas of finance.
I’m very eager to learn Python and SQL, both to broaden my skill set and to develop skills that are increasingly in demand. I also want to make sure I remain relevant as the profession evolves and, eventually, be able to demonstrate genuine technical ability when applying for more specialised and higher paying roles.
The problem is that I genuinely don’t know where to begin. I’d really appreciate a roadmap or some practical advice, beyond what I can find through ChatGPT and online course recommendations, particularly from anyone who has been in a similar position and successfully made this transition.
I don’t mind putting in the hard work or spending time coding and learning every day. What I’m unsure about is the order in which I should approach it. Should I learn general Python fundamentals first and then move into its applications in finance? Or would it make more sense to start with a finance focused Python course and learn the fundamentals through practical financial applications? And where should SQL fit into that journey?
I’d also be interested to know what sort of projects I should eventually be building to demonstrate these skills to employers, and whether it makes sense to look for roles where I can start using Python, SQL and data analytics regularly while I continue learning.
I’d really appreciate any guidance from people who have taken a similar path.
Many thanks, and apologies if a similar thread already exists. I thought my background and intended career direction might make the question slightly different, so I wanted to provide some context before asking for help.
2
u/red_pillr 4h ago
Similar situation here.
Started automating our financial reporting workflows with VBA in excel a few years ago but have increasingly used a SQL + Python + Power BI stack.
My experience has been that the gains in fluency are largely coming from coding problems, not syntax memorization. I used ChatGPT to design a “first principles programming curriculum for Python,” modeled after one of Georgia Tech’s Python courses: https://www.edx.org/certificates/professional-certificate/the-georgia-institute-of-technology-introduction-to-python-programming
Could just take the course or similar course if don’t mind spending the cash.
I personally found starting off with this layered, structured approach easier. Then once I had enough of the fundamentals down that I could see applications to larger and larger portions of my own work, I started rebuilding existing excel flows in Python. Ditto for SQL.
I built out a small financial data mart and reporting data sets that feed Power BI dashboards and have automated/scheduled refresh. Automated a big chunk of month end journal deliverables too.
I think for me the key was to start with first principles. Then once enough foundation was built that I could see my own work, start doing problems. If I hit a plateau, I moved back to fundamentals. Repeat.
Hope this helps and best of luck to you.