Coding in finance?

Hi all,

I’m a first-year student studying Economics. I’ve been coming across articles on the internet saying how coding is going to be one of the most important skills to have in the future. With a bit of time on my hands, I’ve enrolled in an online course on the programming language Python. Would just like to get some insight from you guys, how important is coding to a career in finance? Does knowing python give me an advantage in securing an internship at a bank?

Thanks in advance!

13 Comments
 
Best Response

Why only think about your internship? You should be thinking beyond that and into the job you want. I think you're on the right track with wanting to add coding to your background. Python is an excellent choice, so is R and maybe even some SAS. You should also know how to write SQL for databases. If you know SQL for big data systems (like Hive) then that's even better.

Get yourself working with Python and some free datasets out there (pick any one) and start doing some data manipulation with it, something you can talk about in an interview and you will distinguish yourself from other applicants.

 

Get real brah, you are in a better position than most. I've hired kids with the technical skills I need even though they topped out at community college. You can't lose by learning programming, there is no downside. I can't speak with authority re: developer vs MBB difficulty, but I would imagine it would be much more of an uphill battle with the latter.

"That dude is so haole, he don't even have any breath left."
 

Depends on what kind of finance you're talking about. What exactly do you love about the industry?

Nothing is impossible, but you'll have a much harder time breaking into high finance jobs than something like commercial banking or even Finance as an institution's or bank's support function. Regardless of the area of interest, you'll still have to have a good story and preparation to show genuine interest in the area.

CFA won't get you a job, and there's a view that the hundreds of hours spent studying for the CFA could be better spent networking. If you do feel you have time to do both effectively though, passing one or two levels of CFA can demonstrate to interviewers or potential employers that you're serious about finance and can get you some credibility.

 

Hey Kjoz, I am a newbie here and I just saw your post. Would love to know how everything panned out for you and how you made it happen.

Cheers!

 

Dolorem recusandae velit autem. Maxime voluptate dolor voluptatem necessitatibus esse. Cumque voluptas fugiat qui autem. Voluptate quia qui rerum.

Error qui ex consequuntur sunt in. Et ad consequatur qui doloremque temporibus vero.

Et et quis tempora ex asperiores iusto. Est qui qui consequatur.

Aut autem quidem eum recusandae. Dolorem accusamus quis consequatur sit. Quam fugit quisquam itaque qui ad quis. Sed cupiditate quod molestias.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”