Chose as in "past tense". I chose it as my domain of focus some 15 years ago. Was already employed and paid as a programmer since about 5 years, with a formal education in computer science going back about another 10 years. Already knew enough about how things work in this world to figure out history is written by the winners. Of course I enthusiastically join the choir of "hail the new, better, programming language / party paradigm" but I also know I'm a loser - temporarily. Till I can say go fuck your new way of being a loser, I made my fortune with an old established crap. Finance, that is.
Everyone talks about the vision & goals. Those are a must, ofcourse. But isn't it great, one day after years of struggle & hustle, when success starts to kick in, to sit in the front of your past enemy (People that didn't believe in you) & be like : A very tempting thought.
A little bit confused , but if your saying you chose finance , I would say I chose something similar , but I call it money.
I'm going the other way. Spent decades slinging out code, and wormed my way into Fintech. Now I'm focused on being in a "Profit Center" that is, a group that _earns_revenue_ for the firm (like Data Science). In stark contrast, IT is generally viewed as a "Cost Center," with _no_ROI_. This means lower salaries, and a guillotine always hanging overhead: cut cost.