Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I’m not brave enough to speak in extremes/absolutes like "completely wrong" on a topic like this.

My experience aligns with his advice. As a finance student, I was selected for a research project because of my database/SQL knowledge, which got me mention in the Journal of Finance when my prof. was published, and which later paid unexpected dividends. Later, knowing to code in a finance/analyst job ultimately positioned me for a startup that has left me much better off financially than if I had stayed in my job. I also have a friend in the pharma research field that did very well because he could write code.

(Note that it’s not always the money that is the pay off. Sometimes it is an opportunity that leads to other opportunities that would have never been open to you had you not been able to code, as in my case. )

So, in my experience his advice has proven to be right on.




But was he a pharmacist that could code, or a programmer who showed up one day and said, hey, need any programs?


The former.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: