The unsuccessful attempt

In mid-2015, I was very committed to learning a certain programming language, R1, due to my interest in furthering the studies in the statistics that I was studying on my MBA in finance. I decided to study alone, on weekends, the only free time I had. I had started an online course, but soon I realized that I should know the basics of programming first. I was stuck at the beginning of this course and gave up. Nonetheless, the idea of acquiring skills in such a tool that could improve data manipulation and analysis never left my mind.

The successful attempt

As an alternative to the quarantine times due to COVID-19 – when I realized that all my plans were frozen – I decided to make this happen: learn a programming language. This time, I chose to learn Python2 which has an easy-to-understand syntax. In addition to the potential to be a tool in my work of analyzing financial data, forecasting, and creating growth strategies, learning Python also serves a general purpose that would broaden my field of knowledge.

I completed an online course at the University of Michigan and since then have been studying on my own, relying on different resources, such as books and the Python documentation, solving coding challenges, and being mentored by my husband, who is a Pythonista with over 20 years of experience.



1 R is a programming language and free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. In other words, R is an integrated suite of software facilities for data manipulation, calculation and graphical display.
2 Python is a multipurpose programming language that emphasizes code readability. Its language constructs and object-oriented approach aim to help programmers write clear, logical code for small and large-scale projects.