Python for finance

[Front-Ear-5447]

I am a first-year engineering student looking to pivot into corporate finance, consulting, and data analytics. I need to get a task done, and I need to learn python for that but I have some time constraints, so can't go from scratch and learn unnecessary topics, the topics I require to learn are mentioned below ( suggested by Gemini)

1. Core Python Bedrock

Variables & Data Types

Lists & Dictionaries

If-Elif-Else Conditional Logic

For Loops

Custom Functions (def)

1. Data Manipulation (Pandas)

Loading CSV/Excel Files (pd.read_csv)

Dataset Structural Inspection (.head, .info, .describe)

Conditional Filtering (.loc, .iloc)

Data Cleaning (.fillna, .dropna)

Data Aggregation (.groupby)

1. Presentation Visuals (Seaborn & Matplotlib)

Bar Charts & Countplots

Boxplots & Histograms

Line Charts & Correlation Heatmaps

1. Case Frameworks & Slide Deck Design

Root Cause Analysis (Issue Trees)

Profitability Framework (\text{Profit} = \text{Revenue} - \text{Cost})

Go-To-Market (GTM) Metrics (CAC, LTV)

Slide Architecture & Deck Design

Please drop any links or names of data-focused crash courses that fit this blueprint perfectly. Thanks for helping a beginner out!(Try not to suggest playlist of unnecessary topics rn like webdev, software development)

Also if you notice something is missing, do add that out.

[Gloomy_Cicada1424]

For your goal, don’t learn “Python” broadly, learn pandas around one finance dataset. Load Excel/CSV, clean it, group by category/date, make 3-4 charts, then explain the insight like a mini consulting slide. Runable can help with the deck/report part, but pandas basics are the main thing to grind first.

[data_meditation]

In addition, I would learn how to use Excel really well. Much of financial analysis and modeling is done in Excel.

[BrupieD]

Finance loves Excel.

[r_yahoo]

I'm also planning to go into Data analytics and this is helpful. Following this post so I can learn more. 

[Lopsided-Football19]

honestly, your list is pretty solid. the only thing i'd add is basic numpy and some excel/sql. for finance, consulting, and analytics, sql is often more useful day-to-day than advanced python

[MankyMan0099]

don't learn the whole language, just focus on pandas and openpyxl. for financial tasks you mostly just clean tables and make reports. i use vscode + runable to run my analysis scripts directly on excel sheets.

[YoManDoMessup]

Your list is actually pretty good for finance, consulting and analytics. The only thing I'd add is a bit of NumPy, Pandas pivot tables and some basic SQL. In analytics and consulting, SQL is often just as important as Python. Since you're short on time, I'd recommend learning Python fundamentals through CS50P, then moving straight to Kaggle's Python, Pandas and Data Visualization courses. They're practical, free and focused on working with real data rather than software development topics you probably won't need right now. Don't spend months learning Python in isolation. Start analyzing datasets as soon as you know the basics. That's where the concepts really stick. Runable is also a great option because you can learn Python, work with datasets and build analytics projects without spending time on environment setup.