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I have an econ/finance degree and also worked for several years in finance. Then I quit my job and learned how to code. Now I have a web app with a paying and growing customer base. Knowing how to program will give you special powers when combined with your econ background. Congrats!
I understand the pain of seeing people using old tech and taking hours to do tasks that should take seconds, but do not underestimate the importance of specific field knowledge and the fact that many people do not have time to learn coding. If you think about it, it is an opportunity for you to build a bridge between those 2 worlds. For example, nobody has produced yet a decent tool to consolidate financials...
Like the author, I have an Economics background but have gotten into programming as I graduated from working on Excel. Economics has suffered because of a lack of good data - this is why so many explanations by economists begin with assumptions. I'm hopeful that the data sets now available will improve economic models and that people working in the public sector will put them to good use.
Source: economics degree, research of the neoclassical / neoclassical synthesis model, its origins, and various heterodoxies. I'm partial to thermoeconomics / biophysical economics.
Excel is the best tool for 80% of what bankers and consultants do. It can middle through the next 10%. The problem is it has just no way to do the last 10%. Either it's too slow or just can't handle the size or computations required.