Why Economics × Code

Most people pick a major because of “job prospects” or “my parents said so.” My reason was simpler — I’ve loved two things since I was a kid: messing with computers and watching money grow.

The Computer That Started It All

I was obsessed with computers as a kid. Not the normal “play for a bit then do homework” kind — the kind where I’d touch a keyboard and forget time existed.

My dad’s reaction was interesting. Most parents would’ve unplugged the router or locked the computer. Instead, he said something I didn’t expect:

“You love it so much? Fine — I’ll send you to learn programming.”

He probably figured that once I saw the boring code behind the screen, I’d lose interest.

It backfired spectacularly.

The first lesson was HTML. When I typed <h1>Hello World</h1>, hit refresh, and actually saw those words appear on screen — I thought it was cooler than any game I’d ever played. I could make the computer do what I told it to.

Then came JavaScript. Suddenly pages weren’t static anymore. Buttons could click, alerts could pop, colors could change. A ten-year-old kid, experiencing the thrill of creation for the first time.

Then databases. I realized I could not only make pages move — I could store data, query it, and actually use it. The leap from a flashy webpage to a genuinely useful system fascinated me.

Eventually, I built two internal systems for my family’s foreign trade business — a quotation tool and an order management platform. That’s when it clicked: code isn’t just fun. It solves real problems.

The Piggy Bank That Started It All

The other thread started even earlier.

As a kid, I had an inexplicable obsession with money. During Chinese New Year, while other kids spent their red envelope cash on snacks and toys, I’d save every cent. Not because I was responsible — purely because watching the number go up made me happy.

Primitive, but honest.

Then I discovered a concept: investing. Money can make money. That idea was like a seed — once planted, it grew relentlessly.

So I started experimenting:

• Mutual funds — My first “real” investment. Picking funds, tracking NAV, calculating returns. It felt like unlocking a new game.
• U.S. equities — First taste of the global market’s pulse. Staying up till midnight, feeling the heartbeat of overnight volatility.
• Digital assets — High volatility, high risk, high tuition. I’ve won and I’ve lost. But every trade was an education paid in real money.
• Digital collectibles — A brief mania. It taught me about liquidity and narrative-driven markets.

Along the way, I went from “a kid who liked watching numbers grow” to someone who started thinking seriously about risk, return, position sizing, and investment discipline.

~20% annualized return, ~15% max drawdown — the numbers aren’t jaw-dropping, but the methodology was forged one trade at a time.

Where the Two Lines Cross

Looking back, these two threads were never parallel.

Programming taught me to break down problems with logic. Investing taught me to make decisions under uncertainty.

When I started using Python to analyze options mispricing and building portfolio analysis tools with code, it hit me — isn’t this the same thing?

Data-driven decisions. Systems over intuition. Code turning financial logic into repeatable tools.

So when people ask me, “Are you a finance person or a tech person?” — my answer is:

I’m the person standing at the intersection.

This wasn’t a carefully planned career path. It started with a computer that captivated me and a piggy bank I couldn’t bear to spend. I just followed my curiosity, and it brought me here.

And I plan to keep going.