Classes, Automation, and Learning Fundamentals

Pendora

Dec 28, 2020·4 min read

2020 was a challenging time for everyone, and it was no exception for me. Travel plans were postponed, work was re-located to be fully online, and it has been hard to adjust, to say the least.

The purpose of this article is to look back on some of the most important things that I have learned so far, and also to brainstorm ways to improve myself going forward into the new year. Work has been extremely busy so it has been tough to find time to try and learn new skills, but since getting a handle on things, I will be creating more content.

Skills Learned

Python for Finance and Automation

I am an investment banker by trade and have only taken computer science courses during undergrad. Throughout 2020, I have been working on combining my finance knowledge, with some basic computer programs. Some of the projects I have completed include:

It has been a great experience, but I would say that I have not been as studious as I should with my projects. There are many more projects that I hope to create, and that can only be done if I continue to advance my skills in programming. Many times, I would be looking for inspiration from other people’s projects, without being able to create something from “scratch” myself. This is a function of not having a solid background in Python and is something I will be looking to change going forward.

Corporate Law and Business Strategy

2020 has been a busy year for M&A bankers, and my team has experienced this first hand. This year has been especially busy as interest rates are extremely low, and many companies are going through financial troubles, affecting general business strategy.

As I progress in my own finance career, I realize the importance of viewing transactions and overall business through a legal lens. We have been seeing a significant increase in the involvement of government in the business world due to new tensions between countries. The West is more inclined to step in during transactions involving China, and other emerging nations, in order to protect national security and interests. Due to these increasingly important issues, transactions require a heavy analysis of regulatory risks and possible mitigations.

There are many different regulatory bodies to consider, and also the world of corporate law is extremely complex for an outsider like myself. Lawyers are a different breed when it comes to providing accurate advice, and I have slowly learned along the way.

Self-Improvement and Continuous Learning

For 2021, I have decided to start a series where I tackle computer science courses and prepare myself for an eventual switch into software engineering. My good friend Terence Shin was my inspiration, and he went through this method in 2020. He developed a significant amount of experience and knowledge within the Data Science field.

Through consistent learning, I will document my process and share my learnings to hopefully show readers that anything is possible. I am a business student with no work experience in software engineering and only have the desire to learn. I’ve taken a few first-year CS courses in university, so I know the absolute basics.

My end goal would be a job in tech or creating programs that will benefit myself and others around me. If I can do this, anybody can. Stick around and say hi!

I’ll be researching the best way to tackle this new challenge in 2021, and will have a detailed course curriculum for myself posted shortly. For now, my plan is to:

1. Deepen my understanding of Python fundamentals through taking university courses from MIT Open Courseware, University of Waterloo, and University of Toronto
2. Supplement course teachings with targeted online lectures to fill blind spots in my knowledge
3. Practice what I’ve learned using Leetcode
4. Create side projects that interest me (finance, accounting, business)
5. Sharpen up my resume and start applying

Please let me know if you have a similar experience or if you have any other resources that you would recommend!

This week, I’ve started to learn off of a first-year university course at the University of Toronto as I heard it was a renowned computer science program, and their faculty is known for their contributions to research.

Concepts

Python Class

Explains the Rectangle class, and introduces a Constructor, with the method translate_right.

Outputs based on the Rectangle class and applying the translate_right method:

r = Rectangle(100, 200, 300, 400)
>>> r.x
100
>>> r.y
200
>>> r.width
300
>>> r.height
>>> r.translate_right(20)
>>> r.x
120

Notes about Classes:

Attributes — Variable defined inside a class definition but outside any method

Methods — Actions for the specific objects

Inheritance: Ability to define a new class that is a modified version of an existing class

General Notes:

Accumulator: Variable used in a loop to accumulate a series of values, counting with a running sum or concatenating to a running sum

Encoding: Define a mapping between a sequence of numbers and items represented

Out with the old, in with the new.