am I a developer or investor?

For a long time, I’ve asked myself a simple question that never seems to have a simple answer:

Am I a developer… or am I an investor?

On paper, they look like two completely different paths. One is logical, structured, and built on systems. The other is emotional, probabilistic, and built on risk. But the more time passes, the more I realize they are not opposites. They are the same skill expressed in different environments.

A developer builds systems that run.

An investor builds systems that survive uncertainty.

Both require:

• Pattern recognition
• Risk management
• Long-term thinking
• Emotional discipline
• Iteration and failure tolerance

When I write code, I optimize flows.

When I trade, I optimize probabilities.

The mental framework is identical.

As a developer, I think in:

• Inputs and outputs
• State changes
• Edge cases
• Automation
• Scalability

As an investor, I think in:

• Entries and exits
• Risk exposure
• Probability curves
• Capital efficiency
• Compounding

One is deterministic.

The other is stochastic.

But both demand precision.

Most people try to separate identity:

“You’re either technical or financial.”

I reject that.

Building software teaches discipline.

Trading teaches humility.

Together they teach control.

When I lose money, I debug my psychology.

When I ship broken code, I debug my assumptions.

Both are feedback loops.

MSTR, options, leverage, markets… they feel chaotic.

But chaos is just a system with incomplete data.

Coding trained me to respect systems.

Trading trained me to respect uncertainty.

That combination is rare.

And powerful...

So am I a developer or an investor?

I’m a system builder.

Sometimes the system is a website.

Sometimes it’s a portfolio.

Sometimes it’s my own mind.

And all three need constant maintenance.