Do Analysts write code 5 years from now?- DSBoost #41

David Andrés

and

Levi

Nov 21, 2023

How coding aspects of the Data jobs are changing?

No-code tools are all around us. Hundreds of new GPT applications and models are coming out every week. Are these powerful enough, to swipe out coding from the Data jobs?

BI Tools are becoming drag-and-drop applications, where a high schooler can create basic dashboards. Combining that with GPT models and some well-formed prompts, the output can be on the Junior Data Analyst level easily.

GPT can write simple SQL or Python code in seconds. If you tried writing code with AI, then I’m sure that you felt that it would easily take over coding soon.

Will analysts write code 5 years from now?

They probably will, but not in the same way we do today.

Will it take our job then?

My answer is definitely not. (At least in the short run - 5 years)

Here are some reasons why:

Interpretability: Writing code or creating dashboards are just a small part of Data jobs. Communicating the results, placing them into a business context, and making decisions based on those results are other. That’s something that we don’t want to give into AI’s hands in the near future. Even if coding will change, Analysts will stay at least for this reason.
Maintenance: No code tools are great in the first 5 minutes. But as soon as something changes they will crash. With code, you can make them foolproof and easier to maintain.
Flexibility: No-code tools are restricted. They cannot think outside the box. If you want to be creative, you need the flexibility that code can provide. To further strengthen this part, AI lives in the same box. It’s hard to step out using only AI.
Data pipeline: The above-mentioned tools only provide solutions to some small parts of the data pipeline. They work really well with cleaned data that are ready to publish. But what about the previous steps? The data collection, cleaning, and preparation are still out there to solve and these are the harder tasks usually.

Conclusion

Even though coding is a big part of a Data job today, your future career will not depend on how writing code will change in the future!

Lifestyle tips 🧠

You're reading this newsletter because you aim to succeed, build a career in a promising field, and better yourself. Achieving these goals starts with taking care of your brain, ensuring it stays healthy and operates at full capacity. That's what we're focusing on in this issue. We'll cover practical tips on how to safeguard your brain health and keep your mental performance at its best.

Here are the 11 things Dr. Amen mentions in The Diary of a CEO podcast that can prematurely age your brain or damage it:

Drop out of school and stop engaging in new learning - This can cause your brain to disconnect itself due to a lack of new connections being formed.
Being in a job that does not require new learning - It's a risk factor for dementia due to a lack of mental stimulation.
Being lonely - Loneliness is a risk factor for dementia and is terrible for brain function.
Eating a lot of red meat if your iron and ferritin levels are high - Ferritin stores iron, which can damage the brain.
Increasing inflammation by never flossing and not caring for your teeth - This can lead to gum disease, which is associated with an increased risk for heart disease, depression, and dementia.
Avoiding fish in the diet - People who don’t eat fish tend to have less grey matter in their brains and may have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which is associated with smaller brain size.
Eating a diet high in processed foods - This type of diet is linked to various health problems, including brain health issues.
Blaming everything on genes without adopting a prevention program - Even if you have a genetic predisposition to certain health issues, lifestyle choices play a significant role in their actual development.
Using substances such as marijuana, vaping, and alcohol - These can negatively impact the brain's development and increase the risk of various mental health issues.
Experiencing head trauma from activities like football, soccer, rugby, boxing, and not paying attention while walking (e.g., texting) - This can lead to brain injuries.
Feeding your brain "poison" during its development - This includes bad nutrition and substance use, which can damage the brain during a critical period of development.

Follow this advice to take care of your brain by avoiding these detrimental habits and engaging in healthier lifestyle choices.