Finance grad shifts career path after teaching himself workflow automation tool n8n
A recent Loyola University Chicago finance graduate, who spent four summers as a Financial Planning and Analysis intern at a healthcare company, describes teaching himself the workflow automation platform n8n during his final semesters of school. He frames this as a deliberate effort to feel uncomfortable and incompetent on purpose, after years of side hustles ranging from sneaker reselling to rug tufting, and says the experience reshaped his view of his career options beyond the finance track he thought was fixed.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The author's account suggests that deliberately pursuing unfamiliar technical skills, even without formal training, can reopen career paths that feel foreclosed by a narrow professional pipeline like finance internships. It also reflects a broader trend of non-engineers picking up no-code automation tools like n8n to build technical fluency outside traditional coding routes. The piece is a personal reflection rather than a company or product announcement, so its significance lies in individual career strategy rather than industry impact.
- A Loyola University Chicago finance graduate taught himself the n8n workflow automation tool in his final semesters.
- He had prior experience with FP&A internships at a large healthcare company and various entrepreneurial side hustles.
- He frames learning an unfamiliar technical skill as a deliberate exercise in tolerating discomfort, which reshaped his career outlook.
Source: wvez.org, 2026-10-21
Published there as: “What I learned from six months of being stupid on purpose”
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