About

What does thepath mean?

I started learning to code out of avoidance. I moved into a new role at work and found myself immersed in dirty data that needed to be cleaned and standardized.

In an effort to make the work less tedious, I started learning and using Python (primarily Pandas) to scrub data. The more I built, the more I realized I really liked writing code even though I didn’t particularly enjoy the problems I was solving.

The desire to avoid work naturally led me to think about Buddhism and the notion of suffering or Dukkha.

Note: I don’t identify as a Buddhist and I’m not an expert, but I appreciate ideas that help me make sense of my world and really appreciate ideas that help me find humor in it.

In Buddhism there is a concept of Four Noble Truths that are roughly:

Suffering exists
Suffering is caused by attachment or non-attachment
Suffering can be reduced by letting go of attachment
The Noble Eightfold Path is a set of actions to help reduce attachment, which leads to an end of suffering.

The realization that my work was suffering led me to name all of my data files “dukkha” something. I’m sure it’s a little passive aggressive, but it also made the process more amusing. As a result, all of my scripts read in dukkha files and produced a clean output or report.

My focus shifted as I wrote code to clean dukkha. I was still stuck dealing with meaningless data, but I was now building machines to do the work for me.

The more code I wrote the more I realized that I really enjoyed writing code. Solving problems and building things was fun. As a result, I started to see and recognize that code was my path to liberation from suffering (Nirvana).

Naming the site thepath is a reminder that code can be a vehicle that leads to liberation from suffering.

Who are you?

My name is Dan. I’m a self taught developer working in Finance and I primarily use Python and Vue to solve problems. I started thepath to document what I’m learning and building. My belief is that I learn better by explaining things and hopefully readers will learn something as well.

What technologies do you use?

I use a range of technologies and I tend to experiment as a way of finding what I like. Python is the core of my daily workflow and is where I frequently start.

Development tools

Python - NumPy, Pandas, Django, FastAPI
Vue
Vanilla JavaScript
Bootstrap and Bulma
Plotly.js
Chart.js

Preferred Brokerages

ThinkOrSwim and Alpaca

Data API’s

TIINGO (Personal favorite)
IEX
AlphaVantage

What is your background?

I’m a self taught developer and licensed CPA with a background in Public Accounting and Finance. Prior to entering Finance, I traded my own account and wrote an Options Trading blog before getting a job on an Options Trading Desk. After getting a job on the desk I worked as an execution trader and developed systematic trading strategies.

I am primarily interested in using Technology as a tool to simplify complex financial information and problems.

Get in touch:

Send an email to dan at thepath dot dev