Analytics Has an Identity Crisis—And That's a Huge Opportunity

The Problem No One Talks About

Here's something strange about the analytics industry: two people with the exact same job title can have wildly different capabilities.

I've seen "Senior Analysts" who spend their days emailing spreadsheets. I've seen other Senior Analysts building machine learning models that drive millions in business value. There are analytics teams doing all their work in Excel, and others writing Python scripts that pull from APIs and automate entire workflows.

Same titles. Completely different realities.

As I've built my career in the data space, I keep finding the same pattern: there are massive holes in how we develop analytics talent. The learning paths are fragmented. The expectations are unclear. And too many smart people are stuck in a loop of static dashboards and weekly reports, never seeing what's possible beyond them.

Analytics Trapped in the Reporting Box

Here's what I've come to believe: if analytics stays trapped inside reporting tools, it will never truly transform organizations.

Don't get me wrong—dashboards have their place. But when your entire value proposition is "I make charts," you're leaving an enormous amount of impact on the table.

The analytics professionals who drive real change aren't just reporting on the business. They're:

• Automating insights into workflows — not sending spreadsheets, but triggering actions
• Building products — tools that operators use daily, not reports that collect dust
• Embedding intelligence into operations — making the business smarter by default

The gap between "analyst who makes dashboards" and "analyst who transforms how a company operates" is massive. And it's a gap that most training programs completely ignore.

Gen AI Changes Everything

Here's the thing that excites me most: generative AI is demolishing the barriers to building custom solutions.

For years, platforms like Tableau, Power BI, and Looker have told analytics teams, "You can't build something like that—leave the real software to the developers." And for years, that was mostly true. Custom applications required skills that most analysts didn't have.

Not anymore.

The same tools I use to build production applications are now accessible to anyone willing to learn the fundamentals. AI-assisted development has shortened the path from "I have an idea" to "I shipped it" dramatically.

This is why I believe analytics professionals need to lean into programming. Not because everyone should become a software engineer, but because the ability to build custom solutions is becoming table stakes for driving real impact.

What I Want This Blog to Be

I'm starting this space because I want to help analytics professionals see what they can become.

I want to show data scientists, analysts, and analytics engineers that there's a path beyond static reports. A path where your insights don't just inform decisions—they drive action automatically. Where you're not waiting for stakeholders to read your dashboard—you're embedding intelligence directly into their workflows.

Here's what I'll be sharing:

• How to automate insights into action — moving from reports to workflows
• Building analytics products — custom web apps, automated systems, operator tools
• Practical Gen AI applications — what's actually working in enterprise settings
• Leveling up your technical skills — Python, React, APIs, and the fundamentals that unlock everything else
• Lessons from the field — what I'm learning as I push the envelope of what analytics can do

My Bet on the Future

I believe the most valuable analytics professionals of the next decade won't be the ones who build the prettiest dashboards.

They'll be the ones who:

• Pick up Python and learn to automate
• Understand the basics of web development
• Focus on embedding insights into operations
• Build products, not just reports

The tools are more accessible than ever. The barriers are lower than ever. The only question is whether you're willing to expand your definition of what "analytics" can be.

Come Along for the Ride

I'm still figuring this out myself. I don't have all the answers. But I'm actively working to push the envelope of what advanced analytics and data science can offer a company—and I want to share what I learn along the way.

If you're an analyst tired of sending the same spreadsheet every week, a data scientist wondering how to get your models into production, or an analytics engineer looking to drive more impact—this blog is for you.

Subscribe to stay updated. I hope you'll join me on this journey.

Let's build something better.